ebin-dev

If you intend to switch to bookworm, the image Armbian_23.5.4_Helios64_bookworm_current_6.1.36.img is indeed a good starting point: I have tested the 1G and 2.5G LAN interfaces and they perform well out of the box. On my Helios64, I could not obtain any stability issues with this system using kernel 6.1.36 (I have soldered the cable to the motherboard as suggested on the kobol.io website). As mentioned above, the dwc3 usb regression ist not jet present in that kernel. So I would advise to use that image if you intend to upgrade to bookworm. However, I could not obtain any matching header files for that kernel version which are necessary if the dkms is needed (on my system by some home automation software). Therefore, I had to compile the current linux kernel 6.1.58 (linux-image, linux-headers, linux-dtb) while applying a patch to solve the dwc3 usb issue (patch is discussed here). Welcome to Armbian 23.08.0-trunk Bookworm with Linux 6.1.58-current-rockchip64 No end-user support: community creations System load: 2% Up time: 2:48 Memory usage: 30% of 3.77G IP: xx.xx.xx.xx CPU temp: 47°C Usage of /: 14% of 58G storage/: 61% of 3.6T storage temp: 25°C All USB devices are working now - also with the current kernel (patched). The driver for the realtek 2.5G interface (mainline version v1.12.13 - 'modinfo r8152') performs well if all the following firmware files are present in /lib/firmware/rtl_nic/ (can be downloaded from here): # ls -la /lib/firmware/rtl_nic/ drwxrwxr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 18 16:56 . drwxr-xr-x 27 root root 12288 Oct 16 15:46 .. -rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 3328 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8125b-2.fw -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1768 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8153a-2.fw -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1440 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8153a-3.fw -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 712 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8153a-4.fw -rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 1880 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8153b-2.fw -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 832 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8153c-1.fw -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4024 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8156a-2.fw -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7256 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8156b-2.fw -rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 976 Oct 16 15:32 rtl8168h-2.fw # cat /var/log/syslog | grep r8152 2023-10-19T07:01:02.167978+02:00 helios64 kernel: [ 6.672719] r8152 2-1.4:1.0: load rtl8156a-2 v2 04/27/23 successfully 2023-10-19T07:01:02.167981+02:00 helios64 kernel: [ 6.715222] r8152 2-1.4:1.0 (unnamed net_device) (uninitialized): netif_napi_add_weight() called with weight 256 2023-10-19T07:01:02.167984+02:00 helios64 kernel: [ 6.730968] r8152 2-1.4:1.0 eth0: v1.12.13 2023-10-19T07:01:02.167986+02:00 helios64 kernel: [ 6.731167] usbcore: registered new interface driver r8152 In order to avoid surprises I have disabled Armbian updates for the time being (debian updates still arrive): cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/armbian.list # deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/armbian.gpg] http://apt.armbian.com bookworm main bookworm-utils bookworm-desktop After a few days of testing I am using this now 'in production' 🙂

@prahal Thank you for the hints ! The helios64 bookworm image 23.05.4 with kernel 6.1.36 includes the mainline driver r8152 and I have tested it with both LAN interfaces 1G and 2.5G - it is stable and performs nicely. However, I could not find any matching header files for download for that kernel version: they are necessary for the dkms used on my system. Would you know a source for them (version 6.1.36) ? Unfortunately later linux versions include a regression (dwc3 usb issue) so we lose access to our USB devices i.e. using linux 6.1.50 ... Compiling current kernels and temporarily patching them to get rid of the dwc3 usb issue works, but I have the impression that I am using the wrong branch, since there are so many issues with the existing patches for rockchip64 (armbian VERSION file: 23.08.1-trunk): 74 patches to be rebased etc. Is there any better starting point than "23.08.1-trunk-6.1.xx" for building helios64 kernels ?

You could try the above and let us know if it solves the issue (should work for linux up to 6.4.10+).

Linux 6.1.36 is not affected by the dwc3 usb issue. The braking changes made it into the kernel after that. Thank you for confirming that you had no issues accessing emmc with that kernel - your system is even running from there. Your linux kernel uses the linux-tree version of the realtek driver r8152. It is based on an old version of the manufacturer and we have to test if it is reliable when used to drive the 2.5G interface. Once the dwc3 usb issue is resolved (upstream), I intend to build several versions of the linux kernel with different rtl8152 drivers so that performance and reliability can be compared.

@alchemist Thank you for the hint ! The dwc3 usb issue remains even if I compile a more recent realtek-r8152-linux driver into kernel 6.1.52. So the realtek driver does not seem to be the (only) reason for the issue. While compiling the kernel I was informed by the build system that 74 patches need to be rebased and that the rk3399-enable-dwc3-xhci-usb-trb-quirk.patch could not be applied - something has changed. This is how a system looks like that was not maintained for years ... P.S.: I will therefore currently not upgrade Helios64 (hosting all my data) to Armbian bookworm 23.05.4-6.1.36. It uses the linux-tree rtl8152 driver and needs proper testing first, in particular network performance (1Gbit/s and 2.5Gbit/s interfaces), reliability of accessing emmc and stability.

It does not matter if you refer to the current Armbian version as 23.8 as indicated on the helios64 download page or to 23.08 as indicated on the welcome screen. And it does not matter if it is 23.8.1. The important bit is that any current linux kernel or image (fully automatically) built by the Armbian build system does not provide any USB support for your Helios64 for linux kernel versions higher than 5.12. You could verify that yourself by upgrading your backup sd to the current kernel versions. Unless you have access to the original linux kernel debs you would have to reinstall your system entirely from scratch. You should therefore not upgrade your system to any current linux kernel produced by the Armbian build system until the linux rtl8152 driver is replaced for kernel versions higher than 5.12 (in this code). For the time being you could disable Armbian updates entirely (and still receive debian updates): cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/armbian.list # deb http://apt.armbian.com bookworm main bookworm-utils bookworm-desktop

For linux versions higher than 5.12, the Armbian build system does not replace the realtek driver r8152 but it uses an aged realtek driver from the linux source tree. So if someone intends to build from sources at home, the realtek r8152 driver in the linux source tree must be replaced by a newer version, otherwise USB devices will not be accessible to helios64. It follows that all fully automated builds with the current Armbian build system building linux kernel versions higher than 5.12 will not support USB devices on helios64 anymore (until that is fixed). The good news is that there is an image available for download were the USB issue was fixed: Armbian_23.5.4_Helios64_bookworm_current_6.1.36.img (here)

A stable Armbian Bookworm configuration for your Helios64 is provided here (solved). ************************************************************************* Recently a new Armbian 23.08.1 Bookworm image with linux-6.1.50 was made available for Helios64 on its download page (see here) - which is as such great 😀. Everything starts up nicely, but unlike the previous Bookworm 23.05 image, the current one has an issue with accessing USB devices. In the boot process the following error occurs: # cat /var/log/syslog | grep error 2023-09-07T12:31:05.671598+02:00 helios64 kernel: [ 2.537009] dwc3 fe900000.usb: error -ETIMEDOUT: failed to initialize core 2023-09-07T12:31:05.671602+02:00 helios64 kernel: [ 2.537107] dwc3: probe of fe900000.usb failed with error -110 No USB device could be accessed. As this seems to be related to the realtek driver r8152, I compiled and installed the current version of that driver (see below) and after that the USB devices were accessible. # compile and install the current realtek driver git clone https://github.com/wget/realtek-r8152-linux.git cd realtek-r8152-linux... make sudo make install

That`s right - I am running bookworm off SD, since my bullseye system is still present on emmc. The effect of omitting the "BUILD_ONLY" option in the compile instruction is simply that everything is being compiled from sources such that the bookworm image is compiled too. And 'current' was used, since bookworm was designed to operate with that version of linux. A short test using 'hdparm -tT /dev/mmcblk1' #emmc indicates that emmc access speed with linux 6.1.45 is around 120MB/s (hs200), about half of what it used to be with linux 5.10.43 (220 MB/s = hs400). I can live with that, but before I copy the bookworm system from sd to emmc, could you please confirm that linux 6.1.xx can safely be used to read and write emmc using the slower hs200 mode ? P.S.: Regarding u-boot: before I became aware of your warning I already flashed the u-boot binaries to emmc using the blobs that came with the fresh bookworm image. emmc was still bootable and I did not oberve any issues. To be on the safe side, I reverted back to the original blobs present in my original bullseye image.

How to switch from network-manager to systemd-networkd is explained i.e here. Bookworm is up and running from SD for a few days now, but it would appear that emmc is still being accessed with hs200 speed.

@mrjpaxton Dist-upgrade(ing) from bullseye to bookworm did finally complete successfully. However, one should consider that device names have changed (otherwise your system may end up offline 🙂) the new interface names are: # interface names (bookworm) sd: /dev/mmcblk0 emmc: /dev/mmcblk1 eth0: end0 (1GBase-T ethernet) eth1: end1 (2.5GBase-T ethernet) P.S.: I am currently setting up bookworm from scratch starting from the fresh image to get rid of the stuff that accumulated during the last years.

@mrjpaxton I am about to upgrade linux from 5.10 to 6.1 now and if that works to dist-upgrade bullseye to bookworm. Just to prevent someone from telling us that this is not supported by Armbian - we already know that. Just in case you would like to try, here is a link to the most recent Armbian 23.08.0 - 6.1.45 bookworm image including all the linux-6.1.45 deb packages. You could also start with the fresh bookworm image, in case dist-upgrade to bookworm does not complete successfully with your installation. Armbian 23.08.0 - 6.1.45 bookworm image was compiled for Helios64 using the Armbian build system as mentioned in the parallel thread .

@prahal@balbes150 I just gave it a try and built a complete bookworm image (Armbian_23.08.0-trunk_Helios64_bookworm_current_6.1.49.img and corresponding linux 6.1.49 deb packages). The bookworm image boots without any issues. Thank you very much for your contributions! Now there should be an upgrade path from Debian bullseye to bookworm once linux is upgraded to 6.1.49. If that does not complete successfully I will set up the whole system starting from the fresh bookworm image. git clone https://github.com/armbian/build.git cd build ./compile.sh BOARD=helios64 BRANCH=current RELEASE=bookworm KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no P.S.: There is a more recent update on armbian.com/helios64

@privilegejunkie I am still on Linux 5.10.43-rockchip64 #21.05.4 SMP PREEMPT Wed Jun 16 08:02:12 UTC 2021 aarch64 GNU/Linux / debian bullseye 11.7. Would you provide a download link to the kernel you are using ? I could easily test it with debian bullseye. However, debian bookworm is about to be released and it comes with linux 6.1 LTS. So it would make some sense to test 6.1 kernels too for the ones who intend to upgrade.

@prahal Thanks for fixing this bug ! You mentioned, that you are investigating the emmc hs400 issue. Once you (or someone else) found a solution to it, please let us know. We could then try to test newer versions of the linux kernel and see what remains to be done.

not necessary - not even desired by most of the helios64 users

Just put a # in front of the line in armbian.list (should have the same effect as freeze kernel in armbian-config): cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/armbian.list # deb http://apt.armbian.com bullseye main bullseye-utils bullseye-desktop Regarding a new kernel: the new ones (newer than 5.10.43) do not support emmc speed HS400, seem to have issues with the 2.5Gb/s interface (transfer rates are about half the speed), and the switch to the new mainlined bootloader is essentially untested... Would be wise to focus on this - besides the general stability.

@bunducafe I am still running this system: Armbian 21.08.2 Bullseye with Linux 5.10.43-rockchip64. The Armbian image should still be available in the archive and I downgraded linux to 5.10.43, since this is the last version able to access emmc with hs400. Since there is no maintainer I have disabled any updates through the Armbian channel (in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/armbian.list). Debian Bullseye updates are not affected in any way by this and still arrive from time to time. That is fine for now.

@grek Would you have the possibility to test the speed of the 2.5 Gb/s Ethernet Interface with your system ?

Rock 5 B (Pico ITX - 8-core) is really powerful and power efficient (8nm lithography). I have preordered one.

I just had an issue with the 2.5G interface after the latest update to Armbian Bullseye 22.02.01 (linux 5.15.25): The 2.5G Interface would not appear to work as expected anymore. A 12.225 GB test file was transferred from Helios64 to a client via a 2.5G switch using netatalk with only about 120 MB/s. The system I am normally using ( Armbian 21.08.2 Bullseye, linux downgraded to 5.10.43), transfers the file with 271 MB/s (as expected). Here are the related dmesg messages : [ 11.159252] r8152 2-1.4:1.0: Direct firmware load for rtl_nic/rtl8156a-2.fw failed with error -2 [ 11.159293] r8152 2-1.4:1.0: unable to load firmware patch rtl_nic/rtl8156a-2.fw (-2) [ 11.199745] r8152 2-1.4:1.0 (unnamed net_device) (uninitialized): netif_napi_add() called with weight 256 [ 11.215517] r8152 2-1.4:1.0 eth1: v1.12.12 [ 11.215734] usbcore: registered new interface driver r8152 [ 14.606490] r8152 2-1.4:1.0 eth1: Promiscuous mode enabled [ 14.606732] r8152 2-1.4:1.0 eth1: carrier on Is there anyone observing the same issue ?

Interesting ! I tried again with a fresh Armbian Bullseye Image (Armbian_21.08.2_Helios64_bullseye_current_5.10.63.img.xz) on SD and used apt update && apt upgrade to install the latest kernel 5.15.25. After a reboot, an rsync from SD to another SD attached to the USB port worked perfectly. I have noticed today that SD and emmc device names have changed between linux 5.10.xx and linux 5.15.yy from /dev/mmcblk2p1 (emmc) and /dev/mmcblk1p1 (SD) to /dev/mmcblk1p1 and /dev/mmcblk0p1 respectively. Since my backup scripts use the device names they could not work correctly anymore with kernel 5.15.yy. MEA CULPA. All device names are now replaced by their corresponding UUIDs in the backup scripts - so that this can't happen again. So you can update your buster or bullseye installation to the latest Armbian kernel (no rsync issues) - but be aware that there are still some other issues to be resolved, in particular if you are using zfs-dkms (see the parallel threads).

You can downgrade linux from 5.10.63 to 5.10.43: just install those files with dpkg -i *.deb (headers included, full emmc speed).

Hi there, the emmc issues were solved by reducing read/write speed by a factor of 2 (thanks to @piter75). Unfortunately this is still the case with newer kernels 5.15.xx. I am still using linux 5.10.43 without any issues and without the emmc speed limitation (Armbian 21.08.2 Bullseye with Linux 5.10.43-rockchip64). Upgrading from Buster to Bullseye should work, but your mileage may vary depending on your specific Buster installation. The upgrade will install the newest kernel 5.15.25. I had troubles at least with rsync in this context. Alternatively you can grab the latest Armbian Bullseye Image (Armbian_21.08.2_Helios64_bullseye_current_5.10.63.img.xz) from the archive and downgrade to linux 5.10.43. To do that you just need to download those files and install them with 'dpkg -i *.deb' and disable any further Armbian updates in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/armbian.list . Debian updates will still arrive ... The system on SD can be transferred to emmc. Cheers!

Hi, updating Helios64 (Armbian Bullseye) to the latest kernel (Armbian 22.02.1 with Linux 5.15.25-rockchip64) went flawlessly - it seems to be stable so far (Thanks!). However, emmc read/write speed is still reduced by a factor of 2 compared to linux 5.10.43. @piter75 Do you know if there is anybody trying to re-enable high emmc read/write speeds in newer kernels ?