u-boot question: boot 2nd partition?

richardk · November 19, 2019

I'm trying to create a microSD card to boot Armbian, but first would be inserted into a Windows laptop to edit some configuration. To make the microSD show up in Windows, the first partition must be a FAT partition, and so Linux would be ext4 partion 2.

I suspect I'll need to put the /boot partition on the FAT volume, with directions to load from mmcblk1p2. In case it matters, this is a Rock64 without emmc.

I've just started this research, but I'd be grateful for any u-boot-savvy person's help here. Thanks.

richardk · November 19, 2019

Okay, make sure to set BOOT flag on the second partition.

Adding setenv rootdev "/dev/mmcblk0p2" to armbianEnv.txt to the second partition's /boot/armbianEnv.txt doesn't work.

Moving on...

richardk · November 19, 2019

Wow, copying the contents of p2:/boot in ext4 to p1:/boot in FAT is worse.

Gets into a loop...

SdmmcInit=2 0
BootCapSize=0
UserCapSize=0MB
FwPartOffset=2000 , 0
SdmmcInit=2 0
BootCapSize=0
UserCapSize=0MB
FwPartOffset=2000 , 0
SdmmcInit=2 0 ...

martinayotte · November 19, 2019

22 minutes ago, richardk said:

Adding setenv rootdev "/dev/mmcblk0p2" to armbianEnv.txt to the second partition's /boot/armbianEnv.txt doesn't work.

armbianEnv.txt is not a script, it is environment. So change the following :

rootdev=UUID=69c4417e-e866-4934-8625-bd5fed6f21d5

to :

rootdev=/dev/mmcblk0p2

richardk · November 19, 2019

Well, firstly don't overwrite your u-boot sectors with a fat partition. Nothing works.

Secondly: rootdev=/dev/mmcblk0p2 isn't it either. I get:

This seems like the relevant portion of the log:

mmc1 is current device
Scanning mmc 1:2...
Found U-Boot script /boot/boot.scr
2949 bytes read in 21 ms (136.7 KiB/s)
## Executing script at 00500000
Boot script loaded from mmc 1
reading /boot/uInitrd
** Unable to read file /boot/uInitrd **
reading /boot/Image
** Unable to read file /boot/Image **
reading /boot/dtb/rockchip/rk3328-rock64.dtb
** Unable to read file /boot/dtb/rockchip/rk3328-rock64.dtb **

It appears it found /boot/boot.scr, but then didn't find other files.

Oh - maybe it's mmcblk1p2...

MacBreaker · November 19, 2019

Hello @richardk,

to edit file from ext x filesystem on Windows machines, use Ext2Fsd-0.69.exe https://www.heise.de/download/product/ext2fsd-57713

works pefect...

richardk · November 19, 2019

Sigh, no change using /dev/mmcblk1p2.

Found U-Boot script /boot/boot.scr
2949 bytes read in 21 ms (136.7 KiB/s)
## Executing script at 00500000
Boot script loaded from mmc 1
reading /boot/uInitrd
** Unable to read file /boot/uInitrd **
reading /boot/Image
** Unable to read file /boot/Image **
reading /boot/dtb/rockchip/rk3328-rock64.dtb
** Unable to read file /boot/dtb/rockchip/rk3328-rock64.dtb **

richardk · November 19, 2019

It loos like maybe "first partition" is coded into boot.scr...

# get PARTUUID of first partition on SD/eMMC the boot script was loaded from
if test "${devtype}" = "mmc"; then part uuid mmc ${devnum}:1 partuuid; fi

I'll need to edit boot.cmd and recompile boot.scr.

richardk · November 19, 2019

Well, progress made.

Added to boot.cmd:

setenv partnum "2"

setenv devnum "${devnum}:${partnum}"

After that, the kernel image gets loaded, but shortly thereafter it resets and boots again...

[ 44.604791] reboot: Restarting system

The device tree seems to be unresolved...

Scanning mmc 1:2...
Found U-Boot script /boot/boot.scr
3048 bytes read in 21 ms (141.6 KiB/s)
## Executing script at 00500000
Boot script loaded from mmc 1:2
171 bytes read in 18 ms (8.8 KiB/s)
8018124 bytes read in 394 ms (19.4 MiB/s)
20498944 bytes read in 959 ms (20.4 MiB/s)
51131 bytes read in 33 ms (1.5 MiB/s)
293 bytes read in 38 ms (6.8 KiB/s)
Applying kernel provided DT overlay rockchip-spi1.dtbo
2698 bytes read in 32 ms (82 KiB/s)
Applying kernel provided DT fixup script (rockchip-fixup.scr)
## Executing script at 39000000
libfdt fdt_path_offset() returned FDT_ERR_NOTFOUND
libfdt fdt_path_offset() returned FDT_ERR_NOTFOUND
## Loading init Ramdisk from Legacy Image at 04000000 ...
Image Name: uInitrd
Image Type: AArch64 Linux RAMDisk Image (gzip compressed)
Data Size: 8018060 Bytes = 7.6 MiB
Load Address: 00000000
Entry Point: 00000000
Verifying Checksum ... OK
## Flattened Device Tree blob at 01f00000
Booting using the fdt blob at 0x1f00000
Loading Ramdisk to fc75b000, end fcf0088c ... OK
reserving fdt memory region: addr=1f00000 size=72000
Loading Device Tree to 00000000fc6e6000, end 00000000fc75afff ... OK

Starting kernel ...

richardk · November 19, 2019

SUCCESS. I've got it booting the second partition.

Lessons:

armbianEnv.txt really wants UUID=. If you make a new partition, make sure to match UUIDs.

Edit boot.cmd; find:

echo "Boot script loaded from ${devtype} ${devnum}"

Before that line, add:

setenv partnum "2"
setenv devnum "${devnum}:${partnum}"

That's how it's working.

I thought I could adjust so that it took partnum=2 from armbianEnv.txt (and move the new setenv devnum down after armbianEbv.tct is loaded). I don't know why that didn't work; I might have messed something else up.

Anyway, I'm good to go.

Caletronics · March 29, 2020

I too wanted to boot to a second partition and struggled. The workaround by @richardk sort of fixes of the problem but isn't a general solution. After examining the U-Boot environment (printenv at the u-boot prompt) and /boot/boot.cmd I feel that boot.cmd needs to be patched. If you set the boot flag on the second partition (parted or fdisk, etc.) then U-Boot correctly sets 'distro_bootpart' and thereafter uses '${devnum}:${distro_bootpart}'. I modified boot.cmd to follow the same convention, rebuilt boot.scr and it works.

*** a/boot.cmd  2020-03-29 11:47:02.268576905 -0700
--- b/boot.cmd  2020-03-29 11:55:28.541325423 -0700
***************
*** 18,25 ****

  echo "Boot script loaded from ${devtype}"

! if test -e ${devtype} ${devnum} ${prefix}armbianEnv.txt; then
!   load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${load_addr} ${prefix}armbianEnv.txt
    env import -t ${load_addr} ${filesize}
  fi

--- 18,25 ----

  echo "Boot script loaded from ${devtype}"

! if test -e ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${prefix}armbianEnv.txt; then
!   load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${load_addr} ${prefix}armbianEnv.txt
    env import -t ${load_addr} ${filesize}
  fi

***************
*** 34,71 ****

  if test "${docker_optimizations}" = "on"; then setenv bootargs "${bootargs} cgroup_enable=memory swapaccount=1"; fi

! load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${fdt_addr_r} ${prefix}dtb/${fdtfile}
  fdt addr ${fdt_addr_r}
  fdt resize 65536
  for overlay_file in ${overlays}; do
!   if load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${load_addr} ${prefix}dtb/allwinner/overlay/${overlay_prefix}-${overlay_file}.dtbo; then
      echo "Applying kernel provided DT overlay ${overlay_prefix}-${overlay_file}.dtbo"
      fdt apply ${load_addr} || setenv overlay_error "true"
    fi
  done
  for overlay_file in ${user_overlays}; do
!   if load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${load_addr} ${prefix}overlay-user/${overlay_file}.dtbo; then
      echo "Applying user provided DT overlay ${overlay_file}.dtbo"
      fdt apply ${load_addr} || setenv overlay_error "true"
    fi
  done
  if test "${overlay_error}" = "true"; then
    echo "Error applying DT overlays, restoring original DT"
!   load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${fdt_addr_r} ${prefix}dtb/${fdtfile}
  else
!   if load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${load_addr} ${prefix}dtb/allwinner/overlay/${overlay_prefix}-fixup.scr; then
      echo "Applying kernel provided DT fixup script (${overlay_prefix}-fixup.scr)"
      source ${load_addr}
    fi
!   if test -e ${devtype} ${devnum} ${prefix}fixup.scr; then
!     load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${load_addr} ${prefix}fixup.scr
      echo "Applying user provided fixup script (fixup.scr)"
      source ${load_addr}
    fi
  fi

! load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${prefix}uInitrd
! load ${devtype} ${devnum} ${kernel_addr_r} ${prefix}Image

  booti ${kernel_addr_r} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${fdt_addr_r}

--- 34,71 ----

  if test "${docker_optimizations}" = "on"; then setenv bootargs "${bootargs} cgroup_enable=memory swapaccount=1"; fi

! load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${fdt_addr_r} ${prefix}dtb/${fdtfile}
  fdt addr ${fdt_addr_r}
  fdt resize 65536
  for overlay_file in ${overlays}; do
!   if load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${load_addr} ${prefix}dtb/allwinner/overlay/${overlay_prefix}-${overlay_file}.dtbo; then
      echo "Applying kernel provided DT overlay ${overlay_prefix}-${overlay_file}.dtbo"
      fdt apply ${load_addr} || setenv overlay_error "true"
    fi
  done
  for overlay_file in ${user_overlays}; do
!   if load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${load_addr} ${prefix}overlay-user/${overlay_file}.dtbo; then
      echo "Applying user provided DT overlay ${overlay_file}.dtbo"
      fdt apply ${load_addr} || setenv overlay_error "true"
    fi
  done
  if test "${overlay_error}" = "true"; then
    echo "Error applying DT overlays, restoring original DT"
!   load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${fdt_addr_r} ${prefix}dtb/${fdtfile}
  else
!   if load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${load_addr} ${prefix}dtb/allwinner/overlay/${overlay_prefix}-fixup.scr; then
      echo "Applying kernel provided DT fixup script (${overlay_prefix}-fixup.scr)"
      source ${load_addr}
    fi
!   if test -e ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${prefix}fixup.scr; then
!     load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${load_addr} ${prefix}fixup.scr
      echo "Applying user provided fixup script (fixup.scr)"
      source ${load_addr}
    fi
  fi

! load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${prefix}uInitrd
! load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${distro_bootpart} ${kernel_addr_r} ${prefix}Image

  booti ${kernel_addr_r} ${ramdisk_addr_r} ${fdt_addr_r}

Gediz · September 7, 2020

On 11/19/2019 at 3:56 PM, richardk said:

Okay, make sure to set BOOT flag on the second partition.

Thank you so much. Somehow I forgot to add bootable = "true" flag to the genimage.cfg. If it weren't for your post, I'd waste several more hours debugging U-Boot.

Lexingtonian · April 22, 2021

On 11/19/2019 at 8:21 AM, martinayotte said:
armbianEnv.txt is not a script, it is environment. So change the following :
rootdev=UUID=69c4417e-e866-4934-8625-bd5fed6f21d5
to :
rootdev=/dev/mmcblk0p2

This got me going again today after I over-wrote my armbianEnv.txt. Thank you!

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