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ARMBIAN for Amlogic S905 and S905X (ver 5.44 =<)


balbes150

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Has received the adapter USB-2.0-to-SATA-HDD-SSD TV box Tanix TX 92 2/16  run with SSD (120Gb) (Armbian_5.37_S9xxx_Debian_stretch_3.14.29_xfce_20171226).

while experimenting with the sizes of swap and vm.vfs_cache_pressure and vm.swappiness.
The inclusion of the swap is positively reflected, the prefix does not freeze when all the RAM is full

 

I can not cant run a zRam. Are there instructions for setting up zRam for Armbian?

Another issue, test videos that are attached to the image in full screen mode are very much inhibited. Can I somehow fix the problem with playing video files? (It turns out a slide show of about 5 frames per second).
 

Spoiler


USB-2.0-SATA-HDD-SSD.jpg

tanix.jpg

 

 

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arch ( ARM or ARM64 ) problem :

 

Hi , All :

 

I installed Armbian_5.41.1_S9xxx_Ubuntu_xenial_3.14.29_mate_20180421.img at the SD card for my s905x TV box and it seems O.K.

Now I tried to cross compile an application at my Ubuntu PC for this lovely device. The first problem I encountered is the choice of arch.

I worked out a 32-bit arm application ( target arch : ARM) with the cross compile tool . The generated binary is :

hello-world : ELF 32-bit LSB executable, ARM, EABI5 version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, interpreter /lib/ld-linux-armhf.so.3, for GNU/Linux 3.2.0, not stripped
Unfortunately , I did not find the needed interpreter at the tv box . The only interpreter I found at the  img at the SD card is :

/lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1 -> aarch64-linux-gnu/ld-2.23.so
 

Does it mean that the img is for ARM64 arch ? Is there a ld-linux-armhf  interpreter at the image ?

 

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Just now, hanguofu said:

arch ( ARM or ARM64 ) problem :

 

Hi , All :

 

I installed Armbian_5.41.1_S9xxx_Ubuntu_xenial_3.14.29_mate_20180421.img at the SD card for my s905x TV box and it seems O.K.

Now I tried to cross compile an application at my Ubuntu PC for this lovely device. The first problem I encountered is the choice of arch.

I worked out a 32-bit arm application ( target arch : ARM) with the cross compile tool . The generated binary is :

hello-world : ELF 32-bit LSB exou crosscompile, why bother with intecutable, ARM, EABI5 version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, interpreter /lib/ld-linux-armhf.so.3, for GNU/Linux 3.2.0, not stripped
Unfortunately , I did not find the needed interpreter at the tv box . The only interpreter I found at the  img at the SD card is :

/lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1 -> aarch64-linux-gnu/ld-2.23.so
 

Does it mean that the img is for ARM64 arch ? Is there a ld-linux-armhf  interpreter at the image ?

 

If you cross compile, why bother with an interpreter, why not compile for arm64 and run it natively?

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10 hours ago, Nofan Tasi said:

 

if you just want kodi, why not go for elec kind of solution?

i need a full working linux under Kodi

 

Realy nobody runs Kodi 18 under a Debian Linux 4.x Kernel on a S905X Box with H/W Acceleration?

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Hello,

 

I bought a tvbox mxq pro+ (s905x 2g/16g) and would like to use it a small server for iot with a small linux distro.

 

I install armbian_5.44_S9xxx_Debian_stretch_3.14.29_server_20180601.img on a sdcard

I copy gxl_p212_2g.dtb on /boot/dtb.img

I set dualboot on android

And i boot linux on sdcard

 

Network is ok and i see linux booting on hdmi display.

 

As sdcard is not the in term of reliability, i tried to install linux on emmc.

 

And there i need your knowhow.

 

On linux from sdcard i log on root and lunch install.sh

 

No error display , but the box don't start on linux just the logo

 

I read install.sh and view that it load a different linux image than /boot on sdcard I modify install.sh with the /boot image

But nothing work.

 

I try to connect the serial port to my PC but i just collect garbage character (seems to be a speed issue but impossible to find the right on)

 

i read hundred of post to get there so if you could give me some valuable tricks to finish my projet

 

Thanks

 

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Just now, glambert said:

Hello,

 

I bought a tvbox mxq pro+ (s905x 2g/16g) and would like to use it a small server for iot with a small linux distro.

 

I install armbian_5.44_S9xxx_Debian_stretch_3.14.29_server_20180601.img on a sdcard

I copy gxl_p212_2g.dtb on /boot/dtb.img

I set dualboot on android

And i boot linux on sdcard

 

Network is ok and i see linux booting on hdmi display.

 

As sdcard is not the in term of reliability, i tried to install linux on emmc.

 

And there i need your knowhow.

 

On linux from sdcard i log on root and lunch install.sh

 

No error display , but the box don't start on linux just the logo

 

I read install.sh and view that it load a different linux image than /boot on sdcard I modify install.sh with the /boot image

But nothing work.

 

I try to connect the serial port to my PC but i just collect garbage character (seems to be a speed issue but impossible to find the right on)

 

i read hundred of post to get there so if you could give me some valuable tricks to finish my projet

 

Thanks

 

The thing is that the install.sh doesn't work. It bricks the box so for all practical purposes it is impossible to install armbian to emmc. You need to download a complete image of the box's original firmware and flash it using a pc. Google "flashing china tv box" and you'll find download link and instructions.

 

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On 7/4/2018 at 4:52 PM, Reddwarf said:

I looked into Anbox a little while ago, it turns it does not support ARM processors (yet). Strange if you ask me since the majority of Android apps (and Android itself) was originally build for ARM...

 

Well the FAQ on the https://anbox.io says it does support ARM- it was originally built using a phone:

 

"Android image for every device?

No. Anbox does not need a specific Android image for every device as it is specifically built in a device independent way. Anbox will ship with a single Android image per architecture (amd64, armhf, arm64) and no device specifc modifications are required."

 

So what do you think now? Does this Anbox- Armbian combo make sense now???

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On ‎7‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 1:51 PM, Reddwarf said:

If you cross compile, why bother with an interpreter, why not compile for arm64 and run it natively?

Yes . You are right . I did not notice s905x is a 64-bit SOC.

Cheer ~~~

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Greetings. I have two issues, and I would be equally grateful if either could be solved:

 

1) I have a T95Z Plus with an s912. I'm running Balbes150's Ubuntu Server 16.04 kernel 4.9. After boot, the system is able to recognize the emmc,  and /dev/data exists, but when I run the install.sh script, when it gets to "copy USR", it starts to hit a bunch of segmentation faults and a few bus errors, and eventually the system freezes up and I have to reboot. I'm using the gml_q200_2g.dtb from the dtb folder.

 

2) I have an X96 Mini with an s905W, running the same image as above. The system cannot at all recognize the emmc, and /dev/data does not exist. The output of "fdisk -l", "lsblk", and "ls -al /dev/block" all only recognize the boot device (my usb drive). I'm using gmx_231_1g.dtb from the dtb folder. I'm aware that it isn't the correct dtb file, but strangely it is the only one that will boot. I have extracted the dtb from firmware but it didn't work.

 

Bonus Issue) On the T95Z Plus (the first one), right from boot, the video output stops, and does not come back. I used an hdmi to dvi adapter on my monitor. It isn't a big issue because I'm able to ssh to it, but if anyone has a solution it would be appreciated.

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13 hours ago, shippy said:

Well the FAQ on the https://anbox.io says it does support ARM- it was originally built using a phone:

 

"Android image for every device?

No. Anbox does not need a specific Android image for every device as it is specifically built in a device independent way. Anbox will ship with a single Android image per architecture (amd64, armhf, arm64) and no device specifc modifications are required."

 

So what do you think now? Does this Anbox- Armbian combo make sense now???

I think you misread, it is the Android image that is for ARM (among others), if you try to download Anbox for arm linux you'll find that it does not exist.

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Just now, damienq said:

Greetings. I have two issues, and I would be equally grateful if either could be solved:

 

1) I have a T95Z Plus with an s912. I'm running Balbes150's Ubuntu Server 16.04 kernel 4.9. After boot, the system is able to recognize the emmc,  and /dev/data exists, but when I run the install.sh script, when it gets to "copy USR", it starts to hit a bunch of segmentation faults and a few bus errors, and eventually the system freezes up and I have to reboot. I'm using the gml_q200_2g.dtb from the dtb folder.

 

2) I have an X96 Mini with an s905W, running the same image as above. The system cannot at all recognize the emmc, and /dev/data does not exist. The output of "fdisk -l", "lsblk", and "ls -al /dev/block" all only recognize the boot device (my usb drive). I'm using gmx_231_1g.dtb from the dtb folder. I'm aware that it isn't the correct dtb file, but strangely it is the only one that will boot. I have extracted the dtb from firmware but it didn't work.

 

Bonus Issue) On the T95Z Plus (the first one), right from boot, the video output stops, and does not come back. I used an hdmi to dvi adapter on my monitor. It isn't a big issue because I'm able to ssh to it, but if anyone has a solution it would be appreciated.

To address your last issue first, I have also experienced some images where video output never comes back after screen is turned off due to timeout. It seems to be a general issue with newer kernels.

 

Now on 905x boxes the install.sh script does not work and there is no way to install to mmc. Period. On S912 it should work, are you able to access the internal partitions? Does Gparted see them without reporting errors?

Extracting dtb from Android firmware does not work either.

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21 minutes ago, Reddwarf said:

To address your last issue first, I have also experienced some images where video output never comes back after screen is turned off due to timeout. It seems to be a general issue with newer kernels.

 

Now on 905x boxes the install.sh script does not work and there is no way to install to mmc. Period. On S912 it should work, are you able to access the internal partitions? Does Gparted see them without reporting errors?

Extracting dtb from Android firmware does not work either.

If by internal partition you mean the the emmc blocks, then yes. This is the output of "fdisk -l"

 

Disk /dev/sda: 116.9 GiB, 125460021248 bytes, 245039104 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x2bba5da7

Device     Boot  Start       End   Sectors   Size Id Type                            
/dev/sda1         8192    270335    262144   128M  e W95 FAT16 (LBA)      //// This is the usb stick used to boot
/dev/sda2       270336 242588703 242318368 115.6G 83 Linux


Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 14.6 GiB, 15634268160 bytes, 30535680 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot1: 4 MiB, 4194304 bytes, 8192 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot0: 4 MiB, 4194304 bytes, 8192 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
 

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Just now, damienq said:

If by internal partition you mean the the emmc blocks, then yes. This is the output of "fdisk -l"

 

Disk /dev/sda: 116.9 GiB, 125460021248 bytes, 245039104 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x2bba5da7

Device     Boot  Start       End   Sectors   Size Id Type                            
/dev/sda1         8192    270335    262144   128M  e W95 FAT16 (LBA)      //// This is the usb stick used to boot
/dev/sda2       270336 242588703 242318368 115.6G 83 Linux


Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 14.6 GiB, 15634268160 bytes, 30535680 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot1: 4 MiB, 4194304 bytes, 8192 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot0: 4 MiB, 4194304 bytes, 8192 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
 

Yes I get the same from fdisk on my box, but GPARTED does not see the partitions and therfore Linux does not either. SO, does gparted see the partitions on emmc?

 

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7 minutes ago, Reddwarf said:

Yes I get the same from fdisk on my box, but GPARTED does not see the partitions and therfore Linux does not either. SO, does gparted see the partitions on emmc?

 

Sorry about that. Here is the output of "parted print list,all" (It's ubuntu server so there is no gui)

 

Model: SanDisk Cruzer (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 125GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End    Size   Type     File system  Flags
 1      4194kB  138MB  134MB  primary  fat16        lba
 2      138MB   124GB  124GB  primary  ext4


Error: /dev/mmcblk0rpmb: unrecognised disk label
Warning: Error fsyncing/closing /dev/mmcblk0rpmb: Input/output error
Retry/Ignore? ignore                                                      
Model: Generic SD/MMC Storage Card (sd/mmc)
Disk /dev/mmcblk0rpmb: 4194kB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: unknown
Disk Flags: 

Error: /dev/mmcblk0boot0: unrecognised disk label
Model: Generic SD/MMC Storage Card (sd/mmc)                               
Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot0: 4194kB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: unknown
Disk Flags: 

Error: /dev/mmcblk0boot1: unrecognised disk label
Model: Generic SD/MMC Storage Card (sd/mmc)                               
Disk /dev/mmcblk0boot1: 4194kB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: unknown
Disk Flags: 

Error: /dev/mmcblk0: unrecognised disk label
Model: MMC AWPD3R (sd/mmc)                                                
Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 15.6GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: unknown
Disk Flags: 
 

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2 minutes ago, Reddwarf said:

Obviously there is a problem with I/O on the mmc, perhaps not fully supported by the current kernel. Have you tried other images?

Only different versions of Ubuntu Server. On kernel 4.16, it can't see the emmc at all, but from a Balbes150 post I read, I think emmc install doesn't work on 4.16. On kernel 3.x, it all works fine, including emmc install.

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19 hours ago, Reddwarf said:

I think you misread, it is the Android image that is for ARM (among others), if you try to download Anbox for arm linux you'll find that it does not exist.

Quite confusing ! I thought that you should be able to run Android ARM image via snaps on top of Armbian per what Anbox.io apparently says.

Didn't realize you need both OS images compliant as Anbox images !

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6 hours ago, shippy said:

Quite confusing ! I thought that you should be able to run Android ARM image via snaps on top of Armbian per what Anbox.io apparently says.

Didn't realize you need both OS images compliant as Anbox images !

No that is not the case, Anbox emulates ARM inside but Anbox itself does not run om ARM processors, only x86/64. If you could get your hands on the source code (which I strongly doubt) you could compile it for ARM thou......

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On 7/8/2018 at 5:27 PM, Reddwarf said:

No that is not the case, Anbox emulates ARM inside but Anbox itself does not run om ARM processors, only x86/64. If you could get your hands on the source code (which I strongly doubt) you could compile it for ARM thou......

1. As the uber philosopher Chuck D said: Don't believe the hype !

 

2. On another topic, what is the difference between Armbian and OSMC for S905* Android Box devices?

 

Isn't OSMC built for Pi types not Android Box type boards? Does it run lighter than Armbian?

 

Here is an OSMC distro hack for all S905/X/D (W uncertain) Android Boxes:

 

https://www.kodinerds.net/index.php/Thread/61448-OSMC-run-all-S905-S905D-S905X-Android-TV-Box/?postID=457505&amp;highlight=osmc#post457505

 

If you want to install server/ OpenWrt packages along with Kodi, which will have better performance (assuming OSMC can run on S905* boxes)?

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Re: desktop vs server based Armbian distros, can you run Kodi (with its own GUI and add-ons) on the server version?

 

The desktop version provides the Linux distro GUI (eg LXDE) but we don't need that to run Kodi?

 

Apart, would the desktop Armbian version have any special features over the server version beyond the distro GUI? The server version uses 4.* kernel as opposed to 3.14 for the desktop version, so does this mean better video HW acceleration and other better features?

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11 hours ago, shippy said:

1. As the uber philosopher Chuck D said: Don't believe the hype !

 

2. On another topic, what is the difference between Armbian and OSMC for S905* Android Box devices?

 

Isn't OSMC built for Pi types not Android Box type boards? Does it run lighter than Armbian?

 

Here is an OSMC distro hack for all S905/X/D (W uncertain) Android Boxes:

 

https://www.kodinerds.net/index.php/Thread/61448-OSMC-run-all-S905-S905D-S905X-Android-TV-Box/?postID=457505&amp;highlight=osmc#post457505

 

If you want to install server/ OpenWrt packages along with Kodi, which will have better performance (assuming OSMC can run on S905* boxes)?

I have never heard of OSMC, I tried your links but can't read the language. I also tried the download links (rc4 and 1.0) and get only "not found". However from the forum titles is seems to me to be Android based images which is not of interest.

 

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Hi guys,

 

I am excited to see Armbian (which I run on a cubietruck) has come to the Amlogic devices as well - thanks for that.

 

Now, I already have my boxes running LibreELEC (kszaq) from NAND and I can boot CoreELEC from SD card. So I thought I will flash a card with Armbian and then put the dtb from my CoreELEC card to the boot partition of the new card and see what happens. 

 

Unfortunately, not a lot is happening. My Nexbox A95X, e.g., is stuck at its boot screen, while my THL box just gives me a black screen.  So, this does not work. What should I do instead to be able to boot Armbian after LibreELEC is already installed on the box?:unsure:

 

Sorry if this has been asked before, but reading through 58 pages seems a bit cumbersome ...

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

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19 minutes ago, chessplayer said:

Hi guys,

 

I am excited to see Armbian (which I run on a cubietruck) has come to the Amlogic devices as well - thanks for that.

 

Now, I already have my boxes running LibreELEC (kszaq) from NAND and I can boot CoreELEC from SD card. So I thought I will flash a card with Armbian and then put the dtb from my CoreELEC card to the boot partition of the new card and see what happens. 

 

Unfortunately, not a lot is happening. My Nexbox A95X, e.g., is stuck at its boot screen, while my THL box just gives me a black screen.  So, this does not work. What should I do instead to be able to boot Armbian after LibreELEC is already installed on the box?:unsure:

 

Sorry if this has been asked before, but reading through 58 pages seems a bit cumbersome ...

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Cheers,

 

chessplayer

You need to find the correct dtb (which is not always easy), I don't know that box, do you know the model number of the box's board? Otherwise it is cut and try with all the dtb's in the BOOT partition of the Armbian sdcard.

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12 hours ago, Reddwarf said:

You need to find the correct dtb (which is not always easy), I don't know that box, do you know the model number of the box's board? Otherwise it is cut and try with all the dtb's in the BOOT partition of the Armbian sdcard.

Hi, thanks for your answer. So I was wrong in assuming that the dtb which worked for CoreELEC would also work for Armbian. But, as I mentioned, I have (among others) an A95X box and since there ia a DTB for this box, mine is now running Armbian with the 4.16.1 kernel (so, I believe it should even recognize the XBOX ONE tuner ...).

 

Great stuff! Thanks for all your work on this!

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48 minutes ago, chessplayer said:

... running Armbian with the 4.16.1 kernel (so, I believe it should even recognize the XBOX ONE tuner ...).

Ok, so there seems to be a problem reagrding DVB. Unfortunately, neither the XBOX ONE tuner nor my Pinnacle PCTV Stick seems to be recognized (no /dev/dvb/adapter0 is being created). Using my Sundtek-Stick, this device is being created (in userspace), but TVHeadend does not see the adapter. Does Armbian 5.44 for Amlogic not support DVB? Armbian 5.38 on my cubietruck certaily does. Or am I being stupid?

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