Orange Pi 4 LTS does not boot with kernel 6.12.16

[renard]

Seems like the kernel 6.12.16 just does not boot - either updated regularly or from "rolling" minimal image.
Steps to reproduce:
-
1 way - just burn and run current "rolling" minimal image (Armbian_25.5.0-trunk.115_Orangepi4-lts_plucky_current_6.12.16_minimal).
Result: Getting no records on UART after "Starting kernel..." and only red led shining.
-
2 way
Enabling kernel updates from already up to date Armbian v25.2.2 with older 5.15.76-rockchip64 (`# sudo armbian-config` -> System -> Kernel -> SY201 - Install alternative kernels)
Result: same as above
-
3 way
Enabling kernel updates from older Armbian 22.08.10 without Armbian update itself.
Result: same as above
--
Tested with 2 different Orange Pi 4 LTS, same behavior on both of them. With two different Samsung A1 cards (with what had no problems before).
--
6.6.62 seems to work fine from the snapshot (Armbian_24.11.1_Orangepi4-lts_noble_current_6.6.62-kisak.img.xz).
--
Do you guys have some CI tests on the real hardware for rolling kernels? I am sure you do. But...
--
Stupid question. Is there a safer way to somehow fix updating to exact kernel, say 6.6.62 and stay there. I would rather do it from `armbian-config`, rather than manually:
```
$ sudo apt install linux-image-current-rockchip64=24.11.1 linux-dtb-current-rockchip64=24.11.1 linux-headers-current-rockchip64=24.11.1
$ dpkg -l | grep linux-image
ii  linux-image-current-rockchip64        24.11.1                                 arm64        Armbian Linux current kernel image 6.6.63-current-rockchip64
# It actually installed  6.6.63 instead expected 6.6.62, but seems fine
$ sudo mkimage -C none -A arm -T script -d /boot/boot.cmd /boot/boot.scr
# After reboot:
$ uname -a
Linux mxopi4lts01 6.6.63-current-rockchip64 #2 SMP PREEMPT Fri Nov 22 14:38:37 UTC 2024 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux
``` 
--

[Michael Robinson]

you can freeze kernel upgrades in armbian-config under updates.

 

[renard]

@Michael Robinson Thanks. This is done (or better say was like that), but looks like "SY201 - Install alternative kernels" requires disabling "SY203 - Disable Armbian kernel updates". 
What is the correct way to 1) upgrade to the certain kernel and 2) halt on that version; via `armbian-config`? Maybe we might need to add it to the manual.
I mean, I did it "manually" with `apt install` (gosh, the guys 15 years ago meant other things with words "manual kernel update"  ). 
Anyway this is kinda off-topic to the thread subject. 

[Marco Schirrmeister]

The real question is, why is is not booting or if it is supposed to be working.

The download page has all kinds of images for the OPi4 with kernel 6.12, but it seems they do not work? 

[Michael Robinson]

i'm showing current download on rolling release @ 6.12.17

[Michael Robinson]

You may want to check out https://github.com/armbian/build

You can make a custom build for your board.

[Marco Schirrmeister]

Of course can the OPi4LTS users install the rolling image. Which works fine, so no need for a custom build.

But typically you don't want to run this on a production or stable machine. You never know what else will break down the road. Given that this works, the question is why does the 6.12 kernel images break the stable supported version. There is also no good way to debug, since all you see is initializing the hardware and then it is stuck at one point. But it is not fully clear what it does not like.

[renard]

>i'm showing current download on rolling release @ 6.12.17
Hm. That did not work for me. On 2 different OPi4LTS and 2 different sd cards. Both from upgrade and rolling. Though I tried with 6.12.16 that moment, maybe it is fixed with 6.12.17...

[MaxT]

@renard

If you have u-boot on emmc, there might be incompatibility between u-boot on emmc and u-boot required to load kernel from SD.

IIRC bootrom is looking on fixed storage first (SPI flash, emmc) before going to SD and if uboot is found on a fixed storage, this one is used. Uboot, however, is configured to look for kernel on removable storage first (USB, SD card) and load kernel from one of these if found.

[MaxT]

--
Do you guys have some CI tests on the real hardware for rolling kernels? I am sure you do. But...
--

Seems to be innovative way to get positive attention of the team to issues you face. Good luck with that.

[renard]

@MaxT
>Seems to be innovative way to get positive attention of the team to issues you face. Good luck with that.
Nono. There was no cruelty, or irony or any hidden negativeness here  I really don't know your pipeline, maybe there is maybe there is not! I assumed that there might be. 
>If you have u-boot on emmc
I am booting from sd, not emmc.

[MaxT]

I'm not armbian team member, though feel that alike notes might be not welcomed at best. Kind advice- if someone doesn't like smth or believe smth should be improved, someone is advised to send a PR, otherwise keep silent.

Re booting from SD - if you have uboot on the emmc it will be picked up by SoC's bootrom even if you manage to put several SD cards into the slot .

Boot order starts from bootrom which is hardcoded in the SoC and it has its strict order to search for loader(s) - u-boot in this case (actually comprising of several loaders/firmwares). Uboot in turn has its own, though configurable, order of scanning media for kernel image.

So if you have uboot on emmc AND uboot on SD with kernel, uboot on SD is ignored by bootrom.

[renard]

@Michael Robinson BTW for some reason "SY203 - Disable Armbian kernel updates" does nothing for me. Does it suppose to change into "Enable" after I set it? In my case it does not and I still get the option to upgrade the kernel:

# apt list --upgradable
Listing... Done
linux-dtb-current-rockchip64/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 24.11.1]
linux-headers-current-rockchip64/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 24.11.1]
linux-image-current-rockchip64/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 24.11.1]
linux-u-boot-orangepi4-lts-current/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 22.08.10]
selinux-policy-default/scar,scar,scar 2:2.20241008-1volian1 all [upgradable from: 2:2.20210908-1volian1]

 

[MaxT]

If you have uboot on emmc, to boot purely from SD, you have to either erase emmc or mask it.

Try booting with maskrom pressed and having SD cards in the slot, if in the maskrom mode SD slot is not masked, bootrom will pick up uboot of SD since will not find emmc.

[Marco Schirrmeister]

44 minutes ago, renard said:

BTW for some reason "SY203 - Disable Armbian kernel updates" does nothing for me. Does it suppose to change into "Enable" after I set it? In my case it does not and I still get the option to upgrade the kernel:

# apt list --upgradable
Listing... Done
linux-dtb-current-rockchip64/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 24.11.1]
linux-headers-current-rockchip64/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 24.11.1]
linux-image-current-rockchip64/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 24.11.1]
linux-u-boot-orangepi4-lts-current/jammy 25.2.2 arm64 [upgradable from: 22.08.10]
selinux-policy-default/scar,scar,scar 2:2.20241008-1volian1 all [upgradable from: 2:2.20210908-1volian1]

 

I think the "apt list --upgradable" still shows packages that are hold. Run a "apt upgrade" and in there you should see what is held back. If all looks good, you can hit Y.

[Marco Schirrmeister]

On my OPi4LTS I do not have EMMC and it is stuck. Like I wrote it is stuck during hardware initialization, so I think it has no problem with finding the right kernel to boot.

[renard]

@MaxT As I said above I don't use EMMC, and not sure that my OPi4LTS even has one.

[renard]

@Marco Schirrmeister I've tried `apt upgrade` - it still suggest to upgrade kernel packages. Anyway I just put it on hold with:
`apt-mark hold linux-image-current-rockchip64 linux-dtb-current-rockchip64 linux-headers-current-rockchip64` and it helped.
Just strange that it does not work with that SY203 for some reason.