Trevor Woerner: Added more necessary adjustments for a successful image

2012-02-09T15:21:29Z

Added more necessary adjustments for a successful image

Trevor Woerner: instructions for building a root filesystem for Overo using Buildroot

2011-11-22T16:42:00Z

instructions for building a root filesystem for Overo using Buildroot

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Trevor Woerner: instructions for how to build a root filesystem for Overo using Buildroot

2011-11-22T16:20:13Z

instructions for how to build a root filesystem for Overo using Buildroot

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Officially Gumstix only supports building images for Overo devices using OpenEmbedded. But there are other ways of producing a root filesystem for an Overo device, for example [http://buildroot.uclibc.org/ Buildroot]. Since OE is the only official build system, it remains the best, most up-to-date place to get your cross-development toolchain, kernel, bootloader, and MLO for Overo development.

For the remainder of this document I'm going to assume <tt>${OEBASE}</tt> is where you have checked out OE and <tt>${BRBASE}</tt> is the directory into which you have unpacked Buildroot.

* Start off by following the official instructions for preparing your build system and checking out the OE code at [http://www.gumstix.org/software-development/open-embedded/61-using-the-open-embedded-build-system.html Using the Open Embedded Build System for Overo Series]. Follow those instructions right until the end but do not perform the last step (i.e. "<tt>$ bitbake omap3-console-image</tt>")

* Replace the last instruction ("<tt>$ bitbake omap3-console-image</tt>") with the following:
$ bitbake virtual/kernel
$ bitbake x-load
$ bitbake u-boot

With these commands OE has built a cross-development toolchain for you as well as a kernel, MLO, and u-boot bootloader. For the root filesystem we now make use of Buildroot.

* Go to the location where you have unpacked Buildroot and issue:
$ make menuconfig

(If you prefer you can use '<tt>$ make nconfig</tt>', '<tt>$ make xconfig</tt>', or '<tt>$ make gconfig</tt>' instead)

* Under 'Target Architecture'
* select 'arm'

* Under 'Target Architecture Variant'
select 'generic_arm'
further down there is a '<tt>cortex_a8</tt>' option but Buildroot says the <tt>cortex_a8</tt> and <tt>cortex_a9</tt> options require gcc > 4.4.x. Currently the OE toolchain is 4.3.x. '<tt>generic_arm</tt>' seems to work fine

* Under 'Toolchain'
** Toolchain Type
select 'External toolchain'
** Toolchain
'Custom toolchain'
** Toolchain path
enter '${OEBASE}/tmp/sysroots/x86_64-linux/usr/armv7a'
(obviously if your build system is not x86 64-bit this path won't exist, look around and find your equivalent)
** Toolchain prefix
enter 'arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi'

You can leave everything else as-is, or browse around and find other things to tweak.

* Exit the Buildroot configuration system and
$ make

Now when you assemble your Qemu image or SD card you will find your bootloader, MLO, and x-boot as usual in <tt>${OEBASE}/tmp/deploy/glibc/images/overo</tt> but your root filesystem will be found in <tt>${BRBASE}/images</tt>

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 ** Toolchain prefix
     enter 'arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi'
 You can leave everything else as-is, or browse around and find other things to tweak.

Category:How to - Buildroot overo - Revision history

Trevor Woerner: Added more necessary adjustments for a successful image

Trevor Woerner: instructions for building a root filesystem for Overo using Buildroot

Trevor Woerner: instructions for how to build a root filesystem for Overo using Buildroot