Enable the use of an uncompressed kernel image for U-boot uImage
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PATCH 1/2 Enable the use of an uncompressed kernel image for U-boot uImage
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Dear Remy,
Quoted 2 lines · In message <[email protected]> you wrote:
Normally the 'zImage' is used as base for uImage. Enable the capability to use the raw uncompressed 'Image' instead
This is an interesting feature, but...
Review
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-0+config UNCOMPRESSED_UIMAGE + bool "Use uncompressed kernel image for uImage"
.. I think it is wrong to make this a configuration option. Instead, a separate make target should be used so you can actually chose which image you wantr (or even both versions) without having to reconfigure / rebuild the kernel.
Best regards,
Wolfgang Denk
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DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
GUIs are virtually useless. Learn tools. They're configurable,
scriptable, automatable, cron-able, interoperable, etc. We don't need
no brain-dead winslurping monolithic claptrap.
-- Tom Christiansen in 371140df at csnewsPATCH 2/2 Add support for building the new U-boot uImage format (FIT-format)
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Re: [U-Boot] [patch 2/2] Add support for building the new U-boot uImage format (FIT-format)
Dear Remy,
Quoted 5 lines · In message <[email protected]> you wrote:
Allow building of the newer FIT-image format for U-boot, while keeping it possible to build the legacy format, for people who do not want to (or can) upgrade to U-boot 1.3.3 or newer.
If an older mkimage is detected, or if there is no dtc (Device Tree Compiler)
Why should there ever be no dtc? It is part of the Linux kernel source tree, see arch/powerpc/boot/dtc-src
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then automagically the legacy format is created.
There is also a possibility to force the legacy format by means of aKconfigoption.
As before, I think this should not be implemented as a configuration option; it should be selectable as separate make targets without need to reconfigure / rebuild the kernel.
Quoted 3 lines
Note: This patch only adapts this for ARM, AVR32, Blackfin and sh architectures.
It does not adapt the PowerPC tree, because PowerPC does not use the script atscripts/mkuboot.sh
Hm... Power support would be especially interesting, of course :-)
Best regards,
Wolfgang Denk
Signature · 6 lines
DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de Without facts, the decision cannot be made logically. You must rely on your human intuition. -- Spock, "Assignment: Earth", stardate unknown
Re: [U-Boot] [patch 2/2] Add support for building the new U-boot uImage format (FIT-format)
Hello Wolfgang,
Quoted 3 lines
Quoted 1 line
If an older mkimage is detected, or if there is no dtc (Device Tree Compiler)
Why should there ever be no dtc? It is part of the Linux kernel source tree, see
arch/powerpc/boot/dtc-src
uuh, because it was not there in 2.6.24...?
And that was the kernel I made the patch for originally...
Will look into (all) your comments.
Thanks,
Remy
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then automagically the legacy format is created.
There is also a possibility to force the legacy format by means of aKconfigoption.As before, I think this should not be implemented as a configuration option; it should be selectable as separate make targets without need to reconfigure / rebuild the kernel.
Quoted 3 lines
Note: This patch only adapts this for ARM, AVR32, Blackfin and sh architectures.
It does not adapt the PowerPC tree, because PowerPC does not use the script atscripts/mkuboot.shHm... Power support would be especially interesting, of course :-)
Best regards,
Wolfgang Denk
--
DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de Without facts, the decision cannot be made logically. You must rely on your human intuition.
-- Spock, "Assignment: Earth", stardate unknown
Re: [U-Boot] [patch 2/2] Add support for building the new U-boot uImage format (FIT-format)
In reply to Wolfgang DenkHello Wolfgang,
Quoted 3 lines
Quoted 1 line
If an older mkimage is detected, or if there is no dtc (Device Tree Compiler)
Why should there ever be no dtc? It is part of the Linux kernel source tree, see
arch/powerpc/boot/dtc-src
Okay, I see it is there in 2.6.27-rc, but the version there is pre historical, and definitely in the wrong location, because it is not PowerPC only anymore. It does not support the incbin directive, so it cannot be used to build a uImage.
We need at least version 1.2.0 of DTC.
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then automagically the legacy format is created.
There is also a possibility to force the legacy format by means of aKconfigoption.As before, I think this should not be implemented as a configuration option; it should be selectable as separate make targets without need to reconfigure / rebuild the kernel.
I agree if you are talking about the other patch which was about choosing between compressed image yes/no; related to the current make targets they should indeed be similar to Image/zImage. I made it configurable because that saved me some time adapting the build-tooling for the target-filesystem. (and thought it could be handy for others too)
But, for this patch I disagree, I do not think it should be separate make targets, because it is choosing between a legacy and a new image file format. Legacy means that it is old and should go away some time. When it comes to functionality it will behave the same like the old uImage (on no-powerpc architectures at least), so creating a new filename as make-target would imply all tools that depend on the target name uImage should be adapted to a new name, when there is no new functionality, resulting in a very long time before the new format because 'the standard'. Not to speak about documentation issues. IMO it is a replacement, not just an additional format.
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Note: This patch only adapts this for ARM, AVR32, Blackfin and sh architectures.
It does not adapt the PowerPC tree, because PowerPC does not use the script atscripts/mkuboot.shHm... Power support would be especially interesting, of course :-)
I knew that, that is why I added this note... But I do not have PowerPC systems (except my PS3, or Qemu) so it is not easy to test any modifications in that area, and there is a risk of breaking things. Besides, if I look at how I believe things are done for PowerPC, it can easily be added to the mkuboot.sh script, once it knows about the FIT format, and the proper tools are available.
I may look at that later, when I have more free (hobby) time.
Kind Regards,
Remy