[Arm-netbook] Support for sunxi-based ARM systems in d-i

[Ian Campbell]

On Sun, 2014-04-27 at 21:10 +0200, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 8:54 PM, Ian Campbell <ijc at hellion.org.uk> wrote:
> > On Sun, 2014-04-27 at 20:32 +0200, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> >> On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 8:14 PM, Karsten Merker <merker at debian.org> wrote:
> >> > On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 07:35:35AM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
> >> >> On Sat, 2014-04-26 at 23:25 +0200, Karsten Merker wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> No uImage is required for sunxi,
> >>
> >>  no uImage is required for sunxi but a uImage is required for *debian
> >> installer*.  that is after all the whole point of the exercise.
> >
> > What on earth are you on about? Debian installer has absolutely no
> > requirement for uImage.
> 
>  we may be talking at cross-purposes, then.  my understanding of
> debian installer is that in its most stripped down form it is the
> minimalist netboot system that is typically loaded over PXE networks.

Which has nothing to do with uImage.

A uImage is a historic u-boot container format containing a Linux zImage
(also often called a "vmlinuz"), which was booted using the "bootm"
command. This is no longer needed and the zImage can be booted directly
with the u-boot "bootz" command.

>  frans pop before his death kindly created a debian installer kernel
> and uImage for the CT-PC89e.  it allowed the people who bought that
> ARM-based 9in laptop to boot cleanly off of external media, wipe the
> NAND flash as if it was a standard drive.

Maybe this platform had a bootloader which needed a uImage, that is not
the common case today and is certainly not the case with sunxi.

>  perhaps it would help to clarify what you have in mind, when you hear
> the words ¨debian installer¨?

I mean the Debian Installer, the development of which is the subject of
the debian-boot list where this thread originated and the thing which
Karsten was posting patches against.

The current daily builds of Debian Installer for the next version of
Debian can be found at:
http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/testing/main/installer-armhf/current/images/armmp/netboot/

initrd.gz and vmlinux-foo in there can be booted as is on sunxi (and
many other armv7 systems) from the u-boot prompt using bootz, or using
PXE or (on sunxi) by using FEL.

If you want to hijack this thread to talk about some other thing which
you want to call "debian installer" then please leave me out of it.

Ian.