Yocto Linux BSP Ver.C User Guide for iMX6 series -Yocto 4.0

Getting Started

Conventions

${PREBUILT_IMAGE} : compressed prebuilt image (*.img.gz)

${CONTAINER_NAME} : container name (e.g. imx6LBVC0002)

${BSP_TARBALL} : BSP tarball (*.tgz)

${BSP_HOME} : home directory of the BSP

${BDIR} : build directory (e.g. build_x11)

${MX6PROC} : i.MX6 Processor

mx6q for iMX6 Dual Quad Core

 

${IMX6PROC} : i.MX6 Processor

imx6q

${BOARD} : available target boards list below

rom7420

rsb4411

${BOARD_REV} : board revision

a1

${MC} : machine code combined with ${IMX6PROC}${BOARD}${BOARD_REV}

for example,

imx6qrom7420a1 for ROM-7420 A1

imx6qrsb4411a1 for RSB-4411 A1

You can also use the command below to check supported machines on BSP

$ source setup-environment

${MEM_SIZE} : memory size

 1G/2G

${UC} : u-boot config

 1G/2G/4G/FSPI_1G/FSPI_2G...

${SD_DEVICE} : device name of SD card in Linux (e.g. /dev/sdf)

${SDCARD_IMAGE} : sdcard image built by bitbake (*.wic.zst)

${WORKSPACE} : host workspace folders

${UBOOT} :u-boot version(e.g. v2022.04_5.15.52_2.1.0)

${KERNEL} : linux kernel version(e.g. 5.15.52_2.1.0)

${TOOLCHAIN} : toolchain installed directory(e.g. opt/fsl-imx-wayland/5-15-kirkstone/environment)

debug console / serial console

serial terminal program (e.g. minicom, putty, teraterm ...) that serial port is configured to 115200 8N1

terminal console

terminal program (e.g. gnome-terminal, xfce4-terminal ...)

Docker install and setting

If you don't have docker in your system, then you can follow the below  steps to install docker and run it first.

To install Docker Engine on your platform

Please refer to Docker Installation Guide for details

To pull ubuntu 20.04 image from Docker Hub 

$ docker pull advrisc/u20.04-imx8lbv1

To create container

$ docker run --privileged -it --name ${CONTAINER_NAME} -v ${WORKSPACE}:/home/adv/adv-release-bsp -v /dev:/dev advrisc/u20.04-imx8lbv1 /bin/bash

Get BSP

You have two methods to put BSP into container created above

Download_BSP_From_GitHub

The following example shows how to download the Advantech Yocto BSP from GitHub.

For this example, a directory called adv-release-bsp is created for the project.

Refer to IoTGateway/BSP/Linux/iMX6/OS_Support_List , Official version "imx6LBVC0XXX" is taken as an example :

$ git config --global user.name "Your Name"
$ git config --global user.email you@example.com
$ sudo chown adv:adv adv-release-bsp
$ cd adv-release-bsp
$ repo init -u git://github.com/ADVANTECH-Corp/adv-arm-yocto-bsp.git -b imx-linux-kirkstone -m adv-5.15.52-2.1.0.xml 
$ repo sync

After repo sync and finished. Please modify the "meta-freescale/recipes-bsp/u-boot/u-boot-imx-common_2022.04.inc"

Please Reference the commit https://github.com/Freescale/meta-freescale/commit/f851708484206263aecee032288d27c948745ce8

If you suffer "server certificate verification failed", you can use the following command to disable SSL verification in git repositories with self-signed certificates.

$ export GIT_SSL_NO_VERIFY=1

or

$ git config --global http.sslverify false

If you get "The unauthenticated git protocol on port 9418 is no longer supported.", you can try it.

$ git config --global url."https://".insteadOf git://

 

During building  Yocto image , it will generate downloads folder which includes all packages we need , but it usually can't fetch normally, so we keep this downloads folder. Then we can reduce some fetch failed issue.

You can get Downloads tarball (downloads_imx6_5.15.52_2.1.0.tar.gz) from following URL:

[downloads_imx6_5.15.52_2.1.0.tar.gz]

If you get downloads tarball, you can copy to your ${WORKSPACE}

Follow the steps below:

1.Exit container and back to local machine

$ exit

2.Copy Downloads tarball to ${WORKSPACE} , and change owner

$ cp downloads_imx6_5.15.52_2.1.0.tar.gz ${WORKSPACE}
$ sudo chown adv:adv ${WORKSPACE}/downloads_imx6_5.15.52_2.1.0.tar.gz 

3.Back to container

$ docker start ${CONTAINER_NAME}
$ docker attach ${CONTAINER_NAME}

4.Unpack Downloads tarball

$ tar zxvf downloads_imx6_5.15.52_2.1.0.tar.gz

5.make link to downloads folder

$ cd adv-release-bsp
$ ln -s ${WORKSPACE}/downloads_imx6_5.15.52_2.1.0 downloads

Introducing BSP

The BSP is based on Yocto Project with Freescale enhanced features for i.MX8, plus specific target board features from Advantech Inc..

The Advantech Yocto Project BSP Release directory contains a "sources" directory, which contains the recipes used to build,

one or more build directories, and a set of scripts used to set up the environment.

The recipes used to build the project come from both the community and Advantech. The Yocto Project layers are downloaded

to the sources directory. This sets up the recipes that are used to build the project.

BSP Content

The description of some important folders list below:

sources/

meta-advantech/ : meta layer by Advantech

meta-fsl-*/ : meta layer by Freescale

fsl-setup-release.sh : to create one new build environment

setup-environment : to continue an exist build environment

Build Instructions

To create one new build environment

Perform the following commands in terminal console

$ cd ${BSP_HOME}

$ MACHINE=${MC} DISTRO=fsl-imx-xwayland source imx-setup-release.sh -b ${BDIR}

We can specify u-boot default config like below

$ MACHINE=${MC} UBOOT_CONFIG=${UC} DISTRO=fsl-imx-xwayland source imx-setup-release.sh -b ${BDIR}

You need to read and accept the EULA.

To continue an exist build environment

Perform the following commands in terminal console

$ cd ${BSP_HOME}

$ source setup-environment ${BDIR}

 

To build sdcard image

To create/continue a build environment

Perform the following command in terminal console

$ bitbake imx-image-full

The file, imx-image-full-${MC}.wic.zst, will be located in directory, ./tmp/deploy/images/${MC}, while building process finished successfully.

To build toolchain installer

To create/continue a build environment

Perform the following command in terminal console

$ bitbake meta-toolchain

The below installer will be located in the directory "./tmp/deploy/sdk".

fsl-imx-xwayland-glibc-x86_64-imx-image-full-cortexa9t2hf-neon-imx6qsabresd-toolchain-5.15-kirkstone

To build bootloader

To create/continue a build environment

Perform the following command in terminal console

$ bitbake imx-boot

 

To build linux kernel

To create/continue a build environment

If you operate on docker images, please install tmux application before running this command

$ sudo apt-get install tmux

Type following command to enter tmux

$ tmux

Perform the following command in terminal console to show up menuconfig

$ bitbake linux-imx -c menuconfig

After edit menuconfig, type following command to exit tmux windows

$ exit

to build kernel image

$ bitbake linux-imx

The two files, Image & Image-${IMX6PROC}-${BOARD}-${BOARD_REV}.dtb, will be located in the directory, ./tmp/deploy/images/${MC}.

Creating boot-up on-board flash from prebuilt image

To create one boot-up SD card

Perform the following command in terminal console

# gunzip -c ${PREBUILT_IMAGE} | dd of=${SD_DEVICE} bs=1M

# sync

Creating boot-up on-board flash from built sdcard image

To create one boot-up SD card

Perform the following commands in terminal console

$ pushd ${BSP_HOME}/${BDIR}/tmp/deploy/images/${MC}

$ sudo bzcat ${SDCARD_IMAGE} | sudo dd of=${SD_DEVICE} bs=1M

$ sync

$ popd

Debug console information

If you want to see debug message from device, you need to prepare for hardware device and software tool.

Preparing for hardware device

• The following URL provides information about the debug port slot and the debug port line for each device

Debug Port Information

Preparing for software tool

• You need to prepare the debug console tool. For example: "minicom" tool or "putty" tool.
• Baud rate: 115200

Customization

Setting up SDK

Please follow the section,To build toolchain installer, to build one toolchain installer

Perform the following command in terminal console

$ cd ${BSP_HOME}/${BDIR}/tmp/deploy/sdk

$ sudo ./fsl-imx-xwayland-glibc-x86_64-imx-image-full-cortexa9t2hf-neon-imx6qsabresd-toolchain-5.15-kirkstone

Enter new installed directory or just press Enter to use default directory.

While Proceed[y/n]? shows up, please enter the correct one.

Waiting for the SDK installed (while the following messages show up completely)

Download SDK Link (Just Only reference), [downloads_SDK]

 

Setting up cross compiling environment

SDK has been set up (ref.Setting up SDK)

Perform the following command in terminal console

$ source ${TOOLCHAIN}/environment-setup-cortexa9t2hf-neon-poky-linux-gnueabi

Build U-Boot in standalone environment

Config u-boot

make ${IMX6PROC}_${BOARD}${BOARD_REV}_${MEM_SIZE}_defconfig

eg.

make mx6qrom7420a1_1G_defconfig

Build u-boot

make -j4

Building & updating kernel/modules/dtb manually

The cross compiling environment has been set up. (ref. Setting up cross compiling environment)

Copy BSP tarball to Container

Refer to Copy_BSP_tarball_to_Container , copy kernel tarball to ${WORKSPACE} and back to container

Download kernel source from Github

$ git clone https://github.com/ADVANTECH-Corp/linux-imx.git -b adv_5.15.52_2.1.0

Config kernel

Configure linux kernel

$ cd linux-imx
$ make distclean
$ make imx_v7_adv_defconfig
$ make menuconfig

Start building linux kernel

$ make -j4 Image

When you get error like below

run command then rebuild

$ unset LDFLAGS 

 

The kernel image file, Image, is located in the directory "./arch/arm/boot/".

Start building kernel modules

$ make -j4 modules

Copy all modules to a temporary rootfs directory, "~/temp/rootfs"

$ make modules_install INSTALL_MOD_PATH=~/temp/rootfs

Building device tree blob

$ make -j4 ${IMX6PROC}-${BOARD}-${BOARD_REV}.dtb
eg.
$ make -j4 imx6q-rom7420-a1.dtb

The device tree blob, ${IMX6PROC}-${BOARD}-${BOARD_REV}.dtb, is located in the directory "./arch/arm/boot/dts/".

Replace kernel & dts

Replace kernel

copy Image to SDcard or emmc

Replace dtb file

copy dtb file to SDcard or emmc

Reflash EMMC from Boot SD CARD

Download mksd-linux.sh in https://github.com/ADVANTECH-Corp/RISC_tools_scripts/blob/kirkstone/imx8/mksd-linux.sh

Download "Product_AIM_Release_version"_flash_tool.tgz

Unzip the "Product_AIM_Release_version"_flash_tool.tgz

Copy the mksd-linux.sh to mk_inand folder.

Run mksd-linux.sh