[Buildroot] [PATCH 0/2] i.MX6 SABRESD improvements

[Buildroot] [PATCH 0/2] i.MX6 SABRESD improvements

[Luca Ceresoli]

Hi,

here are 2 little improvements to the i.MX6 SABRESD board support in Buildroot,
both suggested by Thomas Petazzoni in
http://lists.busybox.net/pipermail/buildroot/2014-September/106704.html.

Nothing huge, just see the changelog below.

Luca Ceresoli (2):
  freescale/imx6-sabresd: use global patch dir
  freescale/imx6-sabresd: use up-to-date mainline Linux

 ...ommon-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch | 36 ++++++++++++++++++++++
 ...ommon-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch | 36 ----------------------
 configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig          | 10 +++---
 configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig           | 10 +++---
 4 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 46 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 board/freescale/imx6sabresd/patches/uboot/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch
 delete mode 100644 board/freescale/imx6sabresd/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch

-- 
Luca

-- 
1.9.1

[Buildroot] [PATCH 1/2] freescale/imx6-sabresd: use global patch dir

[Luca Ceresoli]

The best practice is to use the BR2_GLOBAL_PATCH_DIR for patches against
U-Boot, not BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_PATCH_DIR.

Signed-off-by: Luca Ceresoli <luca@lucaceresoli.net>
Cc: Vincent Stehl? <vincent.stehle@freescale.com>
Cc: Gilles Talis <gilles.talis@gmail.com>
Cc: Gary Bisson <bisson.gary@gmail.com>
Cc: Thomas Petazzoni <thomas.petazzoni@free-electrons.com>
---
 ...ot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch | 0
 configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig                             | 4 +++-
 configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig                              | 4 +++-
 3 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
 rename board/freescale/imx6sabresd/{ => patches/uboot}/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch (100%)

diff --git a/board/freescale/imx6sabresd/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch b/board/freescale/imx6sabresd/patches/uboot/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch
similarity index 100%
rename from board/freescale/imx6sabresd/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch
rename to board/freescale/imx6sabresd/patches/uboot/uboot-0001-mx6qsabre_common-boot-Linux-to-init-in-mfgtools-mode.patch
diff --git a/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig b/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig
index 62caf79..b8c4b22 100644
--- a/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig
+++ b/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 BR2_arm=y
 BR2_cortex_a9=y
 
+# patches
+BR2_GLOBAL_PATCH_DIR="board/freescale/imx6sabresd/patches"
+
 # system
 BR2_TARGET_GENERIC_GETTY_PORT="ttymxc0"
 
@@ -25,4 +28,3 @@ BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_FORMAT_IMX=y
 BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_GIT=y
 BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_REPO_URL="git://git.freescale.com/imx/uboot-imx.git"
 BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_REPO_VERSION="rel_imx_3.10.17_1.0.0_ga"
-BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_PATCH_DIR="board/freescale/imx6sabresd"
diff --git a/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig b/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig
index bc0aa46..40a9384 100644
--- a/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig
+++ b/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 BR2_arm=y
 BR2_cortex_a9=y
 
+# patches
+BR2_GLOBAL_PATCH_DIR="board/freescale/imx6sabresd/patches"
+
 # system
 BR2_TARGET_GENERIC_GETTY_PORT="ttymxc0"
 
@@ -25,4 +28,3 @@ BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_FORMAT_IMX=y
 BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_GIT=y
 BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_REPO_URL="git://git.freescale.com/imx/uboot-imx.git"
 BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_REPO_VERSION="rel_imx_3.10.17_1.0.0_ga"
-BR2_TARGET_UBOOT_CUSTOM_PATCH_DIR="board/freescale/imx6sabresd"
-- 
1.9.1

[Buildroot] [PATCH 2/2] freescale/imx6-sabresd: use up-to-date mainline Linux

[Luca Ceresoli]

The current defconfigs for iMX6 SABRESD a kernel from the Freescale git
repository and based on 3.10. This kernel is older than the toolchain kernel
headers used in Buildroot (currently 3.16.3).

Move to mainline Linux and upgrade the kernel version to the same version
used for the toolchain kernel headers.

Also switch the Linux defconfig from imx_v7 to imx_v6_v7 since the former is
not in mainline.

Signed-off-by: Luca Ceresoli <luca@lucaceresoli.net>
Cc: Vincent Stehl? <vincent.stehle@freescale.com>
Cc: Gilles Talis <gilles.talis@gmail.com>
Cc: Gary Bisson <bisson.gary@gmail.com>
Cc: Thomas Petazzoni <thomas.petazzoni@free-electrons.com>
---
 configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig | 6 ++----
 configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig  | 6 ++----
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig b/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig
index b8c4b22..4baa35a 100644
--- a/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig
+++ b/configs/freescale_imx6dlsabresd_defconfig
@@ -10,10 +10,8 @@ BR2_TARGET_GENERIC_GETTY_PORT="ttymxc0"
 
 # kernel
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL=y
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_GIT=y
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_REPO_URL="git://git.freescale.com/imx/linux-2.6-imx.git"
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_REPO_VERSION="rel_imx_3.10.17_1.0.0_ga"
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_DEFCONFIG="imx_v7"
+BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_SAME_AS_HEADERS=y
+BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_DEFCONFIG="imx_v6_v7"
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE_LOADADDR="0x10008000"
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_DTS_SUPPORT=y
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_INTREE_DTS_NAME="imx6dl-sabresd"
diff --git a/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig b/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig
index 40a9384..eebf67b 100644
--- a/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig
+++ b/configs/freescale_imx6qsabresd_defconfig
@@ -10,10 +10,8 @@ BR2_TARGET_GENERIC_GETTY_PORT="ttymxc0"
 
 # kernel
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL=y
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_GIT=y
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_REPO_URL="git://git.freescale.com/imx/linux-2.6-imx.git"
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_REPO_VERSION="rel_imx_3.10.17_1.0.0_ga"
-BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_DEFCONFIG="imx_v7"
+BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_SAME_AS_HEADERS=y
+BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_DEFCONFIG="imx_v6_v7"
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_UIMAGE_LOADADDR="0x10008000"
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_DTS_SUPPORT=y
 BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_INTREE_DTS_NAME="imx6q-sabresd"
-- 
1.9.1

[Buildroot] [PATCH 2/2] freescale/imx6-sabresd: use up-to-date mainline Linux

[Vincent Stehlé]

On 09/24/2014 02:03 PM, Luca Ceresoli wrote:
> Move to mainline Linux and upgrade the kernel version to the same version
> used for the toolchain kernel headers.

Hi Luca,

I am not sure if abandoning the Freescale release kernel is the best
option for i.MX6. Indeed, if you want e.g. proper video
(package/freescale-imx/imx-vpu) and 3D
(package/freescale-imx/gpu-viv-bin-mx6q) support to still work as
expected you need to stay with the 3.10.17.

Wouldn't you prefer to align the headers instead?

Best regards,

V.

[Buildroot] [PATCH 2/2] freescale/imx6-sabresd: use up-to-date mainline Linux

[Luca Ceresoli]

Dear Vincent,

Vincent Stehl? wrote:
> On 09/24/2014 02:03 PM, Luca Ceresoli wrote:
>> Move to mainline Linux and upgrade the kernel version to the same version
>> used for the toolchain kernel headers.
>
> Hi Luca,
>
> I am not sure if abandoning the Freescale release kernel is the best
> option for i.MX6. Indeed, if you want e.g. proper video
> (package/freescale-imx/imx-vpu) and 3D
> (package/freescale-imx/gpu-viv-bin-mx6q) support to still work as
> expected you need to stay with the 3.10.17.
>
> Wouldn't you prefer to align the headers instead?

I'm not sure what's the best way either.

As per discussion with Thomas, using mainline kernel is preferred, and I
tend to agree, probably because I've had some bad experiences with
other vendor's kernels in the past.

Still, having good hardware support is important of course, and I
probably will use Freescale's kernel in real products, not mainline,
for this reason.

The vendor kernel argument would be stronger for Buildroot if we could
point our users to some docs or examples that allow them to notice the
features working with the vendor kernel and not in mainline.
Something that allows a user to:
   1. build a defconfig for the board
   2. run the final rootfs on the board
   3. test the video or 3D accelerator (that doesn't work with mainline)

Anything on your blog, maybe?

Aah, this leads me to think again about the "demo defconfigs" (as
opposed to minimal defconfigs) that we spoke about in the past... but
this is getting quite OT probably.

Oh, look! Peter just committed a change to nitrogen6x_defconfig where
he's locking kernel headers to 3.10.17 to match the kernel. And guess
what, the kernel is not mainline (although it's from Boundary Devices,
not got.freescale.com, but that doesn't matter much).
Here it is: 
http://git.buildroot.org/buildroot/commit/?id=2b8937f238a3593c9267a68e0fdad83841a56657

-- 
Luca

[Buildroot] [PATCH 2/2] freescale/imx6-sabresd: use up-to-date mainline Linux

[Thomas Petazzoni]

Dear Vincent Stehl?,

On Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:38:35 +0200, Vincent Stehl? wrote:

> I am not sure if abandoning the Freescale release kernel is the best
> option for i.MX6. Indeed, if you want e.g. proper video
> (package/freescale-imx/imx-vpu) and 3D
> (package/freescale-imx/gpu-viv-bin-mx6q) support to still work as
> expected you need to stay with the 3.10.17.
> 
> Wouldn't you prefer to align the headers instead?

Yes, I agree. For such platforms, it makes more sense to use the vendor
kernel version.

Thomas
-- 
Thomas Petazzoni, CTO, Free Electrons
Embedded Linux, Kernel and Android engineering
http://free-electrons.com

[Buildroot] [PATCH 2/2] freescale/imx6-sabresd: use up-to-date mainline Linux

[Luca Ceresoli]

Dear Thomas,

Thomas Petazzoni wrote:
> Dear Vincent Stehl?,
>
> On Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:38:35 +0200, Vincent Stehl? wrote:
>
>> I am not sure if abandoning the Freescale release kernel is the best
>> option for i.MX6. Indeed, if you want e.g. proper video
>> (package/freescale-imx/imx-vpu) and 3D
>> (package/freescale-imx/gpu-viv-bin-mx6q) support to still work as
>> expected you need to stay with the 3.10.17.
>>
>> Wouldn't you prefer to align the headers instead?
>
> Yes, I agree. For such platforms, it makes more sense to use the vendor
> kernel version.

Didn't you hate those vendor kernels? ;-)

Well, seems there's a common direction here, so I'll resurrect my other
patches and send them.

-- 
Luca