flash writing with Linux

flash writing with Linux

[Matthias Fuchs]

Hi,

does anybody know if a flash writing tool for Linux is available ?
I want to update a flash image from a running Linux. The Linux is
running from a ramdisk, so the flash can be erased and rewritten.

I think what I need are two thing: A device driver for accessing the
flash and a command line tool for erasing and writing to the flash.

Matthias
--
-------------------------------------------------
\ Matthias Fuchs                                 \
 \ esd electronic system design Gmbh              \
  \ Vahrenwalder Straße 205                        \
   \ D-30165 Hannover                               \
    \ email: matthias.fuchs@esd-electronics.com      \
     \ phone: +49-511-37298-0                         \
      \ fax:   +49-511-37298-68                        \
       --------------------------------------------------

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Re: flash writing with Linux

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <3AB1E380.7E88EC47@esd-electronics.com> you wrote:
>
> does anybody know if a flash writing tool for Linux is available ?

Which architecture, what type of flash?

> I want to update a flash image from a running Linux. The Linux is
> running from a ramdisk, so the flash can be erased and rewritten.

Yepp, that's what we do all the time.

> I think what I need are two thing: A device driver for accessing the
> flash and a command line tool for erasing and writing to the flash.

Please check the Patch "patch.drivers" (against PPC 2.4.3-pre3  tree)
in  ftp://ftp.denx.de/pub/LinuxPPC/usr/src/patches/ or have a look at
our source snapshot at
ftp://ftp.denx.de/pub/LinuxPPC/usr/src/linux-2.4.3-pre3-2001-03-11.tar.bz2

It includes a character device driver for CFI (AMD chips)  and  JEDEC
(Intel  chips) compliant flash types. So far, this has been tested on
big-endian systems (PowerPC only),  but  I  would  be  interested  in
receiving feedback for other architectures as well.

Of course there are also user  utilities  to  erase  the  flash.  For
writing no special tool is needed - just copy to the device (in fact,
if your write block size is a multiple of the erase block size of the
chips  the  driver  performs  an  auto-erase,  so  you don't need the
flash_erase command either).

Hope this helps - feel free to ask  if  there  are  any  question  or
problems.

Wolfgang Denk

--
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-4596-87  Fax: (+49)-8142-4596-88  Email: wd@denx.de
If in any problem you find yourself doing an immense amount of  work,
the answer can be obtained by simple inspection.

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Re: flash writing with Linux

[Subodh Nijsure]

>
> Hi,
>
> does anybody know if a flash writing tool for Linux is available ?
> I want to update a flash image from a running Linux. The Linux is
> running from a ramdisk, so the flash can be erased and rewritten.
>
> I think what I need are two thing: A device driver for accessing the
> flash and a command line tool for erasing and writing to the flash.

Perhaps you can take a look at mtd and use that to manage your flash.
With mtd you can partition your flash to different devices and erase them
selectively.

Once you have your flash partitioned you can simply cat a file to /dev/mtd#
to copy new content to the flash.

/Subodh Nijsure

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Re: flash writing with Linux

[Matthias Fuchs]

Hi Subodh,

Subodh Nijsure wrote:
>
> Perhaps you can take a look at mtd and use that to manage your flash.
> With mtd you can partition your flash to different devices and erase them
> selectively.
What is mtd ? Never heard of before !
>
> Once you have your flash partitioned you can simply cat a file to /dev/mtd#
> to copy new content to the flash.
That sounds nice and seems to be same like the stuff Wolfgang offered in
his 2.4.3-preX patch.

Matthias


--
-------------------------------------------------
\ Matthias Fuchs                                 \
 \ esd electronic system design Gmbh              \
  \ Vahrenwalder Straße 205                        \
   \ D-30165 Hannover                               \
    \ email: matthias.fuchs@esd-electronics.com      \
     \ phone: +49-511-37298-0                         \
      \ fax:   +49-511-37298-68                        \
       --------------------------------------------------

** Sent via the linuxppc-embedded mail list. See http://lists.linuxppc.org/

RE: flash writing with Linux

[Kári Davíðsson]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matthias Fuchs [mailto:matthias.fuchs@esd-electronics.com]
> Sent: 19. mars 2001 17:16
> To: Subodh Nijsure; linuxppc-embedded
> Subject: Re: flash writing with Linux
>
>
>
> Hi Subodh,
>
> Subodh Nijsure wrote:
> >
> > Perhaps you can take a look at mtd and use that to manage
> your flash.
> > With mtd you can partition your flash to different devices
> and erase them
> > selectively.
> What is mtd ? Never heard of before !

It is flash abstracation layer (driver), and is now part of the
official linux 2.4.x kernels from Linus.
http://www.mtd-infradead.org

> >
> > Once you have your flash partitioned you can simply cat a
> file to /dev/mtd#
> > to copy new content to the flash.
> That sounds nice and seems to be same like the stuff Wolfgang
> offered in
> his 2.4.3-preX patch.

Yes it is.

>
> Matthias
>
>
> --
> -------------------------------------------------
> \ Matthias Fuchs                                 \
>  \ esd electronic system design Gmbh              \
>   \ Vahrenwalder Straße 205                        \
>    \ D-30165 Hannover                               \
>     \ email: matthias.fuchs@esd-electronics.com      \
>      \ phone: +49-511-37298-0                         \
>       \ fax:   +49-511-37298-68                        \
>        --------------------------------------------------
>
>
>

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Re: flash writing with Linux

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <3AB63EEA.987DC654@esd-electronics.com> Matthias Fuchs wrote:
>
> > Perhaps you can take a look at mtd and use that to manage your flash.
> > With mtd you can partition your flash to different devices and erase them
> > selectively.
> What is mtd ? Never heard of before !

Memory Technology Devices.

> > Once you have your flash partitioned you can simply cat a file to /dev/mtd#
> > to copy new content to the flash.
> That sounds nice and seems to be same like the stuff Wolfgang offered in
> his 2.4.3-preX patch.

Yes, there is a significant overlap in functionality.

I intend to drop support for our driver once MTD is working.

Wolfgang Denk

--
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-4596-87  Fax: (+49)-8142-4596-88  Email: wd@denx.de
"Oh dear, I think you'll find reality's on the blink again."
- Marvin The Paranoid Android

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RE: flash writing with Linux

[Julia Elbert]

Hello,

Is there a working version of mtd for ppc? I was working on it a while back,
was able to access the chip after memory mapping, but was unable to reliably
partition and mount the /dev/nftla. I think it was a problem on the reads
with inb and outb. I use the 860T from Embedded Planet.

Thanks,
--Julia

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Kári Davíðsson [mailto:karid@flaga.is]
		Sent:	Monday, March 19, 2001 9:31 AM
		To:	linuxppc-embedded
		Subject:	RE: flash writing with Linux


		> -----Original Message-----
		> From: Matthias Fuchs
[mailto:matthias.fuchs@esd-electronics.com]
		> Sent: 19. mars 2001 17:16
		> To: Subodh Nijsure; linuxppc-embedded
		> Subject: Re: flash writing with Linux
		>
		>
		>
		> Hi Subodh,
		>
		> Subodh Nijsure wrote:
		> >
		> > Perhaps you can take a look at mtd and use that to
manage
		> your flash.
		> > With mtd you can partition your flash to different
devices
		> and erase them
		> > selectively.
		> What is mtd ? Never heard of before !

		It is flash abstracation layer (driver), and is now part of
the
		official linux 2.4.x kernels from Linus.
		http://www.mtd-infradead.org

		> >
		> > Once you have your flash partitioned you can simply cat
a
		> file to /dev/mtd#
		> > to copy new content to the flash.
		> That sounds nice and seems to be same like the stuff
Wolfgang
		> offered in
		> his 2.4.3-preX patch.

		Yes it is.

		>
		> Matthias
		>
		>
		> --
		> -------------------------------------------------
		> \ Matthias Fuchs                                 \
		>  \ esd electronic system design Gmbh              \
		>   \ Vahrenwalder Straße 205                        \
		>    \ D-30165 Hannover                               \
		>     \ email: matthias.fuchs@esd-electronics.com      \
		>      \ phone: +49-511-37298-0                         \
		>       \ fax:   +49-511-37298-68                        \
		>        --------------------------------------------------
		>
		>
		>

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http://lists.linuxppc.org/

** Sent via the linuxppc-embedded mail list. See http://lists.linuxppc.org/