Re: A reply to a few posts lately

> Could the devlopers on the list possibly say how they started getting into the port
> and the guides and ways they learnt how to port and develop for the rx3715

I am not a very active developer. But I've built a few images of my
own and had a good look at whats been done. My day job is this sort
of thing so I find it a little difficult to plonk myself in front of a
computer after work. Enough excuses...

First: re-iterate goal of project. Get Linux working on our iPaq and
PocketPC off (or somewhere out of the way).
This means:
    1. Get hardware support into kernel
    2. Get rx3xxx support into an existing distribution.

1. Hardware support into kernel.

I think the consensus is that we work from the Handhelds kernel.
Support for key components is only available there (asic3). How do you
help with this? Let me explain.
* Aquaint yourself with CVS
* Look at the sources link on handhelds.org and checkout the
linux/kernel26 package from their repository.
* You need an arm-linux cross compiler and a .config file. An option
for a cross compiler is openembedded (what I use). More about
openembedded below. I have a .config that works, I'll try and get
that on the Wiki with some other miscellaneous things.
* copy the .config into root of the linux source. Add the cross
compiler to your PATH
* use these commands
$ ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux- make menuconfig
no need to change anything, exit straight a way (there's a better way
but I forgot)
$ ARCH =arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux- make zImage
This builds the kernel... there are a few modules that aren't built as
part of zImage, you might have to work out on your own what to do with
them. After a successful compile zImage is found in arch/arm/boot you
need to use haret from an old mini-dist to get it running on your
iPaq.
* If you want to Hack code, the arch/arm/mach-s3c2410/ directory is
where base support for rx3xxx is implemented. Other bits and pieces
are scattered in drivers/

2. rx3xxx support into a distro.

Angstrom and Familiar are probably the most appropriate distributions.
 Angstrom has technical issues with armv4t that I won't get into. this
may or may not have been sorted since I last looked. This leaves
Familiar. Familiar (and Angstrom) are built using OpenEmbedded. OE
builds almost EVERYTHING including a cross compiler. If you have OE
and are wondering where the cross compiler is, look in
oetmp/cross/bin. Look at OE docs and the wiki if you want to try it
out www.openembedded.org. OE has come a long way since I first looked
at it but a certain amount of patience is required. Try building
familiar-unstable for the h2200 to test that you have it installed
properly. I've done that a few times to test that a screw up is in
fact me and not OE. More often than not it is me.

I hope I have given some people the info they need so they get in and
have a go. I may have scared some people away. It's not impossible
(look at me) but it may take some time. If you run into trouble,
Google, check mailing lists archives then ask questions.

Good luck.
Rod.
Received on Tue Nov 28 2006 - 01:11:46 EST