Package all files in BOOT.bin zedboard

[bastien.bournas]

Hello,

I am stuck trying to boot Linux with uboot on my zedboard.

Usually, what I do is :

1. build fsbl
2. build uboot and uImage
3. use sdk to generate BOOT.bin (with fsbl.elf, system.bit, and uboot.elf)
4. put BOOT.bin on my SD card along with devicetree, ramdisk, and uImage.

This works fine. But now what I am trying to do is to package all the files in BOOT.bin (fsbl.elf + system.bit + u-boot.elf + devicetreee.dtb + uImage.bin + uramdisk.image.gz), so I can drop it alone on the SD card.

As I saw in this video https://www.xilinx.com/content/xilinx/en/video/soc/create-zynq-boot-image-using-xilinx-sdk.html, I have to specify the offset for devicetree, uImage, and uramdisk, so that u-boot can find it where it expects to. In u-boot source code, I found those offsets in zynq-common.h :

• kernel_load_address = 0x2080000
• ramdisk_load_address=0x4000000
• devicetree_load_address=0x2000000

So I set these offset in the bootgen window, and the generation of BOOT.bin works correctly.

bootgen gui

But when put it on my SD card and try to boot, a strange TIMEOUT occurs during u-boot, which makes it fail.

It seems that uboot is trying things in USN/Ethernet, but I don't know what :

Timeout error in uboot

I really can't figure out what is wrong with what I did, even after spending hours searching similar problems in forums.

Can someone help me with that ?

Here is the printenv output, we can see that the offsets are well set :

Thanks for your time,

Bastien 

[hokim]

Hi

As I know, devicetreee.dtb  uImage.bin and  uramdisk.image.gz can't be included in BOOT.BIN

u-boot is not programmed to load them in BOOT.BIN.

[bastien.bournas]

Hi hokim,

Look at this video around 5:30 https://www.xilinx.com/content/xilinx/en/video/soc/create-zynq-boot-image-using-xilinx-sdk.html.

He does include everything in BOOT.bin

And if you want to boot from flash QSPI, then you have to include everything in the .mcs file in the same way, haven't you ?

[hokim · Accepted solution]

The offset address is required for partitioned location for each image in QSPI Flash.

But there is no such thing  for boot.bin of sdcard.

FAT filesystem of sdcard helps u-boot to find the location(file) of each image.

Therefore  images for sdcard can't be integrated into one image(file)

[bastien.bournas]

Ok so if I understand well :

• if I boot from SD, BOOT.bin = fsbl + system.bit + uboot ; SD = ramdisk + devicetree + uimage, no offsets needed
• if I boot from QSPI, BOOT.mcs = fsbl + system.bit + uboot + ramdisk + devicetree + uimage, with offsets

And as for the offsets, I have to put the ones found in uboot source file zynq-common.h :

• kernel_load_address = 0x2080000
• ramdisk_load_address=0x4000000
• devicetree_load_address=0x2000000

You confirm that ? :)

[hokim]

You understand it well.

 For ramdisk , devicetree , uimage(kernel image), single file of FIT format like image.ub  can be used  and  petalinux generates that file

For FIT, see https://www.denx.de/wiki/pub/U-Boot/Documentation/multi_image_booting_scenarios.pdf

[hokim]

You don't need to touch u-boot source code for load addresses of separate images

Use uEnv.txt  with u-boot script code like this

bitstream_load_address=0x1000000
bitstream_image=system.bit
kernel_image=zImage
devicetree_image=system.dtb
kernel_load_address=0x1080000
devicetree_load_address=0x1000000

bootargs=console=ttyPS0,115200 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rw earlyprintk rootwait rootfstype=ext4 quiet uio_pdrv_genirq.of_id=generic-uio console=tty1 consoleblank=0

uenvcmd=mmcinfo && fatload mmc 0 ${bitstream_load_address} ${bitstream_image} && fpga loadb 0 ${bitstream_load_address} $filesize && fatload mmc 0 ${kernel_load_address} ${kernel_image} && fatload mmc 0 ${devicetree_load_address} ${devicetree_image} && bootz ${kernel_load_address} - ${devicetree_load_address}

[bastien.bournas]

Ok thank you so much !

Is this script supposed to be in BOOT.bin or on the SD ?

I understand that is used for transmitting commands upon uboot start and update its environment, but my question about the offsets was rather how can I find the good values for it when I will boot in QSPI ? Do I have to search for it in uboot code in order to see where it expects to find it ?

[hokim]

uEnv.txt should be located on SD card

Search CONFIG_EXTRA_ENV_SETTINGS in u-boot source

https://github.com/Xilinx/u-boot-xlnx/blob/master/include/configs/zynq-common.h

https://github.com/Xilinx/u-boot-xlnx/blob/master/include/configs/xilinx_zynqmp.h

[bastien.bournas]

Thanks for your time it really helped me !

[bastien.bournas]

I have a last question.

I saw in https://github.com/Xilinx/u-boot-xlnx/blob/master/include/configs/zynq-common.h line 257 :

	"qspiboot=echo Copying Linux from QSPI flash to RAM... && " \
	"sf probe 0 0 0 && " \
	"sf read ${kernel_load_address} 0x100000 ${kernel_size} && " \
	"sf read ${devicetree_load_address} 0x600000 ${devicetree_size} && " \
	"echo Copying ramdisk... && " \
	"sf read ${ramdisk_load_address} 0x620000 ${ramdisk_size} && " \
	"bootm ${kernel_load_address} ${ramdisk_load_address} ${devicetree_load_address}\0" \

So the offsets to put in the BOOT.mcs files for a qspi boot seems to be 0x100000 for uImage, 0x600000 for devicetree, and 0x620000 for uramdisk.

But when I click on "create Image", an error occurs telling me that there is an overlap at the uImage.bin section offset of 0x100000, which olerlaps with prior section.

That previous section is my system.bit bitsream, and if I remove it the mcs can be generated.

How can I make it works with my bitstream included ? 

 

[hokim]

The offsets should be changed depending on part, kernel size and ramdisk size

You have to find the proper offsets for yourself.

I think you can estimate the offsets from mcs size of each file. 

[bastien.bournas]

Ok thanks again, have a nice day