Project 2.6 mips

=Project 2.6 mips=

This Page should be used to collect all the wisdom regarding compiling working versions of the latest 2.6-kernel for the LS 2(mips).

Everyone is invited to edit this page and add information!

All compiling information and information about patches should get here. if needed i can modify mediawiki to allow some more filetypes to be allowed to upload to the wiki. this way we could even share our patches directly here on this page

Resources
There is a patch for linux-2.6.22 and lots of essential research information here: http://www.linuxnotincluded.org.uk/

Precompiled kernel images and modules can be downloaded here: http://downloads.buffalo.nas-central.org/Users/davy_gravy/kernelpackages/

The LS2 "U-Boot" boot loader and installation instructions: http://downloads.nas-central.org/LS2_MIPSel/Bootloader/Uboot/Precompiled/

A useful blog entry on installing the new boot loader: http://endy.blogomat.net/wp-trackback.php?p=112

Possible steps from "virgin LS2" to "LS2 Lenny"
'''1) Install FreeLink and Freelink - Convert the LinkStation into a Full-fledged Debian Linux Server, but do not run "apt-get upgrade" now

'''2) Use Fix_ext2_magic to fix your /dev/hda1 partition.

If you don't want to remove the harddisk from your Linkstation, compile the tool natively, stop all daemons and loggers (but leave your ssh session alive), remount root readonly, fix it and reboot.

'''3) Get u-boot

Definitely try booting the supplied 2.4 and 2.6 kernels from memory before flashing it.

'''4) Flash u-boot

Then rename the 2.6 kernel to vmlinuz to make it the default. Reboot

'''5) Upgrade to Debian Lenny using "apt-get upgrade"

Be sure to check that you have really booted into the 2.6 kernel, the upgrade will fail on a 2.4 kernel system.

'''6) Compile your own kernel using the patch or install a precompiled one with modules

Roadmap
1) Build a 2.4.20-kernel from the gpl-source

(there you won`t need to apply the melfs.patch as this is obviously included)

we will test it by trying to load the resulting vmlinux.bin with the mips-loader.o

2) Create a patch for compiling a working LS2 Kernel from the vanilla kernel 2.4.20

After we know that we can build the kernel from GPL Source we need to find out what the differences are between the vanilla kernel and the GPL-Source Kernel. I tried to create a diff between those kernel-sources already (but i noticed that there are far too much lines in it as some lines have a "-" before and later a "+" for adding the unmodified again...maybe this is related to some additional blank lines or comments?

Here is a diff of the arch-tree between the vanilla 2.4.20 kernel and linux-2.4.20_mipsel_linkstation http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0025690/arch_mips_diff.txt and here is a complete kernel-diff http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0025690/kernel_diff.txt

3) Build the latest 2.4-Kernel available

We should have a patch to create a LS2-kernel from the vanilla 2.4.20 kernel. Now we can try to create the latest 2.4-kernel available. currently this is 2.4.33.2 (released on the 22.8.2006) http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.4/linux-2.4.33.2.tar.gz