How to use Uboot and 2.4.33.3 firmimg.bin (ppc)
From Buffalo NAS-Central
[edit] Prerequisites
[edit] boot to 3 blink mode -> EM Mode
[edit] login with user root and no password
connect via telnet to 192.168.11.150 (sometimes it seems that DHCP works)
[edit] create partitions with fdisk
(this part needs a little work so it looks like this: http://buffalo.nas-central.org/index.php/Custom_Partitions_on_the_LS_Pro#HowTo_setup_the_internal_HDD)
/dev/hda1 -> linux /dev/hda2 -> swap /dev/hda3 -> linux
[edit] format the partitions
mkfs.ext3 /dev/hda1 mkswap /dev/hda2 mkfs.ext3 /dev/hda3
Note: this is for the standard layout (actually there are more partitions which we do not know what they do but we don`t need them) which the prepared images will work with. if someone wants to format the data partition to a different filesystem or different partition layout he needs to modify /etc/fstab in the image after untaring...but that comes later)
[edit] mount the partitions
if standard partition layout + filesystems use "mount_disk", if different then mount the partitions manually. mount_disk mounts /dev/hda1 to /mnt/hda1 and /dev/hda3 to /mnt/hda3
[edit] ftp over the image of your choice to /mnt/hda3
host: 192.168.11.150 (sometimes it seems to me that dhcp works in EM Mode sometimes?) user: operator pass: operator
transfer the image of your choice in form of a tmpimage.tgz to /mnt/hda3. In case you only have a image.dat from the original firmwares/openlink/freelink/genlink check the downloadsection if there is a tmpimage.tgz available and use it if yes...if no create one yourself by unzipping the image.dat with the right password (all passwords mentioned here: Create_a_custom_firmware_image#Collected_passwords)
[edit] untar the image (which i assume you ftp`ed over to /mnt/hda3) to /mnt/hda1
cd /mnt/hda1 OPTIONAL: rm -r * (in case you want to switch the OS and not reinstall it from scratch) tar -xzvf ../hda3/tmpimage.tgz
[edit] OPTIONAL
Only if you use non standard partition layouts or different filesystems than ext3
[edit] Non-standard filesystem on data partition only
In case you use a non standard filesystem on the data partition (3rd partition) you need to modify /mnt/hda1/etc/fstab to fit the changes.
[edit] Non-standard partition layout
In case you use a non standard partition layout there are several things that need to be done. UBoot expects kernels + initrds in the folder /boot on the first partition. and uboot only can read ext2/ext3. so in case someone wants to move to XFS/JFS on the OS-partitions (which for example is then on /dev/hda2 instead of /dev/hda1) it is needed to modify
- uboot variables so it searches for the kernel + initrd directly on the first partition (like on the arm9 boxes) and not in /boot, also to make sure boots to the second partition instead of the first one
- modify /etc/fstab so the second partition is mounted to / and first partition is mounted to /boot . notice that you need a 2.6 kernel later and that means that the entries in /etc/fstab need to be some like /dev/sdaX and not /dev/hdaX (this difference was introduced with 2.6)
- put a recent 2.6-kernel on the first partition in uboot format (uimage). make sure it is a kernel which includes the support for the non-ext2/3-filesystem INSIDE the kernel. the kernel modules themselves are stored on the partition which cannot be mounted without the kernel support for the filesystem.
[edit] reboot
just execute
reboot
and reboot. normally it defaults to 1-blink mode which means it tries to boot from hddrootfs and kernel in /boot
