6000 Kernel Comiling

[adf]

I have been using guylhem's excellent kernel on my 6k (both versions).

I ran into the lack of usb hid (keyboard/mouse, etc) support, and wanted to use a usb mouse on my Z

The obvious solution was to get the toolchain and the sources. Guylhem made that pretty easy via externe.net.

I have run into a problem or two (I just started last night)

1) the first kernel I made, I tried some interesting options. As you might guess it didn't fire up the Z.  My concern here is that it was 1.3 megs, that not just the new config, but the actual size of thin thing caused a problem. IS there a size limit on a zImage on a 6k, and does any one know if there is? and what the limit might be?

2). I read in the source tarball that every module loaded takes a flat 32k from ram and I think ALSO whatever it needs to run. This seems pretty inefficient in that respect. It would seem to imply that building a custom monolithic (no modules everything in the kernel) kernel might be a good option. And this leads us back to the problem of kernel size.
Ideas?

3). Modules. I can't find 'em after I make 'em. I do :
make dep
make clean
make zImage
make modules
make modules install (I'm not root, so it just refuses--I did this in case the modules might show up someplace recognizeable)
And I can't find the modules I compiled.
This is doubtless my issue, but a pionter here would be nice.

3b). There is no mention I can find in the unified kernel source (on which guylhem's kernel is built) of the sharp cf camera.  The module mickeyl made for openzaurus can be shoehorned in to get camera support, but that makes the unified monolitic kernel seem kinda silly.  How do I get the camera stuff in there? ( I can use the module if there are no suggestions, though)

At any rate, once I had gotten started I saw that it might be pretty easy to include v4l support and some journaling file systems, etc. I'd love to get the sharp cf cam working w/ v4l support (and have a video conference capable z), but don't know if it is possible.

The idea here is to make an omnivorous extremely io happy kernel with the speed and versatility that guylhem has gotten out of it, starting with his config. I could use a few pointers, and I'm pretty sure a lot of you would use that kernel.

insights? experiments? suggestions?

I'll keep plugging away, but a discussion would probably be profitable for all.
thanks
adf

[adf]

update.
I think I found the modules.
The monolithic builds all yeild black screens- I need to check against a known good config. to see if it isn't my environment.

I would have expected more interest in stuff like v4l and webcam support on a 6k.

[the_oak]

I would have expected more interest in stuff like v4l and webcam support on a 6k.

Just so you know, many of us are interested, but I, for one, have no programming skills. Those who have programming skills may already be spending what time they can with other projects. I hope someone can work with you on this project.

[guylhem]

Hello

Nice to see my source package is helping someone. In fact, I did that because after spending several days on japanese websites I couldn't find a simple big tarball where everything would work as expected. Now I have to update it to match tetsu advances, but it's a good base [except for keyboard stuff - you see people who report they have strange chars with USB keyboards? I tried to fix that changing the keymaps and codes for the internal keyboard, and various other stuffs, but it failed.Too bad, it'd be sweet to have both a USb keyboard and the internal keyboard having proper keymaps)

Regarding the useless memory usage - that's why I removed features I didn't need and hardcoded some in, and that's why some people complain than their compact flash network cards (etc) are not working.

There's no good solution - just make a kernel that suits your needs.

Regarding your zImage size, mine is 913k. 400k more? It should fit. You know, the Z has a special partitions where it keeps its kernels and stuff. That partition has its *own* kernel on it, so if you flash a bad kernel you can still use the one on that partition to flash a better kernel. Quite foolproof [hey I tried to replace both :-]

PS: If you need a working .config I can give you mine, but it should already be in the kernel tarball

Guylhem

[adf]

I took yesterday off.
Your config is there. I simply went too fast and have to backtrack.

I would love to see an "omnivorous" kernel built for the 6k--you know ipv6 journalling v4l dconnection to about anything that can be plugged in to it...

will moving opera and pim to sd help w/ the space for the modules?

any idea why my attempts at an omnimonolithic kernel fail with a black screen at boot??  Is it to do with leaving unneeded modules on board?  

While you are making the new tarball, do you think you could patch in the sharp camera stuff?

[adf]

the "monolithic" kernel seems to work.
I just got one compiled and installed (no bluetooth yet).
It has built in ext2 reiser ipv6  usbhid v4l. all in a "fast" kernel from the unified source.
installation was just a matter of popping it in and removing the sharp modules that are redundant to the built in kernel support.

So far: My cpia camera is not registering. the =cpia usb stuff caused a kernel panic. other cams that should work are listed on boot though.

usb keyboard is mapped very very strangely. Given what Guylhem has said this is no surprise.

I haven't tested much else.
will post again when I know what goes and what doesn't

adf

[adf]

next version.
coexists/uses the existing modules.
the toshiba ohci usb host module must be removed though.

usb keyboard still has issues. 2 keyboards both give back a "cable error?" message..esentially the don't work,though they are recognized as keyboards.
more ir protocols compliled in. ext3.
claims it has v4l bleutooth ipv6 etc... though not all of everything, it is coming along.
it isn't all there yet, but it does a whole lot. I'll use it for a while and see.

any hope for the usb keyboard issue (even w/ the sharp module it has issues)?

[xjqian]

congrads on the stuff you've got so far. I'm trying to get together a development environment in the future.

How about the usbmouse.o? it should be much easier than the usbkbd. And I'm not that eager on usbkbd as long as i can use the ir kbd. If usbmouse.o is available for the fast kernel, i'm going to do the drill and swing to the fast kernel again.

confirmed, the usbmouse.o and usbkbd.o from sharp stock kernel are unusable in the guyhelm's fast kernel. insmod gives some error.

[adf]

I just installed input helper. I have to make .desktop files or something to invoke the commands pont n click style. (just to be convenient)
All i can tell you so far is that the thing identifies usb mice as mice, and doesn't give any error messages I can find (unlike keyboard on boot--load o error messages there if a keyboard is plugged in).
I will test the mouse out soon. I have to work on usb/serial adapter stuff too, if I can.
right now it claims usb printer & scanner plus the other stuff i litsted.
I am using the ffpe right now, figuring if I want v4l on a z i can use all the help I can get.
So far so good.   It is nice to be back to a "roll your own" (to some extent anyway) kernel.
the only irritation on installation so far, is that It has to be compiled w/ the ohci6#### toshiba chip usb support, so that module has to be removed after updating.  Otherwise, it is just a matter of slapping it on a cf and doing an update.

edit: mouse recognized but not working. the mouse device seems to be ponting to "matty"? whatver that is.
going to retry w/ another look at devfs and input configs.
any suggestions?

[adf]

ok. I have a usb to serial adapter working (one of many possibles) usb keyboard working, usb mouse /w/ inputhelper working.

All on the fast kernel w/ ffpe!!

you have to remove the toshiba ohci module from /lib/modules.rom/2.4.18-rmk7-pxa3-embedix/kernel/drivers/usb, it seems to use the existing sharp modules (or ignore them) just fine..

I think I got that right.
it might be just modules, not modules.rom.

to do this you eed to remount the filesystem read write:
mount -n -o remount,rw /

then pull the module and reboot.
edit: added netcat usb/ethernet support
usb keyboard works, but no better than in generic sharp

er..is the zImage attched?