sl-5600 kernel

[Anonymous]

Zimage_Sharp5600_ROMv1[1].00_Preemptive_wireless-ext-no-PXA250-Workaround.bin

That is the name of the file. It says download kernel image, is this the image? Rename that file to zImage.bin? Then, why is the wireless extension patch and pre-emptive patch also supplied?

Also... curious why the file name contains no-PXA250 in it? I do have the pxa250 not the 255 will it work on that chip for sl-5600?

Has anyone else run this? What is the backout in case it doesn\'t work?

Thank you
Greg


Description: For the SL-5600 ONLY! It will NOT work with the SL-5000D or SL-5500! SL-5600 owners please see the disclaimer below.

This is the standard Sharp SL-5600 kernel with the Linux kernel pre-emptive patch applied which almost doubles the responsiveness of the 5600. The workaround for the XScale PXA-250 cache errata (a bug in the CPU) has also been turn off, which gives a small speed increase. All this makes applications load much faster and allows you to do things like play 320x240 DivX video at a decent frame rate. The Wireless Extensions patch has also been applied.

Other than this, it is the standard Sharp supplied 5600 kernel.

To install the kernel, download the kernel image from here and get a copy of updater.sh from a Sharp 5600 ROM update. Put both files on a CF or SD card, making sure the kernel image filename is \'zImage.bin\' (case is important), and follow the flash instructions for Linux users from here: http://www.myzaurus.com/ROMupdate6.asp . Note: you do NOT need the other two files normally included in a flash ROM upgrade.

5600 Kernel source: http://community.zaurus.com/download.php/3...rom1_00.tar.bz2
Pre-emptive patch: http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/peo...-2.4.18-5.patch
Wireless Extensions Patch: http://ozlabs.org/people/dgibson/dldwd/ori...co-0.13e.tar.gz

Disclaimer: Turning off the cache errata workaround may cause some instability, which could either show up as device lockups or data corruption. I have not had any data corruption or loss and only one lockup, but you have been warned!  
 
Version: v1.2
Filesize: 1.04 MB
Added on: 18-Jan-2004
Downloads: 275
Category: patches / 5600

[Richjn]

Developers give files descriptive names so they know which is which if they were all called zImage we would soon get confused. The kernel is just one file with the mentioned patches applied to offer the improvements mentioned in the description you need to rename it zImage.bin to install it. I bellieve it to be stable but in the event you don\'t like it just reverse the operation by reloading an original sharp one. To check which CPU you have run \"cat              /proc/cpuinfo\" from the console and it will tell you which processor you have but in any event the cache errata is turned OFF in this kernel so it doesn\'t matter which you have.

NOTE there is a space after the word cat for some reason it wont accept an edit here

Follow the instructios.

[Anonymous]

Hi,
 What is cache errata? I know I have the pxa250 not the 255, unfortunately.  If you have the image file, Id imagine most wouldnt need to recompile the kernel and apply those patches manually, right? (Unless you needed some other kernel option).

 Any dangers to the device by applying this , and \"overclocking?\" . Is there some tests you would also recommend , say before/after so I could see how significant the improvement is?

Thanks
Greg

[tumnus]

I gave it that name because, as Richjn said, it helped me to know which Kernel image I was uploading and also because the ZUG Downloads forces you to have different filenames for downloads in the same area.

The significant part of the filename is actually \'no-PXA250-Workaround\' meaning I turned the workaround for the cache bug in the PXA250. The cache is the memory internal to the CPU that is used for really fast access to very frequently used data/instructions. Intel let a bug escape in the PXA250\'s cache, which can cause all sorts of nasties. So a workaround for this was implemented in the kernel to ensure it never affected the user. The result of the workaround though was it effectively halved the speed of the 5600.

But for all the fuss that was made over this, I haven\'t had a single crash since I started using this kernel over a month ago.

Plenty of people are using it. Please search the forums for the \'Special\' and 5600 kernel for more information as there are a number of other threads on this.

[w4lna]

Does it matter which updater.sh file is used?  I tried using this kernel, but the update process never transferred the file. I did name it \"zImage.bin\" first...

Mike

[tumnus]

I used the updater.sh from the Sharp ROM update that you can download from www.myzaurus.com

[stars]

Is the updater.sh required? I just renamed the file and placed it in /mnt/card. Reset my SL5600 and go to the menu. It seems to work fine that way ...

[w4lna]

On a whim tonight, I reloaded the standard Sharp kernel from the 1.32 ROM, replacing the preemptive kernel that I\'d been using for two weeks. Using the performance of the Java Quartz app (3D spinning spheres) as a guide, I can\'t see any speed difference between the kernels.  Not only that, WEP connections still work with my Symbol WiFi card, and bluetooth seems to work  after I loaded the 2.4.18d version of bluez.  

What was I supposed to gain with the other kernels again?

[tumnus]

Several people have noticed load times for apps like Opera are halved (Remember if you keep running an app without running lots of other apps, Linux will cache it which makes it appear to launch quicker after the first load). I have found 320x240 DivX video plays much more smoothly. In general I find it that bit more responsive.

[w4lna]

Several people have noticed load times for apps like Opera are halved (Remember if you keep running an app without running lots of other apps, Linux will cache it which makes it appear to launch quicker after the first load). I have found 320x240 DivX video plays much more smoothly. In general I find it that bit more responsive.

I have been a little surprised that some of the load times are as long as they are for a 400 MHz class computer.  I disabled fastload on some of the standard apps to gain a little more free memory for Opera and it is quite noticeable.

Any chance of releasing a kernel with the PX250 workaround disabled, but without the pre-emptive patches?