Pdaxii13 On C3100

[danboid]

This is an unofficial method of installing pdaXii13 5.3b full on a c3100 or c3200 as first discovered by Archimark.

Note that there is now a pdaXii13 Akita (codename Sally) which is a bug fixed and improved pdaXrom b3 for c1000, c3100 and c3200 models which in the future may let you upgrade to pdaXii13 full by storing /usr on the Microdrive but this install method isn't known to be working currently. pdaXii13 Akita is unsupported by Meanie and the pdaXrom team have moved onto a kernel 2.6 based distro.

Neither Meanie, Archimark, myself or anybody else will take any responsibility for any damage or loss of data that may arise as a result of following these instructions. You follow these instructions entirely at your own risk! Make sure to read all the bugs (it is not perfect yet - it has a 10m+ boot time for one) and that you know how to get restore a working OS in case you find you can't switch or prefer Sharp/Cacko/OZ. If you have any corrections let me know and I'll update this post.

pdaXii13 5.3b full installation on c3100/c3200

c3100 (and c3200) owners must use v0.25 of the pdaXii13 updater.sh and build 15 of updater-tools.bin which are available on the pdaXii13 alpha/beta page here

http://www.tyrannozaurus.com/feed/pdaXii13/tmp/

In addition to having all the files required to install pdaXii13 on a c3000, you will also need pdaXrom beta3, which you can download from

http://mail.pdaxrom.org/download/1.1.0beta...beta3-akita.zip

Install that first as per the instructions on the pdaXrom.org site. I don't think it matters what size you flash the NAND to, the point is just to get b3 installed before pdaXii13, but I'd recommend going for the maximum size of 121 and why not?

Then install pdaXii13 as per Meanies instructions for c3000 but you need to install the kernel and bootloader TWICE, once before and one after installing the hdimage.

Reboot and enjoy the joys of having a full, truly portable Linux workstation!

BUGS in 5.3b, using this install method (i.e on 3100/3200 only)

1. On the initial boot after install, it will pause and the MD light will flash for around 15 minutes just after it says

EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode

On subsequent boots it pauses on this message for a while, 5-10m.

2. Shortly after that it will produce a few, if not a few hundred

invalidate:dirty buffer

errors but Meanie says these are harmless

BUGS PRESENT ON pdaXii13 C3000 5.3b ALSO

1. xmms doesn't work as it needs libXau to be installed. You can fix this by typing

ipkg install libXau

if you have a wifi card and connection working on your Z

2. CAPS LOCK doesn't work in a default install and if you uncomment it in /etc/X11/kb/spitz.xmodmap then pushing the TAB key has the effect of both TAB and switching CAPS LOCK at the same time.

3. There are some unwanted keybindings remaining (in the openbox config file /etc/xdg/openbox/rc.xml I think) which could cause problems to those using USB keyboards. Below is a list of USB keys and their current actions under 5.2

-----------------

KEY | ACTION

Alt_Gr (Right Alt) | Starts Stardict

Right Windows Key | Starts rox

Print Screen | Starts xmms

F5 | Starts mrxvt

F6 | Startx xmms

F7 | Starts rox

F9 | Starts dillo

----------------

ESSENTIAL TIPS

* Uninstall all the scim packages if you don't need Chinese input support! I used a stopwatch to time how long gnumeric took to load- it took 34s when it had to load scim and only SEVEN seconds to load when I uninstalled scim! Just turning off SCIM support in the pdaXii13 config file isn't enough.

* If you want to change the font size of GTK2 based apps like rox, abiword, gthumb, gnumeric (most X apps used under pdaXrom are GTK2 based) then use the 'GTK Theme Switch' app under the System Tools menu. You will need to click the blue plus sign next to the theme name, check the 'Use font' box which will appear and then click 'Browse' to choose your font. To change the other font sizes (like the menu) you can use the Look and Feel apps (again under System Tools menu) Icon+Text tab.

* To set up a dial-up internet connection, open a terminal and run pppconfig. I have used a standard USB to serial adapter cable with my c3000 to attach it to an analogue serial modem and to get it to work I had to use '/dev/ttyUSB0' for the device name, 'ATZ' for the init string and set the speed to 57600 under pppconfigs modem settings. After setting ppp up you can connect with the pppdialer app under the internet menu.

TO ADD/DUNNO LIST

Working instructions for upgrading pdaXii13 Akita to use the hdimage

A comparison of the two pdaXii13 full install methods for c3100/c3200 owners (when they both work)

[danboid]

I updated the above guide this morning to correct a couple of mistakes and clarify a couple of things.

Has nobody else tried installing pdaXii13 on c3100 with any success, using my method or otherwise? Had any different results to what I've reported here?

Meanie:

I know you're aiming to get pdaXii13 stable on c3000 first but do you plan to get it running well on c3100 (and possibly c3200) too?

[TheWalt]

Has nobody else tried installing pdaXii13 on c3100 with any success, using my method or otherwise? Had any different results to what I've reported here?

I have installed pdaXii13 on my c3100 with success, but haven't had time until now to do any extensive testing.  I will try to reproduce the items you have mentioned above and report back.

My install howerver was different.  I did a standard pdaXrom Beta3 install first.  Then used the old updater.sh from http://www.tyrannozaurus.com/feed/pdaXii13/files/updater.sh and did a standard install using the 5.2 full package, no file replacements.

WiFi worked, Gaim and Firefox worked, and AbiWord worked.  But that is as far as I had gotten testing.

[danboid]

Hmm

I tried installing using

http://www.tyrannozaurus.com/feed/pdaXii13/tmp/updater.sh

Which is also numbered 0.23 but maybe they are different? They're the same filesize.

[ajnstajn]

My install howerver was different.  I did a standard pdaXrom Beta3 install first.  Then used the old updater.sh from http://www.tyrannozaurus.com/feed/pdaXii13/files/updater.sh and did a standard install using the 5.2 full package, no file replacements.

I was able to install finally (after unsuccessful trials since Christmas) pdaxii13 on my 3200.
Exactly as shown above
1)reflashed pdaxrom3 beta (with kernel for 3200)
2)replaced the files for pdaxii13 on SD root
3) started flashing (OK+power) - japan menu 4, Y, Y to get installer of pdaxii13
4) partitioned microdrive to 3 partitions as recommended by Meanie
5) used option marked as flashing pdaxii13 - (but it takes only short time as it does not flash kernel -   using updater.sh 0.23  - BTW the version 0.24 is not available anymore neither on  alpha page (pdaXii13/tmp) nor on stable (pdaXii13/files)
6) installed hdimage_all.tgz using next installer option
7) rebooted

after LONG time it started X and system was there !

I have used release 5.2 alpha that was at  http://www.tyrannozaurus.com/feed/pdaXii13/tmp/

For me do work Fn keys (*..) , zoom (japan key left from - and 1,2)...
Most applications started well (but I did not have time to test every applications in detail)
SD card 2GB works from scratch (it did not work on pdax3 beta) - so the new SD driver is directly in pdaxii13

I did not test Planex wifi yet...


What I miss most is mc (Midnight commander)

[danboid]

I also tried the same method you two used- installing beta3 then installing pdaXii13 on top of it but using the c3000 kernel I got some error about not finding rootfs I think it was. I wouldn't have thought different partitioning would've made a difference (would it? Did you have your drive partitioned for Cacko/Sharp when you installed beta3? Have I got to partition my MD that way first?) as when I installed beta3 my MD was partitioned ready for pdaXii13 already but the b3 installer didn't seem to have any problem with that.

[ajnstajn]

Iusing the c3000 kernel I got some error about not finding rootfs I think it was.

Yes it was the problem I remained stucked for a long time
Exactly the first problem was pdaxrom3 beta + pdaxii13 files complained about
"init" problem as it was described some time ago.

As I understand Meanie had worked to correct this for non-3000  machines by changes in initrd stuff and recently he had changed updater.sh to version 24 that did not ignore SL3200 -
I remember that this time it really started flashing the NAND with kernel 2.4.20-bin
but then it complained about the nonexistant NAND and no rootfs (as you mention)

Meanie explained this by the kernel hardcoded size of NAND as he put the 3000 kernel on pdaxii13 stable and tmp distro.

maybe I am wrong but I think everything was corrected by replacing the correct kernel (3100/3200 from pdaxrom3 beta distro in the root of SD.
So it probably would work from the scratch (Sharp, cacko)  using that replaced kernel AND updater 0.24 (which realy started flashing).

Alternative solution as taken by me is to use updater 0.23 (that ignores the real kernel flashing)
having already flashed the 3200/3100 kernel from previous pdaxrom  beta3 installator.
(I could not find updater 0.24 anymore and I have ereased it from SD already)


I do not think partitioning scheme plays any role - in fact it requires only the one partition large enough to host the uncompressed hdimage_full stuff.

I wouldn't have thought different partitioning would've made a difference (would it? Did you have your drive partitioned for Cacko/Sharp when you installed beta3?

 Have I got to partition my MD that way first?) as when I installed beta3 my MD was partitioned ready for pdaXii13 already but the b3 installer didn't seem to have any problem with that.

yes no problem I have flashed about 5 times pdaxii13 and pdaxrom3 beta having the partitions intact since first experiments with first hdimage_full (somewhere about 11 December)

To summarize I think that for the future installation recipe there should be prepared 3 sets of files
(for 3000/3100/3200 separately)
pdaxii13+hdimage-full.tgz 5.2 + kernel for appropriate model (from pdaxrom beta3) renamed to zImage-2.4.20.bin + updater v 0.24 !!

and people probably could start directly flashing pdaxii13 after sharp immediately

But its my feeling only - someone should test it

[danboid]

Thanks for explaining that ajnstajn!

I don't think I ever tried updater.sh 0.24 as I skipped pdaXii13 0.5.1 which must've been the one that had that version.

Anyone got a copy of 0.24 so I can try this out?

Thanks!

[TheWalt]

BUGS in 5.2

1. On first boot X will normally start in QVGA mode. You can fix this by quitting and restarting X from the menu or running

xrandr -s 0

From a console

2. A few keys aren't working properly under X

TAB both tabs and changes caps lock when you push it -  causes havoc if you try using command complete in an X console!

Fn key doesn't work (so no *, +, = etc. keys)

CTRL and ALT seem to work but the key that is to the left of the - key doesn't seem to work as the '- and 1' or '- and 2' to switch resolution key combo doesn't work, nor can you alter the brightness with the keys.

3. According to df /dev/hda1 gets mounted twice - this also happens on c3000 with the normal pdaXii13 kernel under 5.2. Is this the cause of the disk corruption?

4. You will get the error

Unknown flash (not normal NAND)

Straight after it says 'Welcome to pdaXii13 on Sharp Zaurus' four times on boot

5. There is no Internal Storage option in the USB settings tool

6. Matchbox panel seems to forget most of the apps/launchers added to the panel by the user after rebooting

7. Graphical CPU config tool doesn't start

Ok, tested out the above...

1)  Was not able to reproduce this.  Resolution has always been VGA for me.

2)  Tab Key :  Works as a tab only, and I can NOT get it to turn on caps as stated under mrxvt, aterm, or rxvt.  

     Function Key : works fine, I get all the special characters no problem.

     Key next to - :  Works fine also, both brightness and resolution can be changed by holding this key and hitting the appropriate number.

3)  According to df /dev/hda1 gets mounted twice :  This is true, and the same for /dev/hda3 if you had that partition.

4)  I got no such message about nand after pdaXii13 welcome.  However a couple hundred lines of "Invalidate: dirty buffer" just before does show up.  Not to mention due to those lines it takes about 9 minutes for the zaurus to boot.

5)  Not true for me, both compact flash device 0 and 1 both SHOW as available.

6)  Untested

7)  Works for me, and it seems to be functional.


I am attaching the updater.sh that I used (just remove the txt extension).  So far very happy, suspend/resume works (even wakes back up my wifi), all apps have run that I've tried.  Keep in mind this updater needs the standard pdaXrom 3beta to be flashed first.

Let me know if anyone would like more tested, and I'll post if I come across any wierdness.

[danboid]

TheWalt:

Apart from one instance, I would agree with your diagnosis of my bugs for your installation but those bugs I listed are exclusive to the install method I detailed above it and don't apply to the setup that you (and now I ) have, as detailed by Archimark in the c3200 thread.

The one where I differ is with the USB settings tool. The storage options should be

Secure Digital (SD)
Compact Flash (CF)
Internal Storage

but instead I currently have

Secure Digital (SD)
Compact Flash (CF 0,1)
Compact Flash (CF 0,2)
Compact Flash (CF) 0,3
Compact Flash (CF) 1,1
Compact Flash (CF) 1,2
Compact Flash (CF) 1,3

This reminds me of the bug in Linux that when you plug a c3x00 into a Linux PC via USB you get 7 or so windows of the same drive so this could be related somehow.

More importantly though is the fact that you can't save or alter any files on hda1 and retain changes over a reboot- for example try changing the pdaXii13 config file to turn the splash screen and sounds off, save your changes and reboot. After rebooting you will probably find that the config file is back to how it was when you installed pdaX. This flaw has prevented me getting my wifi card working as whenever I copy the hex files I need for my PLANEX card into /etc/pcmcia/firmware they are gone after reboot and I just get an IO error if I try looking into that dir.

[TheWalt]

Apart from one instance, I would agree with your diagnosis of my bugs for your installation but those bugs I listed are exclusive to the install method I detailed above it and don't apply to the setup that you (and now I ) have, as detailed by Archimark in the c3200 thread.

Super

The one where I differ is with the USB settings tool. The storage options should be

Secure Digital (SD)
Compact Flash (CF)
Internal Storage

but instead I currently have

Secure Digital (SD)
Compact Flash (CF 0,1)
Compact Flash (CF 0,2)
Compact Flash (CF) 0,3
Compact Flash (CF) 1,1
Compact Flash (CF) 1,2
Compact Flash (CF) 1,3

As the internal microdrive is really just attached to a CF slot, so I think I must not understand the issue here (unless you mean the nand flash internal storage).  As the drivers are setup device 0 is internal, 1 is external.  And 0,1 means partition 1 of internal CF slot.. 0,2 partition 2 .. 0,3 partition 3 and so on for the external.  Thus if I wanted to usb connect my fat partition which is on partition 3, I would just select Compact Flash (CF 0,3) and it works fine.

More importantly though is the fact that you can't save or alter any files on hda1 and retain changes over a reboot- for example try changing the pdaXii13 config file to turn the splash screen and sounds off, save your changes and reboot.

I will give this a try and report back.

[kkazakov13]

Do you think it's possible to install Cacko on the flash, and pdaxii13 on the microdrive, and switch between them, depending on what you need? Sometimes I really miss the speed of Cacko, but the features pdaXrom gives me, making zaurus like a laptop, are best as functionality when needed.

[danboid]

kkazakov13:

Wouldn't that be fantastic if we could! I wasn't planning on using my NAND for anything special under pdaXii13 so it would be great if c3100/c3200 could use uboot to dual boot between the two. I've not installed uboot yet so I dunno how it works but I really like the idea! Meanie, Koen?

EDIT

Wahey! pdaXii13 has magically decided to work for me now on c3100 in that files don't disappear off hda1 when I reboot! I'll update the above install instructions shortly- I'm presuming it will be the same method for installing the upcoming pdaXii13 on c3100

[kkazakov13]

I'm definately installing Cacko now, and then trying to custom install pdaxii13 on microdrive, in order to check if I can dual boot somehow  If it works, will post how to do it.

[danboid]

kkazakov13:

The problem you will have right now is that to get pdaXii13 installed properly on c3100/c3200 you first need to install pdaXrom b3 which will be hogging the NAND space we'd like to use cacko for. Somebody would probably need to modify the pdaXii13 installer to work properly on these machines without requiring b3 be installed first, and probably add uboot support to it too.

I wish you the best of luck - keep us posted on your progress!