Compiling results for the froyo-x86 branch, generic_x86 target - Atom based netbook, Samsung N120 (N270, Intel GMA, I915 etc.); blinking cursor after stage 2. Ideas?

[MT]

Hi,

Well, this is an account of my (little) experience I've had trying to compile from source on my Samsung N120 netbook directly. I forward this to the group for feedback if possible, and I'll be looking into it. Please keep in mind that I'm no expert! The 1.6r2 iso with uunetbooting allows me to reach the "desktop" to sample Android somehow. But I have no such success compiling from source (froyo).



Thank you,
TXXT
--------------------------

Hi,

Well, i found the Android x86 project interesting and I've never used Android in my life so I thought it could be interesting to try it since it runs on lots of mobile phones. Also, I have a Ubuntu 10.10 Atom netbook (a Samsung N120, similar to NC10, Atom 270, Intel GMA, i915). I tried the froyo-x86 branch, using a generic_x86 target at compile. It compiles but the kernel doesn't reach the Android logo. Then I read this http://samiux.blogspot.com/2010/09/howto-compiling-android-x86-on-ubuntu.html - where the host is and AMD64 and the target is an eeepc. That left me a bit confused because the guy uses a TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT=x86-atom argument but even more so because he talks about the kernel parameters as if you'd be using eeepc even if you're using something else, whereas the doc on the site says that after donut, you have to use generic_x86 for anything that is not really and eeepc... Should I use the eeepc target as the base for compiling for my netbook? The hardware database shows that a Samsung NC10 is supported so that is almost identical to my netbook. I'm using a Broadcom 4321 wifi that is detected as airport under OSX and as Dell 1545 I think on Win7. I know my Ubuntu 10.10 has installed a proprietary driver for my broadcom wifi... does that impact wifi possibilities in the port? Otherwise, it's a Marvell chip for the ethernet.

I wonder, is there any info on compiling the port from and to an Atom based netbook that is NOT an eeepc? I'll browse through the posts I guess. I mean, kernel parameters, patches, make architecture arguments, someone's blog, whatever. I'm just trying to do this and it takes about 6hrs to compile both android and the kernel so I wouldn't want to do that too often. The thing is that I don't fully understand how the kernel made with the make script in this project is different from a normal linux kernel, like the 2.6.35-22 I have on Ubuntu 10.10. I tried using that kernel but it didn't load anything and I was stuck at the boot menu (live, vesa, debug, install)... didn't even do "detecting Android" I tried using generic_x86 plain as I said, it starts the kernel, probes lots of things, android@root, then the cursor appears at the top and nothing happens. I don't know exactly what's needed in particular of a kernel to boot Android. Sure the 1.6r2 iso allowed my to try Android for a moment but I want something that is 2.2 and supports Atom and the latest.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I would gladly compile a plain Atom 270 with wifi and sound etc and show it to friends if that is possible.

Thank you!

[moo...@gmail.com]

Hi,

Don't know if this is off any help to you but I did'nt got my Acer
Aspire 1825PTZ running with the generic_x86 option either and ended
up with creating my own target. As your system also has an i915
videocard you should get that running by using 'modprobe i915
modeset=0' in your _info file. Still have to get the network cards
working though :)

Regards
Moob

On 21 okt, 07:07, MT <bank.pa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Well, this is an account of my (little) experience I've had trying to
> compile from source on my Samsung N120 netbook directly. I forward this to
> the group for feedback if possible, and I'll be looking into it. Please keep
> in mind that I'm no expert! The 1.6r2 iso with uunetbooting allows me to
> reach the "desktop" to sample Android somehow. But I have no such success
> compiling from source (froyo).
>
> Thank you,
> TXXT
> --------------------------
>
> Hi,
>
> Well, i found the Android x86 project interesting and I've never used
> Android in my life so I thought it could be interesting to try it since it
> runs on lots of mobile phones. Also, I have a Ubuntu 10.10 Atom netbook (a
> Samsung N120, similar to NC10, Atom 270, Intel GMA, i915). I tried the
> froyo-x86 branch, using a generic_x86 target at compile. It compiles but the

> kernel doesn't reach the Android logo. Then I read thishttp://samiux.blogspot.com/2010/09/howto-compiling-android-x86-on-ubu...

[slajeune]

Not sure if this will help anybody but, I have a generic N450 tablet
with GMA3150 and this is how I got it to display 1024x600:
- in your _info file, makre sur that you define:

FB0DEV=i915

- in your BoardConfig.mk, make sure you have the following:
BOARD_USES_I915C := true (make sure that BOARD_USES_I915 isn't set!)
- in your defconfig, make sure that you have the following:

CONFIG_DRM=y
CONFIG_DRM_KMS_HELPER=y
CONFIG_DRM_I915=y
# CONFIG_DRM_I915_KMS is not set

- while booting Android, make sure that grub uses this kernel
parameter:

i915.modeset=1

That's pretty much all I had to do to get it to work!

I can post me entire device config if requested.

Cheers,
Stephane.

[mano...@cox.net]

Where did you get the tablet from?
Thanks,
Tom

[Chih-Wei Huang]

Nice sharing. Just give my some comments inline below...

2010/11/2 slajeune <stephane....@gmail.com>:

> Not sure if this will help anybody but, I have a generic N450 tablet
> with GMA3150 and this is how I got it to display 1024x600:
> - in your _info file, makre sur that you define:
> FB0DEV=i915

This is only needed if you compile i915 as a module
and it cannot be loaded automatically.
In most cases the auto-detect script
can load the module correctly, so
you don't need to define the framebuffer module manually.

> - in your BoardConfig.mk, make sure you have the following:
> BOARD_USES_I915C := true (make sure that BOARD_USES_I915 isn't set!)
> - in your defconfig, make sure that you have the following:
>
> CONFIG_DRM=y
> CONFIG_DRM_KMS_HELPER=y
> CONFIG_DRM_I915=y
> # CONFIG_DRM_I915_KMS is not set

Since you have i915 driver be built-in,
you don't need FB0DEV=i915.

> - while booting Android, make sure that grub uses this kernel
> parameter:
>
> i915.modeset=1

You can avoid this by set
CONFIG_DRM_I915_KMS=y

--
Chih-Wei
Android-x86 project
http://www.android-x86.org

[slajeune]

I got it from Aliexpress. Not a bad tablet for ~350$USD. Once Froyo
is fully installed onto it, it will be great. Its fairly fast!

Cheers,
Stephane.

[slajeune]

Hi Chih-Wei,

thanks for the input! I didn't compile with the CONFIG_DRM_I915_KMS
in because it did cause issues with some kernel versions especially
for GMA3150. That is why I specify it on the command line.

BTW, if you have any insights on the install issue that I am having
(i.e. settings are not persistent), I would be willing to help fix the
issue!

Cheers,
Stephane.

On Nov 2, 1:13 am, Chih-Wei Huang <cwhu...@android-x86.org> wrote:
> Nice sharing. Just give my some comments inline below...
>

> 2010/11/2 slajeune <stephane.lajeune...@gmail.com>:

[Chih-Wei Huang]

2010/11/2 slajeune <stephane....@gmail.com>:

>
> BTW, if you have any insights on the install issue that I am having
> (i.e. settings are not persistent), I would be willing to help fix the
> issue!

Where did you set the /data dir?

The /data must be set to an ext2/ext3 filesystem.
If you set /data to an nfts/vfat/tmpfs filesystem,
it will not be persistent.

[slajeune]

/data is set as ext3 file system

What I am getting everytime I boot is:

System package xxx uid chaged; removing old data

I will try a script to "fix" permissions and see if it works. If not,
I have no clue what I am doing wrong on my end!

Cheers,
Stephane.

On Nov 2, 9:18 pm, Chih-Wei Huang <cwhu...@android-x86.org> wrote:
> 2010/11/2 slajeune <stephane.lajeune...@gmail.com>:

[Chih-Wei Huang]

2010/11/3 slajeune <stephane....@gmail.com>:

> /data is set as ext3 file system
>
> What I am getting everytime I boot is:
>
> System package xxx uid chaged; removing old data

Never see such a problem.

Would a fresh re-installation fix that?

> I will try a script to "fix" permissions and see if it works.  If not,
> I have no clue what I am doing wrong on my end!

[slajeune]

I have re-installed at least 4 times. I will retry something today to
see if it works.

Cheers,
Stephane.

On Nov 3, 11:16 pm, Chih-Wei Huang <cwhu...@android-x86.org> wrote:
> 2010/11/3 slajeune <stephane.lajeune...@gmail.com>: