Re: Angstrom on beagleboardXM won't load: Read-only file system

[Dan Watts]

Hi,

Narcissus is a little tricky to use, especially if you are new to embedded Linux.  I'm not sure whether these instructions are now outdated, but the last time I used Narcissus with the XM I followed this approach: http://treyweaver.blogspot.ca/2010/10/installing-angstrom-on-beagleboard-xm.html.  The part that refers to the bootloader might be the solution to your problem: the bootloader is what the 2009 post you found is referring to.

However, If this is your first time booting the XM, I'd suggest you forget about Narcissus for now and start with one of the preconfigured images:

- from CircuitCo  http://www.circuitco.com/support/index.php?title=Circuitco_Support_Wiki#BEAGLEBOARD-xM_IMAGE_FILES, 

- Beagleboard Demo Files (which also work on the XM):  http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/demo/beagleboard/ 

- or perhaps Ubuntu rather than Angstrom, since it is easier to learn:  http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Precise_12.04_armhf 

If you are a Windows user you will likely find the CircuitCo image the best choice, since their instructions are intended for Windows PCs. 

When you create your card using one of these images, the boot partition and bootloader settings are automatically configured for you. 

If you continue to have problems with the file system when using one of the preconfigured images, then the cause is likely your microSD card, or perhaps the way that you've connected the card to your PC.  Try a different microSD card and/or a different USB card reader.

Dan.

On Thursday, August 23, 2012 3:51:41 PM UTC-4, Ohad wrote:

Hello
I'm newbie BeagleBoard user and *nix systems in general. I'm trying to boot the beagleboardXM with little success. I've managed to create the SD card: I have two prations, one inclding the MLO and u-boot.img, and the other contains an angstrom distribution generated with the builder.
Every time I try to start the device, the boot gets stuck. I get the error message: " line 50 can't create /tmp/uname: Read-only file system. googling this error yielded one post from 2009 that I have an answer I cannot understand.
I currently don't have a serial2usb cable, and it will take me some time to get one, if there is a non-cable solution, I would appriciate it.
Thanks,
Ohad

[Ohad]

Hello Dan and thank you for your reply.

I was using the Angstrom until I messed up the SD by accidently removing it.

I've tried as suggest from the BB demo files and from Trey's Blog ( I both cases the script for the partition didnt work and I had to do it manually).

This is the output from the serial comm. as you can see, it look ok.

When booting, the Angstrom system begins to load, and I can see the Angstrom Compass logo. The progress bar moves and stops and 50%, and that's it.

I've tried mounting different images but all stops at some point and I never get to see the angstrom login screen, as I used to see.

What else can I try?

Thanks,

Ohad

[Jyothi K]

Hi,

You can build your Angstrom Image with the below mentioned link

http://code.google.com/p/beagleboard/wiki/SDCardValidationImageHowto

Thanks,
Jyothi
Tenet Technetronics

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[Ohad]

Hello Jyothi.

1. I've tried these instruction but (2) link is broken.... 

2.  /boot/ directory doesnt have MLO file in it.

3. there are no  uEnv.txt and user.txt  in   beagleboard-validation-validation-scripts/flashing/ 

am I missing somthing?

Ohad

[Jyothi K]

Hi,

1. I've tried these instruction but (2) link is broken....

You can follow below links to partition your card

http://www.omappedia.com/wiki/SD_Configuration
http://code.google.com/p/beagleboard/wiki/LinuxBootDiskFormat

2.  /boot/ directory doesnt have MLO file in it.

If you have selected the following option in Narcissus website you will surely find it

"Beagleboard validation GNOME image"

3. there are no  uEnv.txt and user.txt  in   beagleboard-validation-validation-scripts/flashing/ 

am I missing somthing?

Make sure you have extracted it properly or else redownload it. You will surely find the user.txt and uEnv.txt beagleboard-validation-validation-scripts directory

Thanks,
Jyothi
Tenet Technetronics

[Dan Watts]

Ohad,

If you use an img file to create your SD card, then you don't have to manually create the partitions.  (The "Beagleboard demo files" site doesn't tell you this, but the instructions are on the "Beaglebone demo files" site http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/demo/beaglebone/ -- trust me, the instructions work fine with Beagleboard images too.)   

The process then becomes quite simple:

1. Download either of the files that ends with img.gz from  http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/demo/beagleboard/, for example Angstrom-Cloud9-IDE-eglibc-ipk-v2011.11-core-beagleboard-2011.11.21.img.gz 

2. From a Linux command prompt on your PC:

$ sudo -s
   (type in your password)
  # zcat Angstrom-Cloud9-IDE-eglibc-ipk-v2011.11-core-beagleboard-2011.11.21.img.gz > /dev/sdX
  # exit

That's it. Boot your XM from that microSD card. 

If you continue to get boot errors, then the problem has to be with something other than the software.  It might be that the microSD card was damaged -- try another card if you haven't already. 

Dan.

[Ohad]

Hello  Jyothi, thank you.

I just want to make things clear for me, which packages I MUST choose in the builder (considering that I want desktop GUI and not just console)?

[Ohad]

Hello Dan

I've mounted as you suggested using the zcat and it worked. Jyothi, thank you too but I didn't try your method :)

But how do I do the same with the online builder (.gz files)? which packages I must choose?

Thanks!

Ohad

[Dan Watts]

Hi,

Glad to hear it.

Regarding the online builder (Narcissus), sorry, if the instructions at http://treyweaver.blogspot.ca/2010/10/installing-angstrom-on-beagleboard-xm.html no longer work then I don't know what the best guide would be. If you find a good one, please let us know. I noticed that the output in your pastebin includes "Unable to read uEnv.txt" -- that doesn't sound good.  If you have a second microSD card, you might want to repeat the process of configuring an image using Narcissus,then compare the boot partitions.  Also, the user comments at the bottom of the page at  http://treyweaver.blogspot.ca/2010/10/installing-angstrom-on-beagleboard-xm.html mention some permissions problems with the boot paritition that can be fixed by entering a command at the bootloader command line.

I haven't used Narcissus for a long time, since I can get the system I need by starting with the demo image and adding/removing packages.  Is there any particular reason that you need to use Narcissus, or you're just interested in figuring out what went wrong?

Dan.

[Ohad]

Hello Dan.

I would like to use the  Narcissus  for two reasons:

a. I would like to know what went wrong, but that can wait because

b. I need to get things moving and although I can see the desktop through the HDMI, I have no internet access (cable is hooked up but no light in Ethernet), and usb mouse/keyboard is not responsive.

Can you help with (b) ?

-Ohad-

[Ohad]

It seems that this image  does not have the kernel module loaded for the ethernet  (whatever that means). But using this image I have neither Ethernet nor USB. is there's any good image out there that I just need to zcat?

-Ohad-

[Dan Watts]

Hi Ohad,

Are you running the Angstrom-Cloud9-IDE-eglibc-ipk-v2011.11-core-beagleboard-2011.11.21.img.gz  image? I'm pretty sure I was running it on my XM at one time, and I didn't have to change anything to get Ethernet or a USB keyboard working.  There is, unfortunately, a mix of images on that page, and they change from time-to-time, so it's hard to keep track of which image has which features.  Sorry if I pointed you to the wrong image.

The one from CircuitCo will definitely have these features enabled.  See http://www.circuitco.com/support/index.php?title=Circuitco_Support_Wiki#BEAGLEBOARD-xM_IMAGE_FILES.  They have specific instructions for writing the image to the SD card on that page.

I'm currently running Ubuntu 12.04 on my XM.  That definitely works well, with Ethernet and USB fully supported.  See http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Demo_Image.  The instructions for writing the image to the SD card start with "Get prebuilt image:" on that page.

Dan.

[Ohad]

Hello Dan, Thank you for the link, it was very helpful. I've reached the same results in all of the purposed links both by you and Jyothi.

I've followed the instructions in the Circuitco site, and it was very easy to follow, and with no way to get confused. 

I'm still having problems but I will open a different question for it...

Thank you :)
-Ohad-