rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

I have set up mmc booting with penguinbait's tools and it works ok but I am getting weird issues sometimes. What I did try, was to:

1. Extract rootfs.jffs2 from the firmware flash image
2. Mount the rootfs.jffs2 on my linux box
3. USB - Plug in the n800 booted from flash and mkfs.ext2 the mmc system partition (/dev/mmcblk0p2 in this case)
4. Use tar (from my desktop linux box) to clone mounted rootfs.jffs2 to the mmc system partition
5. Copy backed up fstab (with swap entry) to the cloned system partition
6. Unmount everything then reboot.

Unfortunately, upon selecting mmc boot entry n800 resets after a while and shows the menu... (all I am getting is the booting from ... screen for a moment and then reset)

is there anything that has to be modified to enable booting from such cloned partitions ?

(such as perhaps some device nodes? )

UPDATE: recreating dev entries does not help. It still resets...


thanks in advance.

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

You are at least third person to report such issue. Try same solutions (mount jffs2 read only)
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/list...velopers/39493
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...479#post192479

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

Thanks Fanoush. Looks like I have to move my lazy fat *** and do some searching before I start asking questions :) Thanks a lot in advance!!!. I will give it a try straight away!

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

Well it does not work in my case. I have extracted rootfs.jffs2 again, mounted it with -o ro switch and cloned the filesystem, but it does not work :( It hangs in exactly the same place ... with the message booting from immc2 (mmblk0p2 ext2) and then reboots after a while (without the usual dsme led flashes). Will keep on investigating...

UPDATE: I have tried to check what is going wrong by starting usb networking (enabling persistent connection while booting in the process) but the moment I select to boot from mmc2, usb net connection is severed.

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

That was done, just a line to uncomment in bootmenu.sh (that's what I meant by persistent connection in earlier post)

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

also, nothing suspicious in kernel log on both sides while doing the copy? I suppose you run the cloning as root?

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

I see. Either this is OS2008 thing (last time I tried it was with OS2007) or you have usb host mode flasher flag enabled or maybe MENU_X_USBMODE item set? When exactly it dies? It still works when you go back to menu and wait some time and dies only when you select the item? Maybe the usb storage kicks in instead of usbnet?

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

What happens is. I press home for the usb networking. I then telnet to tablet, can do the usual, dmesg, etc... then I press Menu key and get back to the boot selector. I still can dmesg, etc... if I select the flash as a booting option, then it works until the desktop loads when the usb storage kicks in (which was always like that anyway) but if I select the mmc2 as a booting option I get kicked out of telnet straight away. I do not even get the blue bar indicator just message on the top of the screen about booting from immc2 etc... then after about 5 sec the tablet resets (no dsme related led flashing)
and I am presented with the boot menu again. Strangely, after such reset I am unable to boot from flash as well and the unit simply switches off mid boot. When I do the clean start (battery out then in) then the n800 will boot from the flash without problems.

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

1. What is the EXACT tar command line you are using?
2. Have you tried rsync (at least once)
3. What does diff -rq <jffs> <ext2> show?

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

I am doing it under x86 linux so what i use is

tar cf - -C /1 .| tar xvf - -C /2

/1 is where rootfs.jffs2 is mounted
/2 is where /dev/sdc2 (/dev/mmcblk0p2 on the tablet) is mounted

I will do the diff later on today and see the differences. I will perhaps try rsync ....

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

the diff shows only changes relating to symlinks (no such file or directory - although they do both exists in both places) the rest checks ok.

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

The partitions copied correctly, so it is something in initrd - you may need to redo things using Fanoush's tools (recently updated?) to get the bootmenu and other things right. It may just be a device name in the script.

There is another forum post about making the USB persist (add KEY_MENU to KEY_ESC to get back to the boot menu in bootmenu.sh, I think) so you might be able to watch the console messages.

Also, did you see

http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ad.php?t=22809

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

I have been down the persistent usb route, not much help as the connection is severed and the unit reboots when you select the mmc boot option (works for flash though). I have given up for now as I hope that perhaps a faulty sd card might be a culprit. Hard to say for now, I have ordered a new one and will test it when I receive it. OS cloned using penguinbait's tools boots ok but not to the desktop. I mean the n800 is stuck on nokia screen with the progress bar more or less 8/9 full. I can hear the screen click when I touch it and I can ssh to the device (it picks wifi network). Trying to start various services mostly succeds but the maemo-launcher segfaults each time... no other clues so far... This keeps on bugging me as it (mmc boot) used to work fine for months and all the problems started after the diablo upgrade.

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

So there is nothing interesting in kernel log on both sides whe copying data? Still if you are using the device as card reader, I'd try to remove card an use card reader or clone over ssh without using tablet's usb storage.

A for the usb disconnect - if you don't have MENU_X_USBMODE set for that item in bootmenu.conf I don't know how it can be different from internal flash. You may also try to enable framebuffer console and watch the screen. For that you need additional modules in initfs. Search this forum for bitblit fbcon softcursor or see http://wiki.maemo.org/Advanced_booting

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

There is nothing particulary interesting in dmesg output on both flash and mmc boot's. All those problems are happening only on diablo. Chinook works without a hitch and flies on my tablets. Nowadays, the even a fresh flash of diablo will hang during boot for a few times before it loads correctly. strangely no problems with chinook or OS2007 releases either. I am slowly having enough. I have probably flashed my tabled >100 times now. I think it is time to get back to chinook and wait for N900 for an OS upgrade :(

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

When I have a moment I will give it a try with the fbconsole and syslog. Atm, I just want a running tablet :) But thank you very much Fanoush, as always you are most helpfull.

Re: rootfs.jffs2 clonining not working
 

Been running chinook for the second day now. Works like a charm. I do not know what diablo has that messes up with my tablet.