Timesys Getting Started Guide for Lantronix Premierwave EN


Contents

Introduction

This document will describe in detail the procedures for booting a Linux kernel image and root file system on the Lantronix PremierWave.

Prerequisites

Host Requirements

To properly boot Lantronix PremierWave using software from Timesys, your host machine must meet the following requirements:

  • Modern GNU/Linux Distribution. While you can use nearly any modern Linux distribution released in the last 24 months, Timesys recommends one of the following:
    • Ubuntu (Most recent release or LTS)
    • Fedora (Most recent release)
  • An internet connection on the Development Host.
  • Root or sudo permission on the Development Host.
  • An available serial port on your Development Host.

You will also need a Windows XP machine running with the Lantronix Device Installer software loaded onto it.

Installing the Lantronix Device Installer

Install the Lantronix DeviceInstaller host utility. This can be downloaded from the Lantronix website:

http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/utilities-tools/device-installer.html

DeviceInstaller requires a personal computer running Microsoft Windows. Refer to the DeviceInstaller documentation for more specific requirements.

Target Requirements

To boot the Lantronix PremierWave, you will need the following items:

  • Lantronix PremierWave Board
  • Serial NULL Modem Cable
  • USB A-to-Mini-B Cable
  • Lantronix DeviceInstaller utility and a Windows workstation
  • Kernel and RFS images for the Target Board downloaded from Factory. These are found in the output directory of your online build, or in the directory build_armv5l-timesys-linux-<libc>/images/ on the command line.
    • premierwave-7_3_0_1R2.rom - Single combined image
  • u-boot.rom - Optional, only needed if you wish to update the U-Boot image.

Once you have all of the necessary components, you should perform the following steps:

  1. Connect the SERIAL 1 connector of the board to the serial port of your Windows workstation using the null modem cable. This connection will be used to transfer the boot images.
  2. Connect the USB cable to the USB Debug port (J1, near the JTAG connector) of the board to the USB host port of your workstation. This connection will be used to view the serial console.
  3. Connect the power supply to your board.

Preparing the Target

Installing u-boot

premierwave comes with u-boot preflashed. In order to flash a new u-boot image you must have the following:

  • u-boot.rom - ROM image of u-boot
  • Windows machine with DeviceInstaller (Serial Flasher) v4.3.0.2 or later

Flashing u-boot

The following steps describe how to flash the u-boot image to the premierwave using the DeviceInstaller application.

  1. Start DeviceInstaller, e.g. Start -> All Programs -> Lantronix -> DeviceInstaller
  2. Press F8, or navigate to Tools -> Recover Firmware
  3. For Port on PC, select the COM port connected to the Serial 1 port of the premierwave
  4. For Device Model, select PremierWave EN P1 Release 7.2 or Higher
  5. Check the Erase All Flash box
  6. For firmware file, select u-boot.rom
  7. Click OK to start flashing
  8. Reset or power cycle the device when prompted

Flashing the Kernel and RFS

The images available for flashing are described in the following table:

Image File Description
premierwave-7_3_0_1R2.rom combined kernel and UBIFS rom image

The following steps describe how to flash the Kernel and RFS images to the premierwave using the DeviceInstaller application.

  1. Start DeviceInstaller, e.g. Start -> All Programs -> Lantronix -> DeviceInstaller
  2. Press F8, or navigate to Tools -> Recover Firmware
  3. For Port on PC, select the COM port connected to the Serial 1 port of the premierwave
  4. For Device Model, select PremierWave EN P1 Release 7.2 or Higher
  5. UNCheck the Erase All Flash box
  6. For firmware file, select premierwave-7_3_0_1R2.rom
  7. Click OK to start flashing
  8. Reset or power cycle the device when prompted

Configuring Serial Communication

The premierwave uses a serial debug port to communicate with the host machine. The commands discussed in this section are meant to be performed by a privileged user account. This requires the root login or prepending each command with sudo.

Using Minicom

  1. Start minicom on your host machine in configuration mode. As root:

    # minicom -o -s -w

  2. A menu of configuration should appear. Use the Down-arrow key to scroll down and select the Serial port setup option, and press Enter.
  3. Verify that the listed serial port is the same one that is connected to the target board. If it is not, press A, and enter the correct device. This is /dev/ttyUSB0 on most Linux distributions.
  4. Set the Bps/Par/Bits option by pressing the letter E and using the next menu to set the appropriate values. You press the key that corresponds to the value 115200, then press Enter.
  5. Set Hardware flow control to No using the F key.
  6. Set Software flow control to No using the G key.
  7. Press Enter to return to the main configuration menu, and then press Esc to exit this menu.
  8. Reset the board, and wait for a moment. If you do not see output from the board, press Enter several times until you see the prompt. If you do not see any output from the board, and have verified that the serial terminal connection is setup correctly, contact your board vendor.

TIP: If you experience an error similar to Device /dev/ttyUSB0 is locked when starting minicom, it usually means that another process is using the serial port (which is usually another instance of minicom). You can find the process that is currently using the serial port by executing the following:

# fuser /dev/ttyUSB0
/dev/ttyUSB0:         28358

# ps 28358
  PID TTY      STAT  TIME COMMAND
  28923 pts/0    S+    0:00 minicom

This process can also be killed directly with fuser as root. Please use this command with caution:

# fuser -k /dev/ttyUSB0

Using GNU Screen

To quickly connect to a board using Gnu Screen, execute the following:

# screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

For more information about using screen, please consult the man page, or view the manual online at http://www.gnu.org/software/screen/manual/screen.html

Preparing the Host

As the Lantronix PremierWave is designed to boot from flash, no additional Linux host setup is necessary.

Booting the Board

The premierwave will automatically boot to a Linux userspace. The default login credentials are User: root Password: root.

Additional Information

Factory Documentation