Installing DEBIAN on a ZAURUS - 3100 / 3200 ?


patrick295767

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Jan 10, 2013
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Hello,

Most of you also know the Zaurus collections, with the 3100 and 3200. 

I would like to install DEBIAN on it, and would like to find a very n00b - related howto. Ideally the simple steps backup the Flash rom

first, before installing Debian. 

I have tried several howto but havent managed yet. I had a problem to backup the rom on the SD card. Actually I used a 4gb, and 

visibly the zaurus is limited to 1gb

Enjoy tuxing - regards
 
IIRC, the 3200 I have can read a 2gb card... just not the high capacity cards. (SDHC/SDXC)
 
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You might be able to find some information here:

http://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?act=idx

they are many methods... I am really lost with all those. 

Anyone already did it?

I need to backup first the zaurus rom, and then 

the   pdaxrom

In my opinion, it is much more complicated than installing debian on pandora

furthermore here http://www.users.on.net/~hluc/myZaurus/custom-pdaxrom.html

 he does not indicate how to boot, and explicitely which sequences of keys to boot it 

in order to backup the rom

methods are not the same all the time on wikis
 
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2. Flashing The Multiboot Kernel

The OpenEmbedded guys came up with kexecboot some time ago, a small kernel image used as multiboot menu. It is capable of booting all sorts of distro's. For instance, buy yourself a 4Gb SD card, split it up in, let's say 4 equally sized partitions, and install whatever you like on each partition, whether it be the original Sharp ROM, pdaXrom, Cacko, Angstrom, Debian or OpenBSD. Just make sure you install Zubuntu of course. A simple reboot lets you choose which distro to start. Because the multiboot kernel is very small, this also works for the older devices with less flash memory. Great stuff!


So hopefully this is one of the last times you needed to flash your Zaurus. From now on, if you want to try some distro, simply extract the filesystem on a CF or SD memory card. Multiple partitions are supported, and multiple filesystems (gzip, cramfs, romfs, xfs, minix, ext3, ext2, reiserfs, jfs). Simply create a /boot directory in the root of the filesystem. Rename the the kernel image to zImage and copy it into the /boot directory. Create a file named kernel-cmdline containing the kernel startup command line and optionally add a file named image.nfo containing a description of the distro, all in the /boot directory. After rebooting the device your new distro will show up in the boot menu automatically.


Installation of the multiboot kernel on the Zaurus is done in the usual way:


1. Download the kernel for your device from one of the options below, and put the kernel together with the generic updater.sh onto a FAT formatted SD memory card. You can check the integrity of the downloaded files with the md5sum <filename> command. The checksum should match the hash value on the right. Make sure there isn't floating an initrd.bin file around on the SD card!

2. Remove battery and power adapter cable


3. Wait for 5 seconds


4. Replace battery, close and lock battery cover


5. Attach power adapter cable


6. Keep OK button pressed while pressing on/off switch


7. From the Japanese menu, choose option 4 (Update), then 2 (SD) and finally Y


Flashing starts, and the kernel is flashed. After flashing is complete, the machine is rebooted.


Now make sure you exchange the FAT formatted SD for the ext2/ext3 formatted SD with the Zubuntu filesystem. If you weren't quick enough, don't despair, do the exchange and reboot again. 


If you've done everything right, the bootmenu is displayed like below (with one option to start with).

 
 

GOT IT ! A FIRST LINUX RUNING ON SL-3200!!

Hi Got a LINUX working // a first testing before a debroot, 

Zaurus 3100 runs some regular linux, but still few issues. 

How to get a Debian quikc and unsecured: 

1) get your 3200 sl

2) get a usb card reader

put your sd 1gb

cfdisk /dev/sdb

   // create a new vfat

mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1
copy the multiboot loader from the site above...

md5sum *

fffe2c1be05f55b53897f8423dfa5d66  updater.sh

7bf1d0f9c119892cb4cfd4526a880f5e  zImage.bin

 

umount /media/pendrive 

then put this sd into sl-3200: then

2. Remove battery and power adapter cable


3. Wait for 5 seconds


4. Replace battery, close and lock battery cover


5. Attach power adapter cable


6. Keep OK button pressed while pressing on/off switch


7. From the Japanese menu, choose option 4 (Update), then 2 (SD) and finally Y

it will flash it 

(black screen and reboot)

and then put anohter sd with for instance: 

http://www.zaurus.org.uk/ubuntu/download/zubuntu-minimal-rootfs.tar.gz

and read more http://www.zaurus.org.uk/ubuntu/download/zImage-versatile-2.6.24-rc7.armv5tel

http://www.omegamoon.com/blog/static.php?page=ZaurusUbuntu704


I have tried this kernel, and white frozen screen hanging: 

This is not working.

  md5sum zImage-versatile-2.6.24-rc7.armv5tel 

0b0504d7b3358ea25e981b5da22dea03  zImage-versatile-2.6.24-rc7.armv5tel

however:


In emergency, this kernel might work: 

/boot/zImage

http://turbobit.net/ffvab1ra9fdv.html

http://www.oesf.org/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t25190.html

could i have at least one kernel?

----- 

my questions: 

lsusb does not see any usb added to the zaurus ? shall it?  lsusb tells nothing

lsusb --help works

I slot in my pcmcia card, and ifconfig does not tell that it sees it

ifconfig --all does not show it

...

what about the hardware support?

to be cont

---

Anyone having a up-to-date kernel for the zaurus and debian?

"* Automatic rotation not working"

what s the best way to rotate it?
 
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Been awhile since last post, but I thought I'd join in for fun.....

Recently, got a 3100 with the great HMC's weeXpc on it.....runs well....

And then a 3200 that I installed OpenBSD on it yesterday and it runs well too.....the nice thing with OpenBSD is that the Zaurus is still supported!....installed a snapshot of the latest version 5.5...and today I built my first package using ports....make and installed on the 3200.

So, there's still life in the old Zaurus yet......

Like the Pandora, but there's something about the design and quality of the Zaurus that I still find compelling.....of course wish that Sharp would release a 3300 with built-in wifi and a bit larger display, but that isn't going to happen, so, will enjoy the 3200 and learning more about OpenBSD.....

Just thought I'd share....

:)
 
Got a tutorial for putting openbsd on a 3200? Would be neat to fire it up again.
Check this out for starters.....

http://openbsd.org/zaurus.html

and this page....scroll down to section on installing....

http://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/snapshots/zaurus/INSTALL.zaurus

You can start process by installing Cacko lite, as described on this webpage....it saves room in storage space as it's only used as bootloader once OpenBSD is installed....

http://www.planetofidiots.com/zaurus/

Then after making sure that your CF ethernet card works ( I use a Socket 10/100...), I followed install instructions per the INSTALL.zaurus ones in link above....

Was actually easy to install......and worked....

Now, thing is to make packages, as the OpenBSD install is pretty basic, just get a few apps to start with, main thing is xterm...

In process now of making other packages....

Hope this is clear.....it's simpler than it sounds....
 
lsusb does not see any usb added to the zaurus ? shall it?  lsusb tells nothing
I think you must use a host cable and connect some external USB device.If you connect it to some PC, the OTG port is in client mode and not listed in lsusb.

If you don't see anything, OTG support may be broken/missing/not configured/not automatically enabled.
 
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