GP2X The Linux Usbnet Driver

[MiniMoose]

I know that it is unlikely that we'll see a "legal" SDIO WiFi solution any time soon so I googled around, remembering some mention about networking over USB via linux a while back.

I found this site that talks all about ethernet over USB and all the drivers that have been written for it.

After reading the web site, the 2X would connect just like a Zaurus or Yopi and use a Linux PC as an ethernet bridge to link into the local LAN and the intertron.

Is it possible to dynamically link in modules at runtime on the 2X with the stock kernel? It seems like we could take what has already been written and fairly easily adapt it to the 2X's USB hardware. That would give us networking for multi-player play on a LAN or over the internet (how about a HHMMORPG? )

Anyway, I thought I'd bring this up to spark some discussion.

 

[Squidge]

Well, depending on what kind of source code GPH release, it could be possible.

On another note: PLX have been very co-operative, and have sent me documentation and source code for how to talk to there NetChip 2272, so we *may* be able to replace the dodgy GPH driver with our own, or just throw it onto the other cpu.

At the moment, I'm working on decent USB mass storage support (GpDrive2x ) and virtual serial port support for HH-applications. These will make development of HH apps much easier as you'll be able to send the output from your compiler directly into the 2x's ram and run it, without constantly swapping sd cards between pc and 2x. They could then be ported back to Linux.

 

[synkro]

good news, keep up the good work!

 

[mongolito404]

http://wiki.gp2x.org/wiki/Tcp/ip_over_usb

 

[MiniMoose]

Well, depending on what kind of source code GPH release, it could be possible.

On another note: PLX have been very co-operative, and have sent me documentation and source code for how to talk to there NetChip 2272, so we *may* be able to replace the dodgy GPH driver with our own, or just throw it onto the other cpu.

At the moment, I'm working on decent USB mass storage support (GpDrive2x ) and virtual serial port support for HH-applications. These will make development of HH apps much easier as you'll be able to send the output from your compiler directly into the 2x's ram and run it, without constantly swapping sd cards between pc and 2x. They could then be ported back to Linux.

​

I've been looking into the chip as well with the exact same idea in mind. Do you have any code yet?

 

[skeezix]

An emu would be cool to write, but folks can make do with SDL-on-desktop for most debugging needs. I've been SD/CF-swapping for dev for years .. all you spilt mobile-yungins'

jeff

 

[Squidge]

I've been looking into the chip as well with the exact same idea in mind. Do you have any code yet?

​

I've got Linux code from PLX, yes, and I can talk to the GP2X 2272 controller. Nothing else running yet though. Going to pick up a hardware USB monitor tomorrow (this one if your interested: http://www.totalphase.com/products/beagle/usb/ ) and start work proper.

 

[Series-8]

Would there be a chance of changing the chips firmware (does it even have firmware?), so that it acts differerntly from a usb slave?

Or is that quite impossible (which is what I thought, but who really knows?). :huh:

 

[Flexinoodle]

I'm not really clued up on the hardware but from what i have read in other posts here, The USB is slave only and is a seperate USB chipset than the one which is built into the ARM setup from Magic eyes, The GPH one is USB2 slave only but the ARM setup is capable of USB1 but with host and is not connected.

 

[Series-8]

I know that, what I was thinking is that this controler is nothing more than a microcontroler and a serial comms module for USB, and some eeprom for the firmware. Odds are that we can't write to that firmware and even if we could there needs to be some special hardware for host mode to work, (special registers and ability to send out an initial config packet).

But you never know... It just might be possible to abuse the chip into doing what is was never meant to.

 

[Sonic-NKT]

sounds very intresting, tcp over usb would be cool for multiplayer!
and Squidge is working on gpdrive2x, hehe finally good usb support for the gp2x with full 2.0 speed

 

[Squidge]

Well, I got the Beagle hardware USB monitor, need to play with it, see what GPH got wrong, then write my own driver

 

[MiniMoose]

Well, I got the Beagle hardware USB monitor, need to play with it, see what GPH got wrong, then write my own driver

​

I've written a few USB drivers for various devices so if you've got any questions, let me know.

 

[BBTroll]

Good News:
We can load modules into GPH's kernel.

I was able to load a reiserfs module

Bad News:
GPH's kerner doesn't have network support. And that can't be added as a module.

Only way to fix this is to flash your gp2x with a custom kernel.
I would love to do that, but uboot hates my current SD card.

 

[sand_man]

So the bad news isn't really all that bad then. Just a minor set back