Multiboot option

Just about everything about Red Pitaya
Post Reply
Xerox
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:41 pm

Multiboot option

Post by Xerox » Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:23 pm

Is it possible to have multiple OS images (i.e. Pavel Demin's ones and RedPitaya standard) on the same MicroSD to be chosen at boot in order to avoid MicroSD replacement at each application change ?
Can RedPitaya use other boot devices i.e. a mass storage connected to SATA or USB port ?

On RedPitaya, is the MicroSD intended as the system "HDD" (like Raspberry ) or is the OS transferred to a faster flash memory once booted ?

User avatar
redpitaya
Site Admin
Posts: 881
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:04 pm

Re: Multiboot option

Post by redpitaya » Wed Mar 22, 2023 2:59 pm

""would it be possible to have multiple OS images (i.e. Pavel Demin's ones and RedPitaya standard) on the same MicroSD to be chosen at boot in order to avoid MicroSD replacement at each application change ?""
- we estimate that it should be possible to merge functionalities, but it would require considerable effort

""Can RedPitaya use other boot devices i.e. a mass storage connected to SATA or USB port ?""

- On the board, there is no SATA connection, there are just SATA connectors that we use for the daisy chaining configuration that we call X-Ch system; you can boot from QSPI, if it is populated, or from the server, I think it should also be possible to boot Zynq from USB but we have never tried it on Red Pitaya thus we still need to investigate what limitations are there. We recommend looking into Xilinx documentation

""On RedPitaya, is the MicroSD intended as the system "HDD" (like Raspberry ) or is the OS transferred to a faster flash memory once booted ? ""
- we do use DDR but we are not 100% sure what Linux does under the hood...

Xerox
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:41 pm

Re: Multiboot option

Post by Xerox » Thu Mar 23, 2023 11:39 am

Thanks for reply,

Main issue is about MicroSD exchange, think at a system where SD has to be replace frequently to allow different images to be loaded, the annoying sd swap is a minor issue, the sd slot damage is the major...
As board has to be restarted (or powered on) I was thinking about a MicroSD male extender flat cable terminated with a multiplexed (multiplexer IC, microrelay IC ?) pair of MicroSd female receptacles.
As in my project RedPitaya has to be boxed with extension of four SMA connectors to four female N connectors to front panel, on-off switch, USB port, SD receptacle plus A/B switch would be on the front panel too....
I don't know if a paralleled bus MicroSD with CS pin selection enablet to single SD per time would work.
Any other suggestion ?

pavel
Posts: 789
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:22 pm

Re: Multiboot option

Post by pavel » Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:07 pm

Xerox wrote:
Thu Mar 23, 2023 11:39 am
Any other suggestion ?
I can think of several multiboot configurations:
  • manually select the system to boot from the U-Boot command line
  • use FSBL to read some GPIO pins or I2C devices and modify an environment variable that U-Boot will use to select the system to boot
  • use a U-Boot script and a configuration file to select the system to boot
  • use U-Boot to run GRUB, then configure GRUB for multibooting
  • use PXE to boot via network, then select the system to boot by editing files on the TFTP server
However, I would just combine all the required applications on the same system without any multiboot. This is what I do with my SD card image.

At one point I tried to use the application marketplace provided by Red Pitaya to install my applications on the SD card images provided by Red Pitaya. Unfortunately, both the application marketplace and SD card images are regularly broken and poorly maintained. So I had to stop using them and use my own SD card image.

Xerox
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:41 pm

Re: Multiboot option

Post by Xerox » Thu Mar 23, 2023 2:46 pm

Well...
Combining RedPitaya applications in your SD (or vice-versa) would solve the problem.
But are they compatible ? Aren't two SD based on different kind of linux OS ?
I understood your various suggestions but I haven't the skill to do it :(

pavel
Posts: 789
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:22 pm

Re: Multiboot option

Post by pavel » Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:34 pm

There are a few of my applications (MCPHA, wideband SDR receivers) that won't work with the SD card image provided by Red Pitaya because they require a custom Linux module. Most other applications should work. You will need to recompile the C code and change the start.sh scripts.

Xerox
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:41 pm

Re: Multiboot option

Post by Xerox » Thu Mar 23, 2023 6:32 pm

You will need to recompile the C code
Too difficult :(

I mosltly use your "SDR transceiver compatible with HPSDR" for the 122.8-16 board
Is this compatible with RedPitaya SD image ?

Or put the RedPitaya Oscilloscope/Generator into your image would be great...

Post Reply
jadalnie klasyczne ekskluzywne meble wypoczynkowe do salonu ekskluzywne meble tapicerowane ekskluzywne meble do sypialni ekskluzywne meble włoskie

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: pavel and 23 guests