STAR9104: Linux Kernel 2.6.29 and Starting FreeBSD port

I’ve finally updated my patch to 2.6.29, the patch can be downloaded from:
http://tinyhack.com/agestar/patch-2.6.29-star.gz

and the config file:

http://tinyhack.com/agestar/config-2.6.29-star

or if you want the image that i already compiled and test (image is compiled with 32 MB memory). This is NOT a FIRMWARE

http://tinyhack.com/agestar/zImage-2.6.29

when i have the time, i will work on creating a new firmware image.

Some changes:

  • The machine ID is now registered in http://www.arm.linux.org.uk/developer/machines/
  • The network problem instability has now been fixed
  • Added new configuration option to select memory size based on your board memory (16, 32, or 64 mb). Note: selecting values larger than the supported size will cause crash.

The other news is that Bruce M Simpson has donated me an Emprex NSD 100 for porting FreeBSD to it. I have started my work, but the progress will be slower from the Linux at the beginning, because:

  1. I am more familiar with Linux kernel compared to FreeBSD kernel
  2. Currently FreeBSD kernel itself doesn’t support many ARM devices yet, so to find an exmple of something I need to look at NetBSD, (and it helps, for example the Faraday 526 processor support is already in NetBSD).
  3. I am rather busy this and coming month (planning to go to Indonesia for about 10 days)

19 thoughts on “STAR9104: Linux Kernel 2.6.29 and Starting FreeBSD port”

  1. Nice work! Could you give me a few hints how to create a working firmware image? Can’t be that hard I think…

    Simply flashing the zImage to mtd1 will not work, I think …

  2. The problem is that they changed the firmware checking, so that people can not flash from the web based interface anymore without correct checksum.

    And yes, you can just flash zImage to /dev/mtdblock1

    dd if=/dev/zImage of=/dev/mtdblock1

    and reboot.

    And of course you must prepare your debian installation first, or else it wont be useful at all.

  3. I am already working with your older Debian Image / would it be enough to simply upgrade all debian packages before flashing the new kernel?

  4. @Manuel:

    You don’t need to update the Debian packages if you just want to use the new kernel. The packages and the kernel are mostly unrelated. You can update Debian packages without upgrading the kernel or update the kernel without updating Debian packages.

    Anyway, if you don’t have any problem with the previous kernel version, then you don’t need to upgrade.

  5. The new kernel works really fine !!! Did a dist-upgrade after flashing the new kernel. Everything works nice, only thing I mentioned were a missing modules.dep for the new kernel, but everything seems to work….

    Thank you again, this little NAS-device is getting really useful 🙂

    Manuel

  6. Hi
    Thanks to you Yohanes again 🙂
    Now I’m using new kernel 2.6.29.
    God bless your hands .
    I wish you success for new works.
    Best Regards.
    Micro

  7. Hi Yohanes,

    Your updated Image with the network patch is god sent.
    Finally this cheap NAS isn’t feeling cheap anymore!!
    Thanks for your great work!

    Raven

  8. hi
    micro, do you have truble with original firmware (samba slow and freezing)?
    i have some truble, and think flash debian on my nas…

  9. I recently got as a present an unbranded device that, from the outside, looks like an Agestar NCB3AS. Also its model number on the manual is NCB3AS.
    Its firmware version is V04R09, do you think your custom-made firmware could be working on it?
    In the past I had successfully reflashed a couple of routers with dd-wrt firmware, but I don’t own nor I know how to use a serial cable.

    Kudos for your commitment to FLOSS, thank you very much for your efforts!!

  10. Hi would it be possible for you to post the zImage-2.6.29 with the 64Mb memory, As I have the Emprex NSD-100. I have tried to get the cross-compiler working on my Ubuntu laptop but seem to be having problems.

    Thanks for all the efforts!

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