• From: Melbourne, Australia
  • Registered: 2009-11-23
  • Posts: 13

Topic: Viewing boot messages

In my quest to get my Chumby (Classic) to boot directly into Debian, I'd really like to be able to see the kernel boot messages as the kernel is starting up.

It would seem to me there are two options:
a) view the boot messages via the serial port
b) get the boot messages displayed on the screen

I've purchased a USB to TTL serial adapter, only to discover that it is not clear to me how to get access to the TTL headers without destroying the Chumby's lovely casing.

If someone can explain how to:
i) get access to the TTL headers without destroying my Chumb's case, or
ii) get the boot messages to display on the framebuffer
that would be wonderful.

I've done the 'obvious' things to get ii) working (ie, recompiled the kernel with built in framebuffer support etc), but so far without success.

Cheers,

Rasjid.

2 Reply by hastingsgwen (edited by hastingsgwen 2010-09-14 06:35:26)

  • Registered: 2008-05-06
  • Posts: 31

Re: Viewing boot messages

hmm my suggestion would be to simply take the mototool to the chumby's casing if necessary to mill out space to install the header and cable cleanly, I will be taking a razor knife to the chumby skins to free  the electronics for mounting in the computer cabinent all of this hardware goes into.


      depends on your level of confidence in hardware mods

       gwen
ps is the framebuffer driver alive sufficiently at that part of the boot sequence? that is to try to obtain the boot messages via frame buffer.

  • Registered: 2008-06-27
  • Posts: 518

Re: Viewing boot messages

There was a patch that someone made for Open Embedded was never brought in to mainline to fix the framebuffer:

http://cgit.openembedded.org/cgit.cgi/o … ging.patch

I think changing the mode causes the screen to do funny things.  You might want to try applying that patch if you want to get the framebuffer working.

There was a separate patch made that disables the Linux cmdline tag, which the bootloader passes to the kernel.  That will allow you to come up with your own custom cmdline without needing to flash your own bootloader.

http://cgit.openembedded.org/cgit.cgi/o … line.patch