[OLPC-devel] Re: Probably the easiest way to get LinuxBIOS flashed...

[Mitch Bradley]

Jim Gettys wrote:
> If we have an image of the OLPC fedora distribution people can dd onto a
> flash key or disk, that *also* includes both the BIOS reflash utility
> and the LinuxBIOS image itself, we can make the installation pretty
> painless.
>
> Then we can just boot that image, and run the flash update utility to do
> the conv ersion of the SPI flash from Insyde to LinuxBIOS.
>
> If you then add your ability to get the OLPC image onto the internal
> flash on top of that, installation will be very slick indeed.
>
> Richard Smith will be improving the SPI flashing utility, and we'll have
> to bless a linuxBIOS image (and make sure we have the sources
> corresponding to it together, to keep the FSF happy), and we'll set.  I
> hope that will happen in the next day or two.
>
> So the install/update directions end up being:
>
> 1) download this OLPC fedora image.
> 2) md5 and check the checksum of that file.
> 3) dd onto disk or flash key.
> 4) make partition bootable. 
>       (this can be "interesting" on flash keys, as I remember...).
>   
If you dd the image onto the whole flash device, the partition map will 
be part of the image, so the bootable bit will go along for the ride.
> 5) boot the disk or flash key.
> 6) run the SPI flash update utility
> 7) power cycle the machine 
>
> Then we can continue into the "install onto internal NAND flash" part of
> the process.
>
> Does this seem like a reasonable plan?
>                                 - Jim
>
>