Meego kexec install on N900

Native installation is based on kexec. The default Maemo kernel, however, doesn't have support for, it so it needs to be replaced first.

You can either install the "kernel-power-flasher" package from Maemo extras section System (this kernel package is NOT provided by Nokia, so use it at your own risk) or you can compile and install a fremantle kernel with the following patches, yourself.

There is currently a bug related to the DSS2 driver which causes a flood of messages to the screen on a kexec'ed 2.6.33 kernel. Otherwise, things work.

Building and installing your own kernel

• ARM: 5884/1: arm: Fix DCC console for v7
• ARM: 5885/1: arm: Flush TLB entries in setup_mm_for_reboot()
• ARM: 5886/1: arm: Fix cpu_proc_fin() for proc-v7.S and make kexec work
• ARM: 5888/1: arm: Update comments in cacheflush.h and remove unnecessary V6 and V7 comments

Instructions for compiling Maemo kernel can be found from: Maemo kernel guide

Create a symbolic link on N900, so that existing kernel modules will be used with the new kernel.

cd /lib/modules
ln -s 2.6.28-omap1 2.6.28-omap1-kexec-patched

Flash the patched kernel:

flasher -f -k zImage-kexec-patched

Installing MeeGo and tools

Install kexec-tools user space application from the Maemo-extras repository.

Install Meego image on external micro mmc card.

sudo moblin-image-writer <image-file>

Running MeeGo

Connect external micro mmc card.

Run kexec

kexec -l /boot/zImage-2.6.33 --command-line="init=/sbin/init rootwait root=/dev/mmcblk0p1 rw console=ttyS2,115200n8"
sync
kexec -e