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twork
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Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 196
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 Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 7:26 pm Post subject: I (still) can't boot |
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Been trying off and on to get my first GentooPI machine running. Couple of months ago, I was getting as far as having the startup Gentoo system running, but I don't have a wire network available for this, so I was needing the network interface to work and couldn't figure that out; so, now, starting over, I'm not even getting that far.
With a fresh image, from:
https://distfiles.gentoo.org/releases/arm64/autobuilds/20250119T234827Z/install-arm64-minimal-20250119T234827Z.iso
...when I write that image to a stick and start the machine, it appears to not register the card at all. I see the net install series, whether I have the card inserted or not.
Maybe relevant, not sure: when I stick that card into my laptop, it doesn't register as mountable there either. fdisk does see it:
| Code: | $ fdisk -l /dev/sdb
GPT PMBR size mismatch (1207763 != 121536511) will be corrected by write.
The backup GPT table is not on the end of the device.
Disk /dev/sdb: 57.95 GiB, 62226694144 bytes, 121536512 sectors
Disk model: mSD SDDR-189
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 796281E1-6435-4DDA-AF54-D91F969862E9
Device Start End Sectors Size Type
/dev/sdb1 64 299 236 118K Microsoft basic data
/dev/sdb2 300 6059 5760 2.8M EFI System
/dev/sdb3 6060 1207699 1201640 586.7M Microsoft basic data
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...but, unlike last times, my laptop refuses to mount it.
| Code: | $ sudo mount /dev/sdb3 /mnt/gentoo/
mount: /mnt/gentoo: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sdb3, missing codepage or helper program, or other error. |
The FS type was Microsoft basic back then, too, right? mount Just Knows, not like in olden days?
My guess is that those "error" messages at the start of fdisk are the sort of thing we'd see when fdisk sees something "foreign", but maybe not?
Has something changed in the layout since the last time I tried? Or, is there a booboo on this build? Or (most likely), what have I started doing wrong that I didn't last time?
Thanks, as always. |
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pingtoo
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Joined: 10 Sep 2021
Posts: 1456
Location: Richmond Hill, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Did you follow Gentoo wiki LiveUSB to write the usb stick? |
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twork
Apprentice
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 196
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:02 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Did you follow Gentoo wiki LiveUSB to write the usb stick? |
Nope! Didn't even know that page exists; which makes me wonder why I was able to get as far as I did previously, when the stick would boot with the stock image but just didn't handle WiFi.
Anyhow, now my next dumb question: Back In The Day, fdisk had a command, something like "flag a partition as bootable". I see that command implied on the page you link, note the asterisk:
| Code: | [...]
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 1 250 2008124+ 6 FAT16 |
...but as I'm reading fdisk, I don't find that command in modern versions. What am I overlooking? Is it someplace other than fdisk these days, or am I just overlooking it here?
When I do run fdisk on the image I have, here's what it shows:
| Code: |
Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/sdb: 57.95 GiB, 62226694144 bytes, 121536512 sectors
Disk model: mSD SDDR-189
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 796281E1-6435-4DDA-AF54-D91F969862E9
Device Start End Sectors Size Type
/dev/sdb1 64 299 236 118K Microsoft basic data
/dev/sdb2 300 6059 5760 2.8M EFI System
/dev/sdb3 6060 1207699 1201640 586.7M Microsoft basic data |
So yeah, that implies that I've overlooked the flag. (Why isn't in included in the posted image...?) But I don't find a way to set it.
Clue please. Thanks. |
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pietinger
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Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Bavaria
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pingtoo
Veteran
Joined: 10 Sep 2021
Posts: 1456
Location: Richmond Hill, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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| twork wrote: | | Quote: | | Did you follow Gentoo wiki LiveUSB to write the usb stick? |
Nope! Didn't even know that page exists; which makes me wonder why I was able to get as far as I did previously, when the stick would boot with the stock image but just didn't handle WiFi.
Anyhow, now my next dumb question: Back In The Day, fdisk had a command, something like "flag a partition as bootable". I see that command implied on the page you link, note the asterisk:
| Code: | [...]
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 1 250 2008124+ 6 FAT16 |
...but as I'm reading fdisk, I don't find that command in modern versions. What am I overlooking? Is it someplace other than fdisk these days, or am I just overlooking it here?
When I do run fdisk on the image I have, here's what it shows:
| Code: |
Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/sdb: 57.95 GiB, 62226694144 bytes, 121536512 sectors
Disk model: mSD SDDR-189
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 796281E1-6435-4DDA-AF54-D91F969862E9
Device Start End Sectors Size Type
/dev/sdb1 64 299 236 118K Microsoft basic data
/dev/sdb2 300 6059 5760 2.8M EFI System
/dev/sdb3 6060 1207699 1201640 586.7M Microsoft basic data |
So yeah, that implies that I've overlooked the flag. (Why isn't in included in the posted image...?) But I don't find a way to set it.
Clue please. Thanks. |
If you just want to see the boot flag, you need to enter expert mode ('x'). And you can use 'a' to toggle it on and off. However this only work on DOS partition.
the boot flag concept is very old and I think modern day BIOS does not care for it. |
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NeddySeagoon
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Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Posts: 54776
Location: 56N 3W
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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twork,
| Quote: | | Been trying off and on to get my first GentooPI machine running. |
GentooPI?
Exactly what hardware is that?
Most Pis of whatever fruit, will not boot the arm64.iso image, as it depends on EFI and Single Board Computers don't usually support EFI.
Most SBCs won't run the gentoo-sources kernel either, as they need vendor patch sets.
_________________
Regards,
NeddySeagoon
Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail. |
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twork
Apprentice
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 196
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry, should have been less vague: Raspberry Pi 4, 64 bit. arm64 is the right format, yeah?
If... if most ARM vendors won't run Gentoo, how did I have it running a few weeks ago -- minus the WiFi? Is the WiFi part of the "vendors"?
Do the Linux distros who *can* boot on a Pi have to make some kind of contract, and Gentoo doesn't...?
Of course I overwrote that previous image of the stick, assuming I just wanted a fresh start, so I don't have that state to refer to. I know better... Anyhow I was sure that what I booted on the Pi was a Gentoo image, maybe my memory is just wrong. |
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pingtoo
Veteran
Joined: 10 Sep 2021
Posts: 1456
Location: Richmond Hill, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| twork wrote: |
Sorry, should have been less vague: Raspberry Pi 4, 64 bit. arm64 is the right format, yeah?
If... if most ARM vendors won't run Gentoo, how did I have it running a few weeks ago -- minus the WiFi? Is the WiFi part of the "vendors"?
Do the Linux distros who *can* boot on a Pi have to make some kind of contract, and Gentoo doesn't...?
Of course I overwrote that previous image of the stick, assuming I just wanted a fresh start, so I don't have that state to refer to. I know better... Anyhow I was sure that what I booted on the Pi was a Gentoo image, maybe my memory is just wrong. |
You misunderstood Neddy said. When you refer "Gentoo" you are refer to the running environment you installed on the stick. Whereas Neddy refer to ARM vendors create their own BSP (Board support package). which usually include Kernel, boot loader and application packages.
your "minus WiFi" is evidence where a general linux kernel (Gentoo's gentoo souce or gentoo dist as example) will likely not work right out of box. because missing necessary hardware driver to support the board.
Now a day, vendor supplied boot loader usually understand most kernel image format so it can load them and jump to entry point to execute. in the old day the kernel image usually have to be in very specific format and load in to specific memory location in order to start the board. |
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NeddySeagoon
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Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Posts: 54776
Location: 56N 3W
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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twork,
The Pi4 will run gentoo-sources, Everything it needs has been upstreamed. The Pi5 is work in progress.
Older Pis will never run gentoo-sources as some of the code they need in the kernel cannot be upstreamed.
None of the PIs have EFI so cannot boot the Gentoo arm64 ISO.
Once the install is done, they will all run a Gentoo userland but the kernel can be a problem.
To make life easy, start with Raspberry Pi Install Guide. This puts the Gentoo arm64 starge3 on top of the Pi Foundation kernel and firmware. You need the firmware that runs on the GPU to get started.
Once it works, you can try the gentoo-sources kernel.
_________________
Regards,
NeddySeagoon
Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail. |
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Gentoo on ARM
