If you are using the installer do the following:
change the following sheevaplug-installer-v1.0/uboot/uboot-env/uboot-nand-custom.txt
1)
from: mtdpartitions mtdparts=orion_nand:0x400000@0x100000(uImage),0x1fb00000@0x500000(rootfs)
to:    mtdpartitions mtdparts=orion_nand:0x400000@0x200000(uImage),0x1fb00000@0x600000(rootfs)
2)
from: recover3 run recover4; nand erase clean 0x00100000 0x00400000; nand write.e 0x00800000 0x00100000 0x00400000
to:    recover3 run recover4; nand erase clean 0x00200000 0x00400000; nand write.e 0x00800000 0x00200000 0x00400000
3)
from: real_bootcmd setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(mtdpartitions) $(bootargs_root); nand read.e 0x00800000 0x00100000 0x00400000; bootm 0x00800000
to:    real_bootcmd setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(mtdpartitions) $(bootargs_root); nand read.e 0x00800000 0x00200000 0x00400000; bootm 0x00800000

These changes should skip the first mega of nand flash nd burn the uImage in offset 2MB and also burn the correct uboot parameters for uboot to boot from.

If you are using the installer do the following:
change the following sheevaplug-installer-v1.0/uboot/uboot-env/uboot-nand-custom.txt
1)
from: mtdpartitions mtdparts=orion_nand:0x400000@0x100000(uImage),0x1fb00000@0x500000(rootfs)
to:    mtdpartitions mtdparts=orion_nand:0x400000@0x200000(uImage),0x1fb00000@0x600000(rootfs)
2)
from: recover3 run recover4; nand erase clean 0x00100000 0x00400000; nand write.e 0x00800000 0x00100000 0x00400000
to:    recover3 run recover4; nand erase clean 0x00200000 0x00400000; nand write.e 0x00800000 0x00200000 0x00400000
3)
from: real_bootcmd setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(mtdpartitions) $(bootargs_root); nand read.e 0x00800000 0x00100000 0x00400000; bootm 0x00800000
to:    real_bootcmd setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(mtdpartitions) $(bootargs_root); nand read.e 0x00800000 0x00200000 0x00400000; bootm 0x00800000

These changes should skip the first mega of nand flash nd burn the uImage in offset 2MB and also burn the correct uboot parameters for uboot to boot from.

I am having real problems getting the installer to install,  I get as far as the error messgae below, and just can't seem to get past it. I have spent hours searching the forums and trying everything. I have tried many different orders of connecting, changed the cfg file as suggested etc.

Any help would be appreciated.


C:\TEMP\sheevaplug-installer-v1.0>runme.exe nand | mmc
CRC read error on uboot-env.bin: No error
Open On-Chip Debugger 0.2.0 (2009-07-27-16:41) Release
$URL: http://svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/openocd/tags/openocd-0.2.0/src/openocd
.c $
For bug reports, read http://svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/openocd/trunk/BUGS
2000 kHz
jtag_nsrst_delay: 200
jtag_ntrst_delay: 200
dcc downloads are enabled
Error: unable to open ftdi device: device not found
Runtime error, file "command.c", line 469:

This is a bad block within your NAND flash which is in the plug.
The kernel image is being read from 0x100000 to 0x500000 and it looks like uboot found a bad block there.

You can change the uImage burn address to work around this.

OK, I've been rather busy lately (changed jobs, went once halfway around the world due to it, after which I was told to have some mandatory holidays...) In the mean time, my two SheevaPlugs have churned on happily, one as a shorewall-based firewall, another as a rtorrent node. Flawless operation 24/7, even though I have been gone 80% of the time.

Together with my EPIA always-on NFS server, this package has proved to be a robust one - even when the UPS runs out of juice here in my neck of woods and I am out of town, everything boots up perfectly after the power returns.  Logging in, only uptime shows that something happened.

Huge improvement over my earlier EPIA+SLUG-based universe.

Also, during my travels, the two new SheevaPlugs that I ordered have finally arrived. Now is their turn to get something useful running on them...

I took a look at the distro discussion, but it turned out rather inconclusive: cbxbiker61 continues to push out new releases, somebody mentioned SDHC-based Gentoo, and some ran USB-stick-based Debian. There was also a mention that Ubuntu 9.10 probably would not support the HW any more.

In my opinion, the most useful setup is as follows:

Some distro, any distro, with enough stuff installed to run IP tables, (preferably HW) IPsec, (HW) dm-crypt, USB-Ethernet devices, HIDs, etc. I'm extremely grateful for dxbiker61 for the earlier help on this front.

Boot from SD card: this makes it really easy to back up and clone systems, and leaves USB for more useful uses.

Some perceived OS continuity in the future for the underlying HW, so that there is no need to go back to square one every few months.

I understand that for Marvell, SheevaPlug is just a development platform and they do not probably see much value in either SD or USB boots, but for the rest of us, this device is THE device... At least for the time being 

But they need to provide an OS anyway, and the comments on 9.10 were kind of alarming here.

Also the fact that most upgrades seem to come from outside of manufacturer's realm is a bit worrisome.

On the other hand, based on the extremely long delivery times, Sheevas seem to sell well.

So in this light, who thinks he has the best solution for a SD-bootable distro, with enough bells and whistles to go and HOWTOs around?