Arch Linux

synthead

Member

Registered: 2006-05-09

Posts: 1,337

Compiling Arch for an Intel XScale PXA255

It's a little CE-powered MobilePro 900 with a 400 Mhz XScale PXA255 CPU.  I have already been successful enough to run a linux environment where I can compile, so I could even compile on the device and chroot to finish it off.  So ... starting from scratch, what do I need to do before I can start the device and get to a bash shell?  I figured I could start by downloading the source to the key packages for the arch base and compiling it on the handheld, but I figured there'd be lots of bumps down the road!

remur

Member

Registered: 2007-01-10

Posts: 15

Re: Compiling Arch for an Intel XScale PXA255

I don't understand why you would want arch on this device so badly as it is totally unsupported and there are way better arm distributions, like debian or, if you want to go the whole way on your own, openembedded.

tardo

Member

Registered: 2006-07-15

Posts: 526

Re: Compiling Arch for an Intel XScale PXA255

http://trac.cross-lfs.org/

I'd suggest building it on your laptop/desktop first, then transferring the binaries over. Read up on cross-compiling.

bboozzoo

Member

From: Poland

Registered: 2006-08-01

Posts: 128

Re: Compiling Arch for an Intel XScale PXA255

At work we used buildroot for building toolchain for ixp425, but it takes way more than binaries. Unless you properly configure kernel and add support for board this PDA runs there is little chance that you will get further than kernel panic

synthead

Member

Registered: 2006-05-09

Posts: 1,337

Re: Compiling Arch for an Intel XScale PXA255

I actually have a running kernel atm.  I'm using an experimental version of Jlime built exclusively for my MobilePro 900, so I have an environment I can compile within.  The reason I perfer not to use Jlime is because it is so broken.  Major symlinks point to the wrong path, updating world ends up temporarily breaking major things, half the programs I try to run makes segfaults, configure scripts say that things are missing when I just installed them, etc.

I want to start with a kind of hybrid Jlime kernel/Arch system and beat it with a wrench until I get a login screen.  I'll tinker with the kernel when the time comes.

Programsynth started on this project a little while ago and wants to make a 720degrees/Arch/Jlime two entree with fried rice deal, but of course, it's going to be available for the Jornada first.  I'm borrowing pieces of his development in places though

http://devfiles.jlime.com/Archlinux/