Soekris NET4801
---------------
by Davidm McCullough <davidm@snapgear.com>


1. Compiler Tool Chain

   Before you can compile the Linux kernel, libraries and applications to
   generate a Soekris/NET4801 image you must install an appropriate compiler
   tool chain.  You should use the i386-linux tool chain that accompanies
   this source distribution (the i386-linux-XXXXXXXX.tar.gz package). To
   install this toolchain do:

   1. login as root
   2. cd /
   3. tar xvzf i386-linux-XXXXXXXX.tar.gz

   This package contains binaries of the following tools:

        binutils-2.14
        gcc-3.2.3
        glibc-2.2.5

2. Building the Source

   Follow these simple steps to compile Compact Flash images ready to load
   and run on the Soekris net4801 board:

   1.  tar xvzf uClinux-dist-XXXXXXXX.tar.gz
   2.  cd uClinux-dist
   3.  make xconfig

       . Choose the "Vendor/Product Selection" menu item
       . Select Soekris as the "Vendor"
       . Scroll down to the "Soekris Products" and select net4801
       . scroll to the bottom and select "Main Menu".
       . Choose the "Kernel/Library/Defaults Selection" menu item
       . Select "linux-2.4.x" as the kernel
       . Select "glibc" or "uClibc" as the library
       . scroll to the bottom and select "Main Menu".
       . Select "Save and Exit" this configuration

   4.  make dep
   5.  make

       . The make process will ask for the root password when required to
         build the images.  You will need ext3 and romfs support in your
         kernel as well as loopback device support.

   The make process will build everything,  kernel, libraries and
   applications and package it ready to copy onto a Compact Flash.

   Currently only 64MiB and 128MiB images are generated,  but adding more
   images is simply a matter of editing the vendors/Soekris/net4801/Makefile
   and adding the image names and parameters. Search for "extimage-64MB"
   to find the appropriate parts.

3. Making a bootable Compact Flash

   This is relatively simple if you have a Compact Flash reader/writer on
   your linux box.  Just uncompress and "dd" the image onto the copact
   flash.  Depending on your setup something like this should work:

       gunzip < images/net4801-CF-64MB.img.gz | dd of=/dev/sda bs=1024k

   Then insert the Compact Flash into the board and power it up.  The
   console should appear at 19200.  The password for "root"
   is "default".

4. Customizing the Build

   Using "make xconfig" in uClinux-dist you can customize the kernel and
   application configurations. There is a large selection of packages in
   the application configuration.

   Consult the README file at the top level of uClinux-dist for some more
   information about configuration and building.

5. Network Upgrades

   You can upgrade the image in the Soekris over the network by running the
   command:

        netflash -i <ip-of-tftp-server> net4801-CF-XXXMB.img.gz

   Which is much faster than using "dd" to the Compact Flash.

