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Building a Custom Debian Kernel for the BeagleBoard

The following steps describes building a custom Debian kernel for the BeagleBoard using cross-compiling:

• Installing required dependencies

• Install proper build environment:

    apt-get install git-core kernel-package fakeroot build-essential \
    curl libncurses-dev uboot-mkimage

• Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and add the Embedded Debian Project sources:

    #debian embedded
    debhttp://www.emdebian.org/debian/ unstable main
    debhttp://www.emdebian.org/debian/ lenny main
    debhttp://www.emdebian.org/debian/ testing main

• Now execute:

    apt-get update
    apt-get install cpp-4.3-arm-linux-gnu  g++-4.3-arm-linux-gnu gcc-4.3-arm-linux-gnu



You now have a build environment capable of compiling a kernel for the ARM platform. Next step is to acquire and compile the kernel.

• Acquiring and Compiling the Kernel

• Retrieve the GIT checkout:

    git clone git://git2.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tmlind/linux-omap-2.6.git
    cd linux-omap-2.6/
   

• Download kernel diffs and kernel config athttp://rcn-ee.homeip.net:81/dl/omap/patches/(see makefile in linux-omap-2.6 directory for your linux kernel version)

• Apply Patch   

    cd linux-omap-2.6
    patch -p1 < ../<patch-name>

• Copy Defconfig

   
    cp ../defconfig .config                                 

• Configure the kernel (requires libncurses5-dev installed)

    make menuconfig

• Build, Cross-Compiling:

    make CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnu- uImage

A few moments later, you can find your new kernel in the ‘arch/arm/boot/’ directory.

• Make modules:

    make CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnu- modules

    make CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnu- modules_install

    make CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnu- modules_install INSTALL_MOD_PATH=arch/arm/boot

•  A new kernel is compiled. Now move MLO,u-boot.bin and uImage in first partition and root filesystem in second partition to the sdcard.

Last updated 68 days ago by vinaykumar