NetBSD on ODROID-C2

20-100

You've guessed I'm trying NetBSD on all available hardware at home... 🙂
I've installed the aarch64 image on a Raspberry Pi 3 and it works fine.
Then, I've tried it on a HardKernel ODROID-C2, said to be supported, and the installation procedure is not so clear.

The aarch64 image works right away on the RPI because it seems designed for that use - the DTB are directly in the root directory of the boot partition.

Not having found clear instructions for the ODROID-C2 in the documentation, I tried to use an image from https://www.armbsd.org/, which didn't work. When looking at its content, it looks exactly the same as the image working on the RPI.

I've also tried to remove the RPI's DTB and put the ODROID-C2's in the same place, still not working as expected.

Does anyone know where could I find instructions to install NetBSD for another aarch64 evb than the RPI?

pfr

20-100 I can't help, but I'll be following this because I had thought about purchasing the C2 myself. Tossing up between that and the RP4 for obvious compatibility benefits.

oui

Images from Jared McNeill should just be plug and play. Have you tried both the NetBSD 9 and current image?

oui

@20-100 To install NetBSD for another aarch64 than the RPI by building the image yourself you'll first need to install a board-specific U-Boot and also make sure that the DTB files are in place. There is a guide for the ODROID-C1 at https://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/evbarm/odroid-c1 and I guess the process would be almost identical for the C2.

However this is what Jared already has done for us, all his images are pre-built with a board-specific U-Boot and the right DTB files - so images from https://www.armbsd.org should work out of the box. Have you tried both the NetBSD 9 and current ODROID-C2 image from Jared on different SD cards?

If you're considering a new SBC from Pine64 I would highly recommend the RockPro64. Runs like a charm on NetBSD. Although there still isn't any drivers for the GPU yet, it's in the works and Panfrost/lima drivers for the Mali GPUs will hopefully get released soon. The RK3399 CPU alone handles 1080p video playback smoothly (not fullscreen) with bearable screen tearing.

pfr I remember reading an older post from you mentioning that you maybe were considering getting the PineBook Pro or RockPro64 as a secondary NetBSD machine. Depending on your work style, I really recommend both of them. I'm using both the PBP and RockPro64 as my dailly drivers and have done so for awhile so feel free to ask me anything.

To anyone considering the RockPro64, go with the 4GB model. I thought 2GB would suffice but my memory runs out on Firefox 80 with 4-5 tabs open which is OK but leaves much to be desired..

20-100

@oui I've tested NetBSD 9.0 (the img file nested inside the ISO), current (NetBSD-9.99.72-aarch64-install.img) and the image from Jared (invisible.ca = armbsd.org). Current is very different from the others, but NetBSD 9 and Jared's images have exactly the same layout.

This is why I suspect the aarch64 image is pre-configured for the Raspberry Pi and there is something to do to use it on another EVB. But I have no clue as to what I should do and the INSTALL.* files are somewhat cryptic and don't seem to refer to the downloaded image.

@pfr I have both an RPI 3 and an ODROID-C2, I've played a lot with them under Linux. There is a huge difference between them in terms of manufacturer commitment! RPI is very active but HardKernel has never supplied a Linux kernel more recent than 3.x.

It doesn't seem so important until you want to use an USB device unfortunately unsupported in kernel 3.x. 🙁 Or until you want to use it with another distribution (only Ubuntu and Android are officially supported).

If you intend to use your EVB with NetBSD, it doesn't matter much, you already know not all the features of your system will be usable.

However, if you have some project in mind that will make use of features supported under Linux, you may want to consider manufacturer commitment.

At the time I bought my EVBs, Pine A64 was not available yet. Today, I'd consider one of their boards very seriously. 🙂

pfr

oui Yeah I have decided that I don't need another laptop (although what I need and what I want are two different things) and I've been wanting to build a SBC desktop PC. I have actually been tossing up whether or not to run NetBSD or install the Plan9 fork 9front on a RP4 because I'd love to play with that OS but you really need a dedicated mouse so it's not great on a laptop.

I saw this NODE Mini Server which looks really cool. Plus RP4 with 8GB of ram is enticing when I'll probably be using it to surf Firefox and watch youtube videos etc..

oui

oui To anyone considering the RockPro64, go with the 4GB model. I thought 2GB would suffice but my memory runs out on Firefox 80 with 4-5 tabs open which is OK but leaves much to be desired..

UPDATE: I take those words back, (not that I don't recommend the 4GB model BUT) 2GB is more than enough for everyday desktop use. Turns out that properly configuring firefox for low ram devices by changing content processes from the default 8 to just 1 enables me to have around 8-9 tabs open before memory runs out. More than enough for me. 🎉

oui

pfr I see, the RPI4 would be a good choice as well. Though unsure about support on NetBSD - seems like full support is still a work in progress. Plan9 is indeed interesting, have never tried 9front but I used to run Plan9Port on top of NetBSD. I really wanted to love acme, it's a beautiful and well designed piece of software. However I just couldn't get it to fit my workflow which is unfortunate.

20-100

8GB RAM sounds appealing but the RP4 has only SD Card support, which is a limiting factor.
The ODROID C2 has an eMMC connector.
The ROCKPro64 too, plus it has a PCIe slot! 🙂

pfr

20-100 Yeah.. tbh I'm kind of waiting for an ODROID or RockPro64 to come out with 8gb ram.

oui Why not both? The good thing about SBC's is they don't take up much space so could have two sitting on the desk, just need to unplug one and plug in the other.. 😁

20-100

@oui which accessories (e.g. case, heat sink/fan) would you recommend to use the ROCKPro64 as a desktop?

oui

20-100 I use the Pine64 Acrylic Open Enclosure case with the 20mm heat sink. I wasn't a big fan of the Pine64 logo on top which ruins the transparent case IMO and wanted to be able to easily take out my ROCKPro64 from the case, so I have flipped it upside down - this makes it possible to fit the 30mm heat sink as you can see below in the picture that there's enough space for 10 more mm. Also let me know how it goes with installing NetBSD on the ODROID-C2.

20-100

I've tested again NetBSD 9 and current images from Jared McNeill and none worked.
As I was wondering whether the hardware was still working, I've tried the official Ubuntu image and it worked.
That's not a problem for me, it works on the Pi 3, it's enough for me to play with for now. 🙂

oui

20-100 There's a possibility that the recent images for ODROID-C2 is wrongly configured. Your best bet would be to reach out to Jared and check with him regarding this.

20-100

I've got in touch with Jared and I'll investigate the ODROID C2 boot issue further when I'll have a USB to serial adapter.
What is clear already, though, is that NetBSD supports only a few features of the ODROID C2 (e.g. no video).
I've also had a look at the ODROID N2+ (same product range as the ROCKPro64) and HardKernel seems to stay faithful to its tradition of poor product support. :/
So @pfr, you'd definitely be better off forgetting about ODROIDs and going for the ROCKPro64, that's where the momentum is.

byteporter

For anyone wanting a very small PC who isn't specifically wanting an ARM processor, I've really had a lot of fun with my Dell/Wyse 5020 Thin Clients. I got a few of them at $15 each from a vendor who had a whole bunch of used ones and was selling them without any accessories (even the power adapter) but there's someone with a bunch of NiB with selling them on eBay for $35 right now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Wyse-5020-DX0Q-Thin-Client-1-5GHz-4GB-RAM-16GB-Flash-Keyboard-Mouse-KTHYJ/174279520950?hash=item2893de72b6:g:hdwAAOSwMiFeuVwq

It's not an ARM CPU, but it is a 15W AMD SoC (think like a Cherry Trail Atom but AMD) and is fanless, has 2 SATA connectors, Mini PCIe (that seems not restricted to specific PCI devices, I hooked a Radeon HD 7970 up to mine for kicks through an adapter and it works just fine), USB3, DVI and DisplayPort output, Gigabit Ethernet and 2 slots for RAM, of which one comes populated with 4GB and the SoC actually supports ECC memory as well but haven't tested it myself. It works very well with Linux and I'm new to NetBSD but 9.1 installed with zero issues and works except for the GPU. The GPU works in 9.99-77 though so I'd imagine it will work in stable relatively soon.

They are a good bit bigger than a Pi but still not big and are easily VESA mounted. 190mm X 170mm X 35mm. The boxed ones should also come with the little plastic mount that lets you set it up vertically as well. I think it's a fantastic bargain if you're looking for a quiet power sipping server and not specifically at learning about the ARM platform 🙂

oui

byteporter Thanks for the recommendation! Didn't know about the Dell Wyse series, thought that the Optiplex Micro series was the only small form factor desktop PC from Dell. Will definitely add this to my wishlist. 👍