TUTORIAL: Install OpenBSD 6.9 on a PINE64 ROCK64 media board

Required hardware

• PINE64 ROCK64 media board (In this tutorial I use version 2.0 of the board)
• PC with a Linux distribution or OpenBSD

NOTE

In this tutorial I use the Linux distribution openSUSE Leap 15.2. The additional BASH scripts (if you use them) for downloading the toolchains (GCC for AArch64), build ARM-Trusted-Firmware and U-Boot use default Linux commands. There are also some required software which is needed for a successfull build of U-Boot.

• USB-UART-TTL converter

ATTENTION

Use 3.3V logic level only, to avoid damages of the board

• microSD card

Required software

• GIT
• UART Terminal (in this tutorial I use minicom)
• GCC for the host system (required for U-Boot)
• GCC cross compiler for ARM64 (AArch64)
  Download: Toolchains from ARM

NOTE

In this tutorial I use GCC for AArch64 ELF bare-metal targets (aarch64-none-elf). If you use OpenBSD as your hostsystem you can use GCC for AArch64 from the ports.

On OpenBSD:

$ cd /usr/ports/devel/arm-none-eabi
$ doas make install

The port is called arm-none-eabi, but you if you build and install the port, the required aarch64-none-elf-gcc will also be installed.

• Device Tree Compiler (required to build U-Boot)

On OpenBSD:

$ cd /usr/ports/devel/dtc
$ doas make install

On openSUSE:

$ sudo zypper install dtc

On Ubuntu:

$ sudo apt-get install device-tree-compiler

• SWIG (required to build U-Boot)

On OpenBSD:

$ cd /usr/ports/devel/swig
$ doas make install

On openSUSE:

$ sudo zypper install swig

On Ubuntu:

$ sudo apt-get install swig

• Image miniroot69.img for ARM64 from the offical OpenBSD FTP mirrors
  Download: Mirror Fastly (CDN)
• U-Boot script for enabling one of the USB ports
  Download

NOTE
You need GNU Make for a successfull build of the ARM-Trusted-Firmware and U-Boot, if you use OpenBSD as your hostsystem.

On OpenBSD:

$ doas pkg_add gmake

To build ARM-Trusted-Firmware and U-Boot use the command gmake instead of make in this tutorial, after you installed the package (GNU Make) on OpenBSD.

Step 0 - Preamble

You can skip step 1 and step 2, if you want to use my build scripts (initial version) for downloading the required toolchains, build ATF, build U-Boot and generate my U-Boot script for enabling the USB-port, or you can use my prebuilt binaries. If you choose these both ways you can begin at step 3.

Rock64 (U-Boot v2021.04)

To build U-Boot with my scripts:

$ git clone https://github.com/krjdev/rock64_openbsd.git
$ cd rock64_openbsd
$ sh build.sh

The required file(s) for this tutorial are placed in the root directory of the repository. The following files should be successfully created:

• bl31.elf

This file is the ARM-Trusted-Firmware. It is embedded in the U-Boot binaries. No longer required for this tutorial.

• boot.scr

This file ist the U-Boot script binary for enabling one of the USB ports. It's an inital release. Might change on further releases of this tutorial. The reason is, OpenBSD currently doesn't power-on the USB-ports. This script is a workaround as soon as the OpenBSD developers fix this issue.

• idbloader.img

This is the second stage bootloader. The first stage bootloader is proprietary and resides in the embedded Flash in the used SoC (Rockchip RK3328).

• rk3328-rock64.dtb

The Device-Tree-Blob. It's the binary version of one or more Device-Tree sources. This file contains information, like embedded interfaces, about the SoC.

• u-boot.itb

This is the third stage bootloader. U-Boot itself.

Step 1 - Build ATF (ARM Trusted Firmware)

• Checkout ATF sources

$ git clone https://github.com/ARM-software/arm-trusted-firmware.git
$ cd arm-trusted-firmware

• Build ATF (BL31)

$ git checkout v2.4
$ make distclean
$ make CROSS_COMPILE=/path/to/gcc/bin/aarch64-none-elf- PLAT=rk3328

• Export ATF for U-Boot

$ export BL31=/path/to/arm-trusted-firmware/build/rk3328/release/bl31/bl31.elf

NOTE
The previous steps (build ATF) are required to successfully boot OpenBSD. Without these steps, U-Boot will boot but cannot load OpenBSD.

Step 2 - Build U-Boot

• Checkout U-Boot sources

$ git clone https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot.git
$ cd u-boot

• Build U-Boot

$ git checkout v2021.04
$ make mrproper
$ make rock64-rk3328_defconfig
$ make CROSS_COMPILE=/path/to/gcc/bin/aarch64-none-elf-

• Compile U-Boot boot script (required for step 7)

$ ./tools/mkimage -A arm64 -a 0 -e 0 -T script -C none -n "Enable one USB-port" -d /path/to/u-boot_usb.script boot.scr

Step 3 - Install miniroot69.img on microSD card

• Put the microSD card in your PC
• Open the terminal on your PC
• Copy miniroot69.img to microSD

$ sudo dd if=/path/to/miniroot69.img of=/dev/sdx bs=1M

Step 4 - Place idbloader.img and u-boot.itb on microSD card

• Place idbloader.img on microSD card

$ sudo dd if=/path/to/idbloader.img of=/dev/sdx bs=512 seek=64 conv=sync

• Place u-boot.itb on microSD card

$ sudo dd if=/path/to/u-boot.itb of=/dev/sdx bs=512 seek=16384 conv=sync

Step 5 - Install OpenBSD

• Put microSD card in the ROCK64
• Start minicom with the baud rate 1500000

minicom -8 -D /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 1500000

• Power-On the ROCK64
• Wait until you see the OpenBSD Installer:

• Install OpenBSD: Follow the steps of the OpenBSD installer
• After successfull installation shutdown OpenBSD

• Power-down the board and remove the microSD card from ROCK64

Step 6 - Place rk3328-rock64.dtb on microSD card

• Put the microSD card in your PC
• Mount the FAT partition

$ sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdx1 /mnt

• Create a directory with the name rockchip

$ cd /mnt
$ sudo mkdir rockchip

• Place the dtb file in this directory

$ sudo cp path/to/u-boot/arch/arm/dts/rk3328-rock64.dtb rockchip

Step 7 - Enable USB port for OpenBSD

• Change to root directory of the FAT partition

$ cd /mnt

• Copy boot.scr in this directory

$ sudo cp path/to/u-boot/boot.scr ./

• Umount microSD card

$ cd /
$ sudo umount /mnt

• Remove microSD card from your PC.

Step 8 - Boot OpenBSD

• Put the microSD card in the ROCK64
• Power-on ROCK64

Step 9 - Have fun with OpenBSD 6.9

Output (dmesg)

rock64# dmesg
OpenBSD 6.9 (GENERIC.MP) #1134: Sun Apr 18 01:53:35 MDT 2021
    [email protected]:/usr/src/sys/arch/arm64/compile/GENERIC.MP
real mem  = 4209647616 (4014MB)
avail mem = 4003446784 (3817MB)
random: good seed from bootblocks
mainbus0 at root: Pine64 Rock64
psci0 at mainbus0: PSCI 1.1, SMCCC 1.2
cpu0 at mainbus0 mpidr 0: ARM Cortex-A53 r0p4
cpu0: 32KB 64b/line 2-way L1 VIPT I-cache, 32KB 64b/line 4-way L1 D-cache
cpu0: 256KB 64b/line 16-way L2 cache
cpu0: CRC32,SHA2,SHA1,AES+PMULL,ASID16
cpu1 at mainbus0 mpidr 1: ARM Cortex-A53 r0p4
cpu1: 32KB 64b/line 2-way L1 VIPT I-cache, 32KB 64b/line 4-way L1 D-cache
cpu1: 256KB 64b/line 16-way L2 cache
cpu1: CRC32,SHA2,SHA1,AES+PMULL,ASID16
cpu2 at mainbus0 mpidr 2: ARM Cortex-A53 r0p4
cpu2: 32KB 64b/line 2-way L1 VIPT I-cache, 32KB 64b/line 4-way L1 D-cache
cpu2: 256KB 64b/line 16-way L2 cache
cpu2: CRC32,SHA2,SHA1,AES+PMULL,ASID16
cpu3 at mainbus0 mpidr 3: ARM Cortex-A53 r0p4
cpu3: 32KB 64b/line 2-way L1 VIPT I-cache, 32KB 64b/line 4-way L1 D-cache
cpu3: 256KB 64b/line 16-way L2 cache
cpu3: CRC32,SHA2,SHA1,AES+PMULL,ASID16
efi0 at mainbus0: UEFI 2.8
efi0: Das U-Boot rev 0x20210400
apm0 at mainbus0
syscon0 at mainbus0: "syscon"
"io-domains" at syscon0 not configured
"grf-gpio" at syscon0 not configured
"power-controller" at syscon0 not configured
"reboot-mode" at syscon0 not configured
rkclock0 at mainbus0
syscon1 at mainbus0: "syscon"
"usb2-phy" at syscon1 not configured
ampintc0 at mainbus0 nirq 160, ncpu 4 ipi: 0, 1: "interrupt-controller"
rkpinctrl0 at mainbus0: "pinctrl"
rkgpio0 at rkpinctrl0
rkgpio1 at rkpinctrl0
rkgpio2 at rkpinctrl0
rkgpio3 at rkpinctrl0
"opp_table0" at mainbus0 not configured
simplebus0 at mainbus0: "bus"
"dmac" at simplebus0 not configured
"arm-pmu" at mainbus0 not configured
rkdrm0 at mainbus0
drm0 at rkdrm0
agtimer0 at mainbus0: 24000 kHz
"xin24m" at mainbus0 not configured
"i2s" at mainbus0 not configured
"spdif" at mainbus0 not configured
com0 at mainbus0: ns16550, no working fifo
com0: console
rkiic0 at mainbus0
iic0 at rkiic0
rkpmic0 at iic0 addr 0x18: RK805
"spi" at mainbus0 not configured
"watchdog" at mainbus0 not configured
rktemp0 at mainbus0
"efuse" at mainbus0 not configured
"gpu" at mainbus0 not configured
"video-codec" at mainbus0 not configured
"iommu" at mainbus0 not configured
"vop" at mainbus0 not configured
"iommu" at mainbus0 not configured
"hdmi" at mainbus0 not configured
"codec" at mainbus0 not configured
"phy" at mainbus0 not configured
dwmmc0 at mainbus0: 50 MHz base clock
sdmmc0 at dwmmc0: 4-bit, sd high-speed, mmc high-speed, dma
dwmmc1 at mainbus0: 50 MHz base clock
sdmmc1 at dwmmc1: 8-bit, mmc high-speed, dma
dwge0 at mainbus0: address d2:1b:38:c4:44:2c
rgephy0 at dwge0 phy 0: RTL8169S/8110S/8211 PHY, rev. 6
ehci0 at mainbus0
usb0 at ehci0: USB revision 2.0
uhub0 at usb0 configuration 1 interface 0 "Generic EHCI root hub" rev 2.00/1.00 addr 1
ohci0 at mainbus0: version 1.0
"usb" at mainbus0 not configured
"external-gmac-clock" at mainbus0 not configured
"sdmmc-regulator" at mainbus0 not configured
"vcc-host-5v-regulator" at mainbus0 not configured
"vcc-host1-5v-regulator" at mainbus0 not configured
"vcc-sys" at mainbus0 not configured
"ir-receiver" at mainbus0 not configured
"leds" at mainbus0 not configured
graphaudio0 at mainbus0
"spdif-dit" at mainbus0 not configured
"dmc" at mainbus0 not configured
"usb" at mainbus0 not configured
"smbios" at mainbus0 not configured
usb1 at ohci0: USB revision 1.0
uhub1 at usb1 configuration 1 interface 0 "Generic OHCI root hub" rev 1.00/1.00 addr 1
scsibus0 at sdmmc0: 2 targets, initiator 0
sd0 at scsibus0 targ 1 lun 0: <SD/MMC, SC32G, 0080> removable
sd0: 30436MB, 512 bytes/sector, 62333952 sectors
scsibus1 at sdmmc1: 2 targets, initiator 0
sd1 at scsibus1 targ 1 lun 0: <SD/MMC, NCard, 0000> removable
sd1: 59000MB, 512 bytes/sector, 120832000 sectors
vscsi0 at root
scsibus2 at vscsi0: 256 targets
softraid0 at root
scsibus3 at softraid0: 256 targets
root on sd0a (e373e55c49f00321.a) swap on sd0b dump on sd0b
WARNING: bad clock chip time
WARNING: CHECK AND RESET THE DATE!
rkdrm0: no display interface ports configured
umass0 at uhub0 port 1 configuration 1 interface 0 "Kingston DT microDuo 3.0" rev 2.10/1.10 addr 2
umass0: using SCSI over Bulk-Only
scsibus4 at umass0: 2 targets, initiator 0
sd2 at scsibus4 targ 1 lun 0: <Kingston, DT microDuo 3.0, PMAP> removable serial.095116a3B031394FDE73
sd2: 29568MB, 512 bytes/sector, 60555264 sectors
rock64#

Limitations

HDMI

HDMI output currently not working.

USB

Only one USB port is currently working (step 7) with OpenBSD:

NOTE

See issue #5 for additional information.

Credits

Thanks to all people from U-Boot and the OpenBSD project.

License

TUTORIAL: Install OpenBSD on a PINE64 ROCK64 media board by Johannes Krottmayer is licensed under CC BY 4.0