Re: [cobalt-users] Raq3i: can't boot anymore: kernel doesn't load - "\length erro-"

[Gerald Waugh <gwaugh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Saturday 30 November 2002 20:53, Gunther Stammwitz wrote:
> Hello cobalt-users,
>
> I've got a problem with my cobalt RAQ3i: it can't boot up anymore
> because it cannot load the kernel.
>
> This is happening (logged from the serial console):
>
>          Cobalt Networks, Inc. - Connecting the Dots
>                   Firmware version 2.3.40
>
> Current date: Nov 30 14:41:28 UTC 2002
> ROM build info: Tue Jun 19 01:18:56 PDT 2001 unicron.cobalt.com System
> serial number: invalid csum! Memory found: 128 MB Initializing I2C bus:
> done Scanning PCI bus: done Initializing IDE: done
>   IDE 0 master: found
> Initializing SCSI: done
> Initializing ethernet: 2 ethernet controllers installed - done
> Initializing flash: done
>   Flash bank 0: Intel E28F008S5 1MB (89:a6)
>   Flash bank 1: not installed.
> Initializing USB: done
> Mounting rom_fs: done
> Initializing i18n - language "en": done
>
> Press spacebar to enter ROM mode
> Booting default method - From disk
>
> First stage kernel: Decompressing \length erro- done
>
>
> And then the system freezes...
> Okay.. I thought maybe the disk is broken so I tried to boot from ROM,
> but it's all the same: [...] Press spacebar to enter ROM mode
>
> Cobalt:Main Menu> boot
>
> Cobalt:Boot Menu> bfr
> First stage kernel: Decompressing \length erro- done
>
>
> Looks like I really got a problem. I've also been trying to load the
> kernel from console. What I did was to get the file vmlinux.gz from a
> raq4i, unpack it and then send it, vmlinux, via ASCII to the raq after
> typing load_kernel. Vmlinux is 1,47 MB (1.552.144 Bytes) large. The rack
> got the kernel but it doesn't work: [...] Cobalt:Boot Menu> dl_kernel
> [now it takes about 3 minutes to upload the kernel]
> Loading Kernel: done
> Cobalt:Boot Menu> bfr
> [is this the right command???]
> First stage kernel: Decompressing \length erro- done
>
>
> Any ideas what's wrong ?
>
> Maybe I can flash the firmware with the image 2.9.37-ext3 from
> ftp://ftp-eng.cobalt.com/pub/users/duncan/kernel/rom/2.9.37-ext3.rom.
> Since I cannot boot linux in order to use flashtool I'd like to flash it
> over the bios and the serial console. Is that possible ???
>
> I saw that there is a eeprom-menu in the bios.
> Cobalt:EEPROM Menu> ?
> EEPROM Menu
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> display_romid                   Display the EEPROM's id
> set_bank bank page              Set EEPROM bank and page
> erase_eeprom bank               Erase EEPROM in bank
> write_eeprom bank [len]         Write data from serial port to EEPROM
> read_eeprom bank [len]          Read data from the EEPROM in bank into
> RAM
> ls dir                          List contents of romfs dir
> reinit_eeprom                   Re-detect and initialize EEPROMs
> main                            Back to main menu
>
> Maybe I can use write_eeprom 0 in order to flash the new bios ?
>
> Can someone please tell me what's wrong with my Cobalt RAQ?
> PLEEASSEEE.....
>

I have never flashed the eeprom, but why would it go bad?
Were you trying to rplace the kernel when this happened?
There is a kernel  /usr /games/.doug, try loading it!

Gerald
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