Installation on KuroBoxHG

Installation on KuroBoxHG

Installation on KuroBox/HG

Following Installation of OpenRTM(on PPC) by Yamashita-san at Maekawa MFG, we tried to install OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0 with our KuroBox.

Our procedures are almost same as those of Yamashita-san, but the package install included in OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0 makes it easier to install omniORB, ACE, and so on. Moreover it was need to modify configure.ac in the past, but we corrected its defect based on Yamashita-san's advices, so the modification of the configuration is not needed now. At the result, we don't have to install autotools neither.

KuroBox/HG Specification

CPU PowerPC 266MHz
RAM 128MB
Flash ROM 4MB
LAN 1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T x 1 port
External IO USB2.0 x 2ports
HDD one 3.5 inch UltraATA is prepared separately.
OS Default is Montavista Linux (Kernel2.4.17)

Procedures of Installation

Debian, Vine, GentooLinux seem to work, among them, Debian seems to be best for its rechiness of packages and easiness for upgrade. General procedure is as follows:

  1. Download Debian image from kuro-box wow wow!
  2. Extract the image to KuroBox using KuroBoxSetup.exe included in KuroBox CD
  3. Since Debian3.0(Woody) is installed in this stage, upgrade to Debian3.1(Sarge)
  4. Install packages with pkg_install_debianSarge.sh
  5. Build and install OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0

Thus, once you install Debian, you can continue to install the same way as Debian on i386.

Switching of OS

Get the kernel image

The page Debian in KurobakoHG hack is easy to understand about how to switch OS. But the link to Debian image offerd by kuro-box wow wow! is for older version, so please download the image from the following page.

We offer Debian image file for your download. We have downloaded this file, renamed its name in accordance with the later procedures, and zipped.

Preparion of Installer

Copy contents in KuroBox CD-ROM under an appropriate directory. Rename image.zip in the directory which KuroBoxSetup.exe exists in(CD-ROM root) to another name such as image.zip.org and put image.zip which you downloaded at the previous step there instead.

Switching to EM Mode

Switch the mode of KuroBox to EM mode. See

EM mode is a mode which the installer can recognize, you need set up this mode for KuroBoxSetup.exe to transfer an image. Right after you purchase and connect HDD, KuroBox is in this mode.

If you have already installed Linux included in KuroBox, you can make it enter EM Mode as follows:

 Switch to EM mode.
 # echo -n 'NGNG' > /dev/fl3
   Or
 # /usr/bin/write_ng
 # reboot
 Shut down power, and turn on power again.

 Switch back from EM mode.
 # echo -n 'OKOK' > /dev/fl3
   Or
 # /usr/bin/write_ok
 # reboot

You can also make it EM mode forcibly by destruction of the file system on HDD.

 # rm -rf /
   Or
 # dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=1024 count=1024

Transfer of Image

Once KuroBox is in EM mode, launch KuroBoxSetup.exe of KuroBox installer which you replace to Debian image previously, and set up the new image. If an error message like KuroBox cannot be found, is shown, the mode may not be EM mode. If there is no problem, the install will finish successfully, and after KuroBox restarts, it will be available.

Configuration

Default configuration of KuroBox which is replaced to Debian image as above, is set up as follows:

Default User
User name tmp-kun
Password tmp-kun
root
User name root
Password root
Network Configuration
IP address 192.168.0.100
Gateway address 192.168.0.1
DNS address 192.168.0.1

IP address is fixed. Install a terminal software to PC which you use for this configuration, set up IP address of this PC to the address which can connect to the KuroBox(such as 192.168.0.1 mask 255.255.255.0), and connect the PC via LAN.

 telnet 192.168.0.100
 Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 KURO-BOX
 KURO-BOX login: tmp-kun
 Password: tmp-kun
 (snip)
 Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
 permitted by applicable law.
 KURO-BOX:~> su
 # 

Log in as the account tmp-kun, and switch to root to set up.

For example, set up its IP address as follows:

 # vi /etc/network/interfaces
 Edit its IP address
 # vi /etc/hosts.allow
 Edit hosts.allow

When you change its IP assress, you must change its hosts.allow, too. If you change it to a different network address and forget to change its hosts.allow, you can never log in to the box again.

Upgrading to Sarge

In this stage, Debian3.0(Woody) is installed. Upgrade to the current version, Debian3.1(Sarge).

Edit of sources.list

Rename the default sources.list to another name such as sources.list.org, and append the next two lines to sources.list.

 deb http://cdn.debian.or.jp/debian/ sarge main contrib non-free
 deb-src http://cdn.debian.or.jp/debian/ sarge main contrib non-free

Once you edit, run the next commands:

 apt-get update
 apt-get dist-upgrade 

During this upgrade, you can answer default to serveral questions you will be asked. However /etc/init.d/halt is overrided and it disables the shutdown operation by its power buttion, so add the next two lines after the line of PATH:

 PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
 echo -n "EEEE" > /dev/ttyS1
 sleep 3

TIPS

xterm and kterm are useful when you accss from a remote machine. But even if you install them on the default environment, they cannot start because of an error which relates pty. You need to modify /etc/fstab as follows:

 /etc/fstab
 none   /dev/pts     devpts  gid=5,mode=20           0 0
 modify like this
 none   /dev/pts     devpts  gid=5,mode=620          0 0

Install xterm and kterm. Relavant files of XLib are also installed, so you have to make sure there is enough free space.

 # apt-get install xterm
 # apt-get install kterm

Build of OpenRTM-aist

Installation of the package

To install the package, you can use the package installer for Debian(pkg_install_debianSarge.sh) without modification, which is included in OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0. Once you extracted the source of OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0, switch to root and just run pkg_install_debianSarge.sh under the build directory.

 > tar xvzf OpeNRTM-aist-0.4.0.tar.gz
 > cd OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0
 > cd build
 > ls
 (snip)
 README.Debian  makewrapper.py             pkg_install_vl32.sh
 autogen        pkg_install_debianSarge.sh  pkg_install_vl4.sh
 (snip)
 > su
 # ./pkg_install_debianSarge.sh

That's all for installation of the package.

Build of OpenRTM-aist

The following procedure is as same as for a normal PC.

 > cd OpenRTM-aist-0.4.0
 > ./configure
 > make
 > su
 # make install

However, it takes quite a long time(about 1 hour and 45 minutes) to build.

 > time make
 6048.130u 156.950s 1:43:36.53 99.8%     0+0k 0+0io 762267pf+0w

Acknowledment

When we wrote this OpenRTM-aist installation guide on KuroBox, OpenRTM-aist-0.2.0 install report by Mr. Tomoki Yamashita (Maekawa MFG, Co.Ltd) was very informative. We also referred the following web pages. We would like to thank those authors.

Download

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2.0.0-RELESE Download page

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