[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[Hamilton Vera]

Hi folks this is probably out off topic, we are happily using uboot in
our devices but I am wondering about the procedures to flash/deploy
uboot (or any bootloader) in a high scale production environment.

Are you guys aware of any documentation or procedure to do that?


Sorry about the off topic, but I am not finding useful info at google.


Thanks

-- 
Hamilton Vera
int Administrator (char Network[],char ComputationalSystems[])
http://hvera.wordpress.com

[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Hamilton Vera,

In message <AANLkTim-w-ijiNpPMsmUM++9MwWsxbOntOdPb5HH6D0Z@mail.gmail.com> you wrote:
> Hi folks this is probably out off topic, we are happily using uboot in
> our devices but I am wondering about the procedures to flash/deploy
> uboot (or any bootloader) in a high scale production environment.

What sort of boot device are you using?  NOR flash? NAND flash?

For high volumes, you can get pre-programmed flash chips, so you have
a running system when the boards come from assembly.


Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,     MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
Computers are not intelligent.  They only think they are.

[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[Peter Barada]

On 11/18/2010 03:39 PM, Wolfgang Denk wrote:
> Dear Hamilton Vera,
>
> In message<AANLkTim-w-ijiNpPMsmUM++9MwWsxbOntOdPb5HH6D0Z@mail.gmail.com>  you wrote:
>    
>> Hi folks this is probably out off topic, we are happily using uboot in
>> our devices but I am wondering about the procedures to flash/deploy
>> uboot (or any bootloader) in a high scale production environment.
>>      
> What sort of boot device are you using?  NOR flash? NAND flash?
>
> For high volumes, you can get pre-programmed flash chips, so you have
> a running system when the boards come from assembly.
>    
Indeed, pre-programing flash used in the board assembly is the way to 
go.  Most manufacturers make the initial image a self-test program that 
initially exercise all I/O (the board is initially powered up attached 
to a test/burn-in fixture), and if the test succeeds, then re-burns the 
flash with the production image(u-boot/Linux/rootfs or otherwise) that 
is part of the test-image.  If the test fails, then the board is 
rejected and reworked to diagnose/fix found issues (cold-solder, lifted 
pins, etc).

Speed of testing/initial burn-in can be increased by running more than 
one fixture in parallel.

-- 
Peter Barada
peterb at logicpd.com

[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[Hamilton Vera]

Dear Wolfgang, thanks for your reply.

Actually we are using NAND, since NAND usually comes with some bad
blocks from the provider I am worried about the procedure and best
practices.

Thank you a lot.

Hamilton Vera



On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 6:39 PM, Wolfgang Denk <wd@denx.de> wrote:
> Dear Hamilton Vera,
>
> In message <AANLkTim-w-ijiNpPMsmUM++9MwWsxbOntOdPb5HH6D0Z@mail.gmail.com> you wrote:
>> Hi folks this is probably out off topic, we are happily using uboot in
>> our devices but I am wondering about the procedures to flash/deploy
>> uboot (or any bootloader) in a high scale production environment.
>
> What sort of boot device are you using? ?NOR flash? NAND flash?
>
> For high volumes, you can get pre-programmed flash chips, so you have
> a running system when the boards come from assembly.
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Wolfgang Denk
>
> --
> DENX Software Engineering GmbH, ? ? MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
> HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
> Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
> Computers are not intelligent. ?They only think they are.
>



-- 
Hamilton Vera
int Administrator (char Network[],char ComputationalSystems[])
http://hvera.wordpress.com

[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[Grant Edwards]

On 2010-11-18, Hamilton Vera <hamilton.listas@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi folks this is probably out off topic, we are happily using uboot in
> our devices but I am wondering about the procedures to flash/deploy
> uboot (or any bootloader) in a high scale production environment.
>
> Are you guys aware of any documentation or procedure to do that?

Send the hex file to the flash distributor and have them do it.

-- 
Grant Edwards               grant.b.edwards        Yow! I'm meditating on
                                  at               the FORMALDEHYDE and the
                              gmail.com            ASBESTOS leaking into my
                                                   PERSONAL SPACE!!

[U-Boot] OT Flashing high volume of devices

[Hamilton Vera]

Thank you all, I appreciate very much your tips.

We will study this tactic with our staff in China.

Thanks a lot.

Hamilton Vera


On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 7:52 PM, Grant Edwards
<grant.b.edwards@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2010-11-18, Hamilton Vera <hamilton.listas@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi folks this is probably out off topic, we are happily using uboot in
>> our devices but I am wondering about the procedures to flash/deploy
>> uboot (or any bootloader) in a high scale production environment.
>>
>> Are you guys aware of any documentation or procedure to do that?
>
> Send the hex file to the flash distributor and have them do it.
>
> --
> Grant Edwards ? ? ? ? ? ? ? grant.b.edwards ? ? ? ?Yow! I'm meditating on
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?at ? ? ? ? ? ? ? the FORMALDEHYDE and the
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?gmail.com ? ? ? ? ? ?ASBESTOS leaking into my
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? PERSONAL SPACE!!
>
> _______________________________________________
> U-Boot mailing list
> U-Boot at lists.denx.de
> http://lists.denx.de/mailman/listinfo/u-boot
>



-- 
Hamilton Vera
int Administrator (char Network[],char ComputationalSystems[])
http://hvera.wordpress.com