Running Linux on i.MX RT1024 in 5 Minutes

Hardware Setup

Prepare hardware as described below:

Connect the microUSB cable to the J23 connector on the MIMXRT1024-EVK board and the development host to provide the power and serial console access, which is required to run Linux (uClinux) on the i.MX RT1024. The serial console operates in U-Boot and uCLinux with the following parameters:
1. Baud rate - 115200
2. Data bits - 8
3. Stop bits - 1
4. Parity - none
Connect Ethernet cable to the J1 connector on the MIMXRT1024-EVK board.
The MicroUSB SD Card used to boot the system on the MIMXRT1024-EVK board.
Since U-Boot (SPL+TPL) + U-Boot environment are located at the 0x400..0x100000 range of the raw SD Card address-space, the SD Card must be partitioned properly, so that U-Boot does not overwrite the file system on the partition. The SD Card must contain at least one partition started at a at least 1MB raw offset. The partition must be FATFS-formatted. Usually, a new SD Card satisfies these requirements by default so most likely no special preparations are required unless the card has been reformatted in some other way in other projects.

Installing Linux to NXP i.MX RT1024 EVK Board

Download the bootable U-Boot and Linux images from the Emcraft web site:
where SPL is the U-Boot SPL prebuilt image; u-boot.img is the U-Boot TPL prebuilt image; rootfs.uImage is the prebuilt rootfs project image.
Plug in the MicroSD card to the cross-development host.
Find out a /dev/sdX device the system has assigned to your SD Card:

$ dmesg | tail
[  456.470775] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[  456.482079] usbcore: registered new interface driver uas
[  457.501716] scsi 3:0:0:0: Direct-Access     Generic  STORAGE DEVICE
   0821 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[  457.508132] sd 3:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[  457.715113] sd 3:0:0:0: [sdb] 15446016 512-byte logical blocks: 
(7.91 GB/7.37 GiB)
[  457.733992] sd 3:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
[  457.733999] sd 3:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
[  457.753808] sd 3:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: 
enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[  457.840489]  sdb: sdb1
[  457.840845] sd 3:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

Install U-Boot to the microSD card:

$ sudo dd if=SPL of=/dev/sdX bs=1k seek=1 conv=notrunc; sync
$ sudo dd if=u-boot.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1k seek=128 conv=notrunc; sync

Install the rootfs project to the microSD card:

$ sudo mount /dev/sdX /mnt $ cp roofts.uImage /mnt

Set Boot SW as 0110, insert the micro SD card in the board and power the board. The system should boot up on the board:

U-Boot SPL 2022.04 (Jul 06 2023 - 09:00:17 +0000) Trying to boot from MMC1 U-Boot 2022.04 (Jul 06 2023 - 09:00:17 +0000) DRAM: 32 MiB Core: 60 devices, 13 uclasses, devicetree: separate MMC: FSL_SDHC: 0 Loading Environment from MMC... OK In: serial@40184000 Out: serial@40184000 Err: serial@40184000 Net: eth0: ethernet@402D8000 Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0 6940777 bytes read in 635 ms (10.4 MiB/s) ## Booting kernel from Legacy Image at 80007fc0 ... Image Name: Linux-5.15.71 Image Type: ARM Linux Multi-File Image (uncompressed) Data Size: 6940713 Bytes = 6.6 MiB Load Address: 80008000 Entry Point: 80008001 Contents: Image 0: 6934720 Bytes = 6.6 MiB Image 1: 5981 Bytes = 5.8 KiB Verifying Checksum ... OK ## Flattened Device Tree from multi component Image at 80007FC0 Booting using the fdt at 0x806a50cc Loading Multi-File Image Loading Device Tree to 81d83000, end 81d8775c ... OK Starting kernel ... Booting Linux on physical CPU 0x0 Linux version 5.15.71 ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) (arm-none-eabi-gcc (GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain 10.3-2021.10) 10.3.1 20210824 (release), GNU ld (GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain 10.3-2021.10) 2.36.1.20210621) #2 Thu Jul 6 08:58:51 UTC 2023 …… ci_hdrc ci_hdrc.0: EHCI Host Controller ci_hdrc ci_hdrc.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1 mmc0: SDHCI controller on 402c0000.mmc [402c0000.mmc] using DMA ci_hdrc ci_hdrc.0: USB 2.0 started, EHCI 1.00 hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found hub 1-0:1.0: 1 port detected input: gpio-keys as /devices/platform/gpio-keys/input/input0 cfg80211: Loading compiled-in X.509 certificates for regulatory database cfg80211: Loaded X.509 cert 'sforshee: 00b28ddf47aef9cea7' clk: Not disabling unused clocks platform regulatory.0: Direct firmware load for regulatory.db failed with error -2 cfg80211: failed to load regulatory.db Freeing unused kernel image (initmem) memory: 2264K This architecture does not have kernel memory protection. Run /init as init process init started: BusyBox v1.24.2 (2023-07-06 08:58:36 UTC) [69] Jan 01 00:00:01 Running in background mmc0: host does not support reading read-only switch, assuming write-enable / # mmc0: new SDHC card at address 0001 mmcblk0: mmc0:0001 00000 7.37 GiB mmcblk0: p1 Micrel KSZ8081 or KSZ8091 402d8000.ethernet-1:02: attached PHY driver (mii_bus:phy_addr=402d8000.ethernet-1:02, irq=POLL) fec 402d8000.ethernet eth0: Link is Up - 100Mbps/Full - flow control off / #

Ethernet Driver Support

Power cycle the board. While U-Boot is coming up, press any key on the serial console to enter the U-Boot command line interface:

U-Boot SPL 2022.04 (Jul 06 2023 - 09:00:17 +0000) Trying to boot from MMC1 U-Boot 2022.04 (Jul 06 2023 - 09:00:17 +0000) DRAM: 32 MiB Core: 57 devices, 12 uclasses, devicetree: separate MMC: FSL_SDHC: 0 Loading Environment from MMC... OK In: serial@40184000 Out: serial@40184000 Err: serial@40184000 Net: eth0: ethernet@402D8000 Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0 =>

From the U-Boot command line interface, reset to the default environment:

=> env default -a
## Resetting to default environment
=>

Set the ipaddr, serverip and netmask U-Boot environment variables:

=> setenv ipaddr 192.168.88.89
=> setenv serverip 192.168.88.170
=> setenv netmask 255.255.255.0
=> saveenv
Saving Environment to MMC... Writing to MMC(0)... OK
=>

=> ping 192.168.88.177
Using ethernet@402D8000 device
host 192.168.88.177 is alive
=>

Load rootfs.uImage using the U-Boot tftp command:

=> tftp imxrt1024/rootfs.uImage Using ethernet@402D8000 device TFTP from server 192.168.88.170; our IP address is 192.168.88.89 Filename 'imxrt1024/rootfs.uImage'. Load address: 0x80007fc0 Loading: ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ..... ################################################################# ########################################################## 215.8 KiB/s done Bytes transferred = 6846786 (687942 hex) =>

Reset the board and let it boot up to the Linux shell:

=> reset resetting ... U-Boot SPL 2022.04 (Jul 06 2023 - 09:00:17 +0000) Trying to boot from MMC1 U-Boot 2022.04 (Jul 06 2023 - 09:00:17 +0000) ..... Starting kernel ... Booting Linux on physical CPU 0x0 Linux version 5.15.71 ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) (arm-none-eabi-gcc (GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain 10.3-2021.10) 10.3.1 20210824 (release), GNU ld (GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain 10.3-2021.10) 2.36.1.20210621) #2 Thu Jul 6 08:58:51 UTC 2023 ..... mmc0: new SDHC card at address 0001 mmcblk0: mmc0:0001 00000 7.37 GiB mmcblk0: p1 Micrel KSZ8081 or KSZ8091 402d8000.ethernet-1:02: attached PHY driver (mii_bus:phy_addr=402d8000.ethernet-1:02, irq=POLL) fec 402d8000.ethernet eth0: Link is Up - 100Mbps/Full - flow control off / #

From the development host validate that the target board is visible using ping:

$ ping 192.168.88.89 -c 5
PING 192.168.88.89 (192.168.88.89) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=5.51 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=2 ttl=63 time=5.10 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=3 ttl=63 time=3.99 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=4 ttl=63 time=10.8 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=5 ttl=63 time=7.08 ms

--- 192.168.88.89 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 received, 0% packet loss, time 4005ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 3.986/6.488/10.773/2.360 ms
$

From the target board, validate that the development host is visible using ping:

/ # ping 192.168.88.177 -c 5
PING 192.168.88.177 (192.168.88.177): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=0 ttl=64 time=7.008 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=1 ttl=64 time=2.689 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=2 ttl=64 time=2.272 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=3 ttl=64 time=1.539 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=4 ttl=64 time=2.068 ms

--- 192.168.88.177 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 1.539/3.115/7.008 ms
/ #

TCP/IP Stack Support

With uClinux running on the i.MX RT1024, you get the full Linux TCP/IP stack (kernel version 5.15.71). Userspace POSIX APIs are provided by the uClibc library. Key user-space networking tools and utilities are available from the multi-call busybox. Additional tools and packages, such as for instance the SSH dropbear server, can be built specifically for uClinux. All in all, you have the powerful Linux TCP/IP stack at your disposal.

From the development host validate that the i.MX RT1024 is visible using ping:

$ ping 192.168.88.89 -c 5
PING 192.168.88.89 (192.168.88.89) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=5.51 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=2 ttl=63 time=5.10 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=3 ttl=63 time=3.99 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=4 ttl=63 time=10.8 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.89: icmp_seq=5 ttl=63 time=7.08 ms

--- 192.168.88.89 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 received, 0% packet loss, time 4005ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 3.986/6.488/10.773/2.360 ms
$

ping the development host from the i.MX RT1024:

/ # ping -c5 192.168.88.177
PING 192.168.88.177 (192.168.88.177): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=0 ttl=64 time=2.310 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=1 ttl=64 time=4.518 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=2 ttl=64 time=2.256 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=3 ttl=64 time=3.548 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.88.177: seq=4 ttl=64 time=2.508 ms

--- 192.168.88.177 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 2.256/3.028/4.518 ms
/ #

On the target, start the telnetd daemon to allow connections to the i.MX RT1024:

 / # ps | grep telnetd
   96 root       388 S    {busybox} telnetd
  101 root       388 S    grep telnetd
/ #

Connect to the target from the development host using telnet. The target is configured to accept the 123 password for root:

$ telnet 192.168.88.89 Trying 192.168.88.89... Connected to 192.168.88.89. Escape character is '^]'. (none) login: root Password: / # ls bin etc httpd lib proc sbin tmp var dev hello.ko init mnt root sys usr / # exit Connection closed by foreign host. $

The dropbear SSH daemon starts automatically on the target. Verify that dropbear allows secure connections to the target:

/ # ps | grep dropbear 70 root 416 S dropbear -R 98 root 388 S grep dropbear

Connect to the target from the development host using ssh. The first connection takes several seconds to establish as the i.MX RT1024 runs computation-extensive key calculations. Again, enter 123 on the password prompt:

$ ssh root@192.168.88.89 root@192.168.88.89's password: / # ls bin etc httpd lib proc sbin tmp var dev hello.ko init mnt root sys usr / # exit Connection to 192.168.88.89 closed. $

On the target, enable access to the Internet by configuring a default gateway. Note also that the system makes use of the public name server provided by Google:

/ # route add default gw 192.168.88.1
/ # cat /etc/resolv.conf
# This configuration makes use of the Google public DNS server.
# If you would like to use something else, replace with the IP
# of your DNS server

nameserver 8.8.8.8
/ #

Use ntpd to synchronize the time on the target with the time provided by a public server:

/ # date Thu Jan 1 00:32:53 UTC 1970 / # ntpd -p 0.fedora.pool.ntp.org / # sleep 5 / # date Tue Jul 4 10:02:37 UTC 2023 / #

Use wget to download a file from a remote server:

/ # wget ftp://ftp.gnu.org/README Connecting to ftp.gnu.org (209.51.188.20:21) README 100% |*******************************| 2748 0:00:00 ETA / # / # cat README This is ftp.gnu.org, the FTP server of the the GNU project. ...

Start the HTTP daemon:

/ # httpd -h /httpd/html/
/ #

From a local host, open a Web browser to the i.MX RT1024 and watch the demo web page provided by the target. The i.MX RT1024 shows the current time and date as well as the list of the currently running processes:

Support USB Host Stack Interface

Attach a USB Flash device to the J9 connector. Verify that it is automatically detected and can be mounted:

/ # usb 1-1: new full-speed USB device number 2 using ci_hdrc usb 1-1: not running at top speed; connect to a high speed hub usb-storage 1-1:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected scsi host0: usb-storage 1-1:1.0 scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access Generic Flash Disk 8.07 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 8228864 512-byte logical blocks: (4.21 GB/3.92 GiB) sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] No Caching mode page found sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through sda: sda1 sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI removable disk / # mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbflash/ / # ls -la /mnt/usbflash/ drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Jan 1 00:00 . drwxrwxrwx 8 root root 0 Jun 22 2023 .. drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 May 25 2023 System Volume Information -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 319 Jan 1 1980 data.log / #

Unmount the USB Flash device:

/ # umount /mnt/usbflash/ / #

Support Loading / Unloading Kernel Modules

From the Linux shell, load the demo kernel module:

/ # insmod hello.ko Hello, world / #

Show the status of the loaded kernel modules:

/ # lsmod Module Size Used by Not tainted hello 576 0 / #

Unload the module from the Linux kernel:

/ # rmmod hello Goodbye, world / #

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