POST: 012345

So i started to update the BIOS version to 2.41a. The upload to the board works but the flashupdate return an error.

> download -

Start sending file using XMODEM/CRC protocol.
### Send (x) b6501_141a.bin: 253696 bytes, 2:34 elapsed, 1645 cps, 14%

File downloaded succesfully, size 1982 Blocks.

> flashupdate

Error, Incorrect signature of BIOS image.

The Solution is easy but hard to find. Using the uManager, a ARM based out-of-band management. Follow the instructions to update the BIOS:

• Type ‘+++’ just after the board is powered up in the console. Pressing the reset button for more than 3 seconds to power down the board.
• Use “download -” to update the BIOS.
• Follow the instructions from the Soekris Wiki for the Xmodem settings.

Helpful answer from Luc in the mailing list and some information for the uManager BIOS update.

Found by Ffffound

where is my jetpack,

where is my robotic companion,
where is my dinner in pill form,
where is my hydrogen fueled automobile,
where is my nuclear power levitating house,

where is my cure for this disease

[root@grapefruit]:~ # update-grub
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub

So looking in the dmesg output we will see the problem is grub-probe:

Nov  7 23:07:57 grapefruit kernel: [96585.754724] PAX: From 127.0.0.6: execution attempt in: , ...
Nov  7 23:07:57 grapefruit kernel: [96585.761809] PAX: terminating task: /usr/sbin/grub-probe(grub-probe):20649, uid/euid: 0/0, ...
Nov  7 23:07:57 grapefruit kernel: [96585.769773] PAX: bytes at PC: 41 ...
Nov  7 23:07:57 grapefruit kernel: [96585.776171] PAX: bytes at SP-8: 0000000000000006 ...

Now it’s time to checking the pax flags of grub-probe, here we will see the default options:

[root@grapefruit]:~ # chpax -v /usr/sbin/grub-probe
---[ chpax 0.7 : Current flags for /usr/sbin/grub-probe (PeMRxS) ]---
 * Paging based PAGE_EXEC       : enabled (overridden)
 * Trampolines                  : not emulated
 * mprotect()                   : restricted
 * mmap() base                  : randomized
 * ET_EXEC base                 : not randomized
 * Segmentation based PAGE_EXEC : enabled

We should disable paging and segmentation based PAGE_EXEC:

[root@grapefruit]:~ # chpax -ps /usr/sbin/grub-probe

And, tadaaaaa, update-grub working:

[root@grapefruit]:~ # update-grub
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ...
   found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... none found, skipping ...
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32.15-1-grsec
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done

Installation and setting up Plan9 is sooo easy, but showing up the nice rio window manager under VMware Fusion takes all night.

On starting rio, i only receiving the following error message:

  aux/vga: vgactlw: <linear 0x3e80000 0x0>: unknown vmware id 0740
  rio: can't open display: initdisplay /dev/draw/new: no frame buffer
  init: rc exit status: rio 9: display open

Okey so VMware sending strange vendor ids and other strange things to client machine or I don’t know ;-)

To change the VGA settings there is a small command line tool, that helps me out:

  aux/vga -m DisplayModus -l Resolution

Finding the display mode and resolution that works take a little bit of time. The current is working with my VMware Fusion version:

  aux/vga -m cinema -l 1280x768x24