Linux Host Installation for DragonBoard-845c

Linux Host

Linux Host

This section show how to install a new operating system to your DragonBoard™ 845c based RB3 kit using the fastboot method on a Linux host computer.

Step 1: Make sure fastboot is set up on host computer
Step 2: Connect host computer to RB3
Step 3: Boot RB3 into fastboot mode
Step 4: Flash Bootloader
Step 5: Recall location of all downloaded files
Step 6: Unzip all files
Step 7: Flash all files to the RB3
Step 8: Reboot RB3

Step 1: Make sure fastboot is set up on host computer.

You can install fastboot from source or using your distro package manager.

From source:
- Android SDK “Tools only” for Linux can be downloaded here
- The Linux “Tools Only” SDK download does not come with fastboot, you will need to use the Android SDK Manager to install platform-tools.
- To do this follow the “SDK Readme.txt” instructions included in your SDK “Tools Only” download.
If you are still having trouble setting up fastboot, click here for a short tutorial video

Or using a distro package manager:

# Red Hat flavour (Fedora, CentOS)
$ sudo yum install android-tools

# Debian (Ubuntu)
$ sudo apt-get install fastboot

Step 2: Connect host computer to RB3

RB3 must be powered off (unplugged from power)
S6 switch on RB3 must be set to ‘0-0-0-0’. All switches should be in “off” position

Step 3: Boot RB3 into fastboot mode

Please read all bullet points before attempting

Disconnect the power cable from the board and make sure no USB cable is plugged into the board
Hold down the “VOL-“ button while reconnecting the power supply.
Tap the “ON/OFF” button while continuing to hold the “VOL-“ button for ~5 seconds after the blue LED lights up.
Release “VOL-“ button
Connect the USB3 Type C (5) between the Linux PC and the board
Board should boot into fastboot mode.

From the connected host machine terminal window, run the following commands:

# Check to make sure device is connected and in fastboot mode

$ sudo fastboot devices

Typically it will show as below

de82318	fastboot

Step 4: Flash Bootloader

Use host computer
download Bootloader from the downloads Page.
Open “Terminal” application
Recall location of Bootloader download.
The bootloader file should be named dragonboard-845c-bootloader-ufs-Y-XX
Y represents AOSP or Linux, use either one or the other based on the image you want to use. They both use different GPT.
XX represents the release number of the Bootloader
cd to the directory with your unzipped Bootloader Folder

$ cd <extraction directory>

#Example:
cd /Users/YourUserName/downloads
#<extraction directory> = /Users/YourUserName/downloads
#For this example we assume the "Bootloader" is in the downloads folder.


$ cd <unzipped Bootloader folder>

#Example:
cd dragonboard-845c-bootloader-ufs-linux-14
#<unzipped Bootloader folder> = dragonboard-845c-bootloader-ufs-linux-14
#This example took place during release 14

# This command will execute the flashall script within the bootloader folder
$ sudo ./flashall

The bootloader has now been flashed to the UFS. Rebooting will launch the newly-flashed boot loader, which will allow us to flash the remaining parts of the operating system.

# Reboot the system so we can flash the rest.
$ sudo fastboot reboot

Step 5: Recall location of all downloaded files

Recall location of all downloaded files from the downloads page, files will be different for Android and Linaro/Debian:

Linaro/Debian: Recall location of `boot` and `rootfs` downloaded from the downloads page

You should have downloaded the boot file
You should have downloaded ONE of rootfs file (Either Developer or Desktop - ALIP` version)

AOSP: Recall location of `boot.img.tar.xz`, `system.img.tar.xz`, `userdata.img.tar.xz`, `recovery.img.tar.xz`, `persist.img.tar.xz`, `cache.img.tar.xz`, downloaded from the downloads page

All of these files should have been downloaded from the downloads page

Step 6: Unzip required files

For Debian

$ gunzip boot-*.img.gz
$ gunzip linaro-*.img.gz

For AOSP

$ tar -xvf boot.img.tar.xz
$ tar -xvf system.img.tar.xz
$ tar -xvf userdata.img.tar.xz
$ tar -xvf recovery.img.tar.xz
$ tar -xvf persist.img.tar.xz
$ tar -xvf cache.img.tar.xz

Step 7: Flash all images to the RB3

Use host computer
Use “Terminal” application
Recall location of extracted(unzipped) files
cd to the directory with your unzipped files
From within extraction directory, execute the following commands:

Linaro/Debian:

# (Once again) Check to make sure fastboot device connected
$ sudo fastboot devices
# It will show similar to below if the device is connected successfully
de82318	fastboot

# cd to the directory the boot image and  were extracted
$ cd <extraction directory>

# Make sure you have properly unzipped the boot and rootfs downloads
$ sudo fastboot flash boot boot-linaro-buster-dragonboard-845c-**BUILD#**.img
$ sudo fastboot flash rootfs linaro-buster-developer-dragonboard-845c-**BUILD#**.img

Note: Replace BUILD# in the above commands with the file-specific date/build stamp.

AOSP:

# (Once again) Check to make sure fastboot device connected
$ sudo fastboot devices
# It will show similar to bellow if the device is connected successfully
de82318	fastboot

# cd to the directory with extracted images
$ cd <extraction directory>

# Make sure you have properly unzipped the downloads
$ sudo fastboot flash boot boot.img
$ sudo fastboot flash system system.img
$ sudo fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
$ sudo fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
$ sudo fastboot flash persist persist.img
$ sudo fastboot flash cache cache.img

Step 8: Reboot RB3

Unplug power to RB3
Ensure HDMI connection to monitor
Ensure keyboard and/or mouse connection (Depending on your rootfs selection)
Plug power back into RB3
Wait for board to boot up
Board will boot into either command line or desktop depending on rootfs

Note: For Linaro/Debian the username and password are both “linaro” when the login information is requested.

Congratulations! You are now booting your newly installed OS directly from UFS on the RB3!