Linux Host Installation for DragonBoard-410c

Linux Host

Linux Host

This section show how to install a new operating system to your DragonBoard™ 410c 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 DragonBoard™ 410c
Step 3: Boot DragonBoard 410c 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 DragonBoard™ 410c
Step 8: Reboot DragonBoard 410c

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 DragonBoard 410c

DragonBoard™ 410c must be powered off (unplugged from power)
Make sure microSD card slot on DragonBoard™ 410c is empty
S6 switch on DragonBoard™ 410c must be set to ‘0-0-0-0’. All switches should be in “off” position
Connect USB to microUSB cable from host computer to DragonBoard™ 410c

Step 3: Boot DragonBoard™ 410c into fastboot mode

Please read all bullet points before attempting

Press and hold the Vol (-) button on the DragonBoard™ 410c, this is the S4 button. DragonBoard™ 410c should still NOT be powered on
While holding the Vol (-) button, power on the DragonBoard™ 410c by plugging it in
Once DragonBoard™ 410c is plugged into power, release your hold on the Vol (-) button.
Wait for about 20 seconds.
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

At this point you should be connected to your DragonBoard™ 410c with a USB to microUSB cable. Your DragonBoard™ 410c should be booted into fastboot mode and ready to be flashed with the appropriate images.

Step 4: Flash Bootloader

Use host computer
Open “Terminal” application
Recall location of Bootloader download.
The bootloader file should be named dragonboard410c_bootloader_emmc_Y-XX
Y represents Android or Linux
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 dragonboard410c_bootloader_emmc_linux-40
#<unzipped Bootloader folder> = dragonboard410c_bootloader_emmc_linux-40
#This example took place during release 40

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

The bootloader has now been flashed to the eMMC. 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)

Android: 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 Android

$ 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 DragonBoard 410c

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-jessie-qcom-snapdragon-arm64-**BUILD#**.img
$ sudo fastboot flash rootfs linaro-jessie-developer-qcom-snapdragon-arm64-**BUILD#**.img

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

Android:

# (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 DragonBoard™ 410c

Unplug power to DragonBoard™ 410c
Unplug micro USB cable from DragonBoard™ 410c
Ensure HDMI connection to monitor
Ensure keyboard and/or mouse connection (Depending on your rootfs selection)
Plug power back into DragonBoard™ 410c
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 eMMC on the DragonBoard™ 410c!