[leaf-user] setup LEAF from Windows

[Victor M. <vic...@so...>]

I am updating a home router for a friend that has been running for years 
on a WRAP. The only box I could find on E-bay was a used PCEngines ALIX. 
Since there has been a discussion on this list about using Windows to 
install LEAF, I thought I would document a Windows install.

###Hardware

Puchase a cable USB to serial DB9 male - with a FTDI chipset

Useful --- Cable Matters crossover ethernet adapter for initial setup 
outside of your network hardware

Purchase an Extreme CF adapter (Red color) on Amazon that allows an SD 
card to plug into Compact Flash frame. This adapter is thin enough to 
plug into the ALIX CF slot.

###Programs you will need for your windows box.

Putty for Windows or Tera Term 5 for Serial RS232 connection for initial 
setup

https://teratermproject.github.io/index-en.html

Tera Term is hosted in Japan.

https://putty.org/index.html

Download the latest version of syslinux-6.04.zip from 
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/

Extract the bios subdirectory, to c:\Documents\bios

You don't need the other subdirectories.

Download 7zip installer for windows

https://www.7-zip.org [1]

run the exe file to install 7-zip

Download the version of LEAF you wish to install. In my case it was
Bering-uClibc_7.5.1_geode_syslinux_serial115200.tar.gz

###Proceedure

I plugged the SD card (between 1GB and 2 GB) into the Windows box and 
formatted it for fat32. On my Windows it was drive H:

Run the 7-zip program and navigate to the Download directory

extract Bering-uClibc_7.5.1_geode_syslinux_serial115200.tar.gz to the SD 
card, in my case drive H:

If you try to extract by right clicking the .tar.gz file, it may 
complain about unrecognized file type or filename too long. This is a 
Windows problem? since it works from the 7-zip menu.

 From Windows Start Menu scroll to the Terminal program, right click to 
run as administrator.

cd Documents\bios\win32

.\syslinux -i -m -a -f -s -d syslinux H:

This installs syslinux in the directory syslinux, marks the partition as 
active, and installs the mbr all with one command

Start the Tera Term or Putty terminal program

Select serial, select the USB com port it recommends and set the baud 
rate to 115200

Then plug the SD into the CF adapter boot LEAF  on the ALIX box - the 
terminal should spew text.

If some of the text is garbled, but some is ok, reset the local and the 
remote terminal from the terminal program menu.

Login as root give yourself a password

 From the lrcfg menu type q to exit

set the UTC date by adding or subtracting the proper number of hours for 
your time zone.

date -s YYYY.MM.DD-hh.mm

This will set the date and time so your configuration files will show 
the correct date

hwclock

it will show you hardware clock date

hwclock --systohc

Sets the hardware clock to the system clocks

In my case, the ALIX board did not have a RTC battery, so I will solder 
one in.

lrcfg

and begin setting up the ALIX through putty or Tera Term's serial 
terminal.

####

Using putty from a Linux box, in this case Kubuntu

Install putty

Run kate, the kubuntu terminal program

whoami will let you know your login name which will be $USER in the next 
command

sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER

This gives putty permission to access the USB serial port

reboot Kubuntu so putty gets its permission

on putty,  select serial /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

login to LEAF etc...

Victor

Links:
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[1] https://www.7-zip.org/