Pre built kernels and distributions
Here is a table of available released kernels. Don't forget to download both the kernel and the relevant modules.
| Build date | Source tag | Download | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090119 | eseries_release_20090119 | Kernel_20090119 | Now with working USB ethernet. Ahem. |
| 20090117 | eseries_release_20090117 | Kernel_20090117 | AC97 works. |
| 20081231 | eseries_release_20081231 | Kernel_20081231 | Happy new Year! |
| 20080626 | eseries_release_20080626 | Kernel_20080626 | Preliminary ac97 drivers for the toshiba e350 e740 e750 and e800 PDAs |
| 20080109 | eseries_release_20080109 | Kernel_20080109 | Hacky e740 backlight code |
| 20071229 | eseries_release_20071229 | Kernel_20071229 | random hackings |
Bootloaders
Bootloaders are available for e330, e400, e740, e750, and e800.
HaRET is an alternative bootloader you may wish to use if you have trouble. It doesn't have problems with (for example) foreign language models.
Installation notes
A typical installation at present will be installed onto a SD / MMC memory card and boot from there. It is not possible to remove the card during use. As the port matures, this dependancy will go away, booting instead from internal flash.
You will need, at a minimum, the correct bootloader for your PDA, a kernel image (zImage) and 'params' file. To be any use, you will also want to install a distro onto your SD/MMC card, and a set of modules to accompany the kernel.
You will need to partition your SD card. I have used fdisk on linux successfully. The first partition _must_ be FAT16 or the PDA will erase the card. 32MB should be ample. The second partition should be formatted as ext2 (not 3!). Windows CE will format the first partition the first time you put the card into it. Use mke2fs to format the second partition.
Copy the kernel image, bootloader, and params file onto the FAT16 partition.
Unpack the distro onto the second partition. Also unpack your modules into the appropriate place (/lib/modules) on the second partition. How to boot
Booting
To boot the PDA, copy zImage from your SD card into 'My Documents' on the PDA, then run the bootloader. If all is well, you will see the PDA boot into linux.
The first boot can be *VERY* slow as the distro will unpack and configure all its packages. be patient and enjoy the pretty boot logo.
