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Honored Contributor
Honored ContributoruClinux boot from epcs ?
If someone like me wants to run uCLinux on a Nios2 but the fpga must not be a bga type then the biggest fpga available is EP2C20 with QFP 240 pins. That one can be handsoldered http://forum.niosforu...
Altera_ForumHonored Contributor
Honored ContributorHi jdhar,
The Altera boot copier is a bare-bones crt0 implementation. It does exactly what you need it to do ... in only a handful of instructions ... nothing more. u-boot however, is a full-featured boot-loader, not just a "a nice little boot copier". In addition to the features wgoossens mentioned, u-boot also supports the following: - Command line interface via JTAG/UART. - Full epcs support read/write/program/protect. - Serial port download using kermit. - File download via Ethernet using TFTP and/or NFS. - Scripting (scripts can be run automatically at startup). - Flash programming (e.g. download your file via NFS, then program into your flash). - BOOTP/DHCP client support. - Memory read, write, fill, compare and tesing (several test flavors available). - RARP - Support for JFFS2, CRAMFS, DOS, etc. (including multiple partitions). - Support for SPI, MMC, CompactFlash, etc. The list goes on ... but you get the picture ... if all you need is crt0 -- use the Altera boot-copier. If you want (or need) to do more than that you can use u-boot ... or redboot ... or something similar. In any case, I highly recommend you give u-boot (and/or redboot) a test drive. There are many features you may find very handy ... and there's lots of code you can hoist into your own loaders as well. Regards, --Scott
