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Installing Ubuntu on Intel Edison

Instead of having make build a Debian image, here are the instructions to manually modify a Ubuntu Base image to make it bootable on Intel Edison.

Also here is a pre-built ubuntu image for you now! check ubuntu-22.04-minimal

Step 1

Download Gatesgarth64 image (https://github.com/edison-fw/meta-intel-edison/releases/download/Gatesgarth64/edison-image-91c85a58.7z).
Use flashall.sh to flash it on the Edison.

Step 2

Now when the Edison boots you need to login via serial port and connect to WiFi network

Step 3

Connect a powered external hard drive via usb (or use SD card). The Edison hasn’t enough power on the USB port so an external powered Hard Drive is necessary

Step 4

Format the disk (will erase all data):

  • mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1 if using the hdd (check your device is /dev/sda1)
  • mkfs.ext4 /dev/mmcblk1p1 if using the SD Card (the external sd will always be on that position)

Step 5

Mount the disk:

  • mount /dev/sda1 /mnt if using the HDD
  • mount /dev/mmcblk1p1 /mnt if using the sd card

Step 6

Download Ubuntu Base using wget http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-base/releases/20.04/release/ubuntu-base-20.04.3-base-amd64.tar.gz
Extract it to the external disk: tar -C /mnt -zxf ubuntu-base-20.04.3-base-amd64.tar.gz

Step 7

Copy kernel, modules and firmware:
cp -ra /lib/modules /mnt/lib/
cp -ra /lib/firmware /mnt/lib/
cp -ra /boot /mnt/

Step 8

Correct system date: date -s '2022-02-21' (put your date)

Step 9

Chroot into Ubuntu:
mount -t proc /proc /mnt/proc
mount -t sysfs /sys /mnt/sys
mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
mount -o bind /dev/pts /mnt/dev/pts
and then chroot /mnt bash

Step 10

You can change hostname:
echo 'edison' > /etc/hostname

Step 11

Install some necessary packages:
export DEBIAN_FRONTEND="noninteractive"
apt update
apt install -y language-pack-en-base
apt install -y dialog apt-utils
unset DEBIAN_FRONTEND
apt install -y bash-completion curl dnsutils htop ifupdown iputils-ping kmod nano net-tools network-manager openssh-server rfkill sudo systemd systemd-sysv tree vim wget wireless-tools wpasupplicant

Step 12

Create an user, and set password:
useradd -G sudo -d /home/ubuntu -m -s /bin/bash ubuntu
echo "ubuntu:ubuntu" | chpasswd You will be able to login later when ubuntu boots with the user ubuntu and password ubuntu

Step 13

Enable login via serial port: systemctl enable getty@ttyS2.service

Step 14

Exit and reboot:
exit
umount /mnt/dev/pts
umount /mnt/dev
umount /mnt/sys
umount /mnt/proc
umount /mnt
systemctl reboot

Step 15

Interrupt U-Boot when requested and run in the U-Boot Console:

  • If using HDD:


    setenv bootargs_edsboot 'tty1 console=ttyS2,115200n8 root=/dev/sda1 rootfstype=ext4 systemd.unit=multi-user.target hardware_id=${hardware_id}'
    run edsboot

  • If using SD Card:


    setenv bootargs_edsboot 'tty1 console=ttyS2,115200n8 root=/dev/mmcblk1p1 rootfstype=ext4 systemd.unit=multi-user.target hardware_id=${hardware_id}'
    run edsboot Later we will make the boot permanent on Ubuntu (now when rebooted it will load the Gatesgarth Image)

Step 16

Now you can login with user ubuntu and password ubuntu

Step 17

Now you’ll need to enable WiFi sudo modprobe brcmfmac
echo 'brcmfmac' | sudo tee -a /etc/modules
With these commands we’re enabling the WiFi module

Step 18

Now we’ll need to connect to WiFi, there are many ways to do that on Linux, the easiest I found was modifying the file /etc/network/interfaces we can do that by entering sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces when the files opens we’ll have to paste in it those lines:
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-essid mywifiname <–put here your wifi SSID
wpa-psk mypass<–put here your wifi password to save using nano hit Ctrl+X then y and then Enter Now we’ll need to restart the Network service to make it connect to WiFi
sudo systemctl restart networking Now running sudo ifconfig we’ll be able to see if we’re connected to WiFi and the corresponding IP Address

Using SD Card as default boot position

I followed this guide As said above we have to set the SD Card (or HDD) as default boot disk, otherwise we’ll always load the Gatesgarth Image. We can do that by going to the U-Boot console, interrupting the boot when asked (you’ll need to be connected through Serial to do that) If you’re using an HDD just change /dev/mmcblk1p1 with /dev/sda1 in every command later Then issue the following commands:

setenv mmc-bootargs 'setenv bootargs root=${myrootfs} rootdelay=3 rootfstype=ext4 ${bootargs_console} ${bootargs_debug} systemd.unit=${bootargs_target}.target hardware_id=${hardware_id} g_multi.iSerialNumber=${serial#} g_multi.dev_addr=${usb0addr}'
setenv myrootfs '/dev/mmcblk1p1'
setenv myrootfs_sdcard /dev/mmcblk1p1
setenv myrootfs_emmc /dev/mmcblk0p8

that’s the partition where out Gatesgarth image is loaded

setenv do_boot_emmc 'setenv myrootfs ${myrootfs_emmc}; run do_boot'
setenv do_boot_sdcard 'setenv myrootfs ${myrootfs_sdcard}; run do_boot'
setenv bootdelay 3

this is optional, we’re just delaying the boot allowing us more time to stop the boot process to enter the U-Boot Console

saveenv
run do_boot_sdcard

From now on every time we’ll reboot the board it will automatically load the system in the /dev/mmcblk1p1 partition aka. our SD Card. If we want to load the Gatesgarth image (for debugging or whatever else) we’ll need to stop the boot process entering the U-Boot Console and issuing the following command:
run do_boot_emmc

© 2018 Ferry Toth