questions, questions

[Arch91]

Hello again, frno7 ! Long live to your PS2Linux 5.x kernels project :D
While I was in a business trip, I wrote TEN functions which I'd like to test on the real hardware in PS2Linux on your kernel. Four of those functions, if my suppose is correct, eventually can automatically speed up the particular things in ps2dev community a little bit. And other things... I'd like to test before to even talk about them.
...However, even though I archived the scripts and config-files, patches, which are leading to the 'working those days' toolchain, but following them, the result is I simply can not run the kernel/initrd to the "Welcome!" stage. Can you, please, help in re-freshing my building knowledges to find out what I am doing wrong?

1. Kernel headers:
   make ARCH=mips headers_install INSTALL_HDR_PATH=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu

2. binutils-2.34. It's configure flags:
   --prefix=/usr/local/ps2 --target=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --enable-shared --enable-plugins --disable-werror

3. gcc-9.2.0, st1. It's configure flags:
   --prefix=/usr/local/ps2 --target=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --enable-languages=c --includedir=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu/include --disable-nls --disable-shared --disable-libssp --disable-libmudflap --disable-threads --disable-libgomp --disable-libquadmath --disable-target-libiberty --disable-target-zlib --without-ppl --without-cloog --with-headers=no --disable-libada --disable-libatomic --with-llsc=no --with-float=soft --disable-multilib

4. glibc-2.13, glibc-ports-2.13.
   mkdir build
   cd build
   echo "libc_cv_forced_unwind=yes" > config.cache
   echo "libc_cv_c_cleanup=yes" >> config.cache
   configure flags:
   mipsel-linux --prefix=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu --host=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --enable-shared --with-headers=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu/include --enable-add-ons --with-tls --with-__thread --without-fp --cache-file=config.cache

5. gcc-9.2.0, st2. Flags:
   --prefix=/usr/local/ps2 --target=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --enable-languages=c,c++ --includedir=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu/include --enable-libatomic --with-llsc=yes --with-float=soft --disable-multilib

6. glibc-2.30.
   mkdir build
   cd build
   echo "libc_cv_forced_unwind=yes" > config.cache
   echo "libc_cv_c_cleanup=yes" >> config.cache
   configure flags:
   mipsel-linux --prefix=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu --host=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --enable-shared --with-headers=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu/include --enable-add-ons --with-tls --with-__thread --without-fp --disable-experimental-malloc --with-pkgversion="GNU libc v2.30, nothing special" --cache-file=config.cache

7. gcc-9.2.0, final st. configure flags:
   --prefix=/usr/local/ps2 --target=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu --enable-languages=c,c++ --includedir=/usr/local/ps2/mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu/include --enable-libatomic --with-llsc=yes --with-float=soft --disable-multilib

8. busybox-1.28.0.
   I have a .config file for it from those times I could questionlessly build things by myself. Moved the folder with the installed files to the same directory level which has kernel source. Folder name: "initramfs-ps2". And inside it:
   mkdir {dev,lib,proc,sys,mnt,newroot}
   mkdir lib/firmware/ps2
   cp init-for-busybox.sh init || exit -1
   cp actual_init-for-busybox.sh sbin/init

9. iopmod

• git cloned from your repository, compiled and placed all .irx files to initramfs-ps2/lib/firmware/ps2/

11. linux-ps2-v5.4.211https://github.com/frno7/linux. Actually, the programs are detecting it as 5.4.1, though, the version 5.4.211 is set in the file arch/mips/configs/ps2_defconfig .
    cp arch/mips/configs/ps2_defconfig .config
    make ARCH=mips CROSS_COMPILE=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu- oldconfig
    make ARCH=mips CROSS_COMPILE=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu- -j 4 modules
    make ARCH=mips CROSS_COMPILE=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu- -j 4 vmlinuz
    make ARCH=mips CROSS_COMPILE=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu- INSTALL_MOD_PATH=$INITRAMFS_DIR INSTALL_MOD_STRIP=1 modules_install

• next, removing vmlinux, vmlinuz, vmlinux.o, usr/{*.a, *.o, *.xz}, and do again:
  make ARCH=mips CROSS_COMPILE=mipsr5900el-unknown-linux-gnu- -j 4 vmlinuz
  mv vmlinuz /path/to/my_flashdrive/PS2Linux_v5.4.211.ELF

It starts.

As far as I remember, next the screen must flash once (as a result of the /sbin/init's "modprobe ps2fb mode_option=1920x1080p@50") and relocate to an other screen with the "live" things we can operate.
Also, I remember that to be witnessing "initrd not found or empty - disabling initrd" is alright when we have initramfs. I even remember that I edited the code of that message to something else XD to be not confused.

And also, I tried to download pal initrd from the releases of your kernel, unpacked it, saw that it includes busybox, .irx modules but no kernel modules, so I added kernel modules compiled by me and injected into the kernel as initramfs - no result. Can not really suppose what is the case... Initramfs is building and sticking inside the kernel but actually the kernel expects the outside initrd, I dunno?.. Any suggestions?

btw, is it ok to see a bloomed text in the kernel initial run screen resolution as it is on my picture?

[frno7]

Hmm... GCC 9.2 is quite old, maybe that’s a problem?

Have you tried booting vmlinuz-pal-ps2-main-77174dd4 from action run 21833811559?

I use the crossdev package in Gentoo, so I haven’t built GCC etc. manually for many years. If you’re not into Gentoo yourself, perhaps the Docker file in https://github.com/frno7/gentoo-mipsr5900el is useful to you instead?