MIPS64/Known Issues - Revision history

Darkfader at 22:07, 22 July 2025

2025-07-22T22:07:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:07, 22 July 2025
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	The example is using the debian little endian kernel/initrd which apparently won't process "rd_name" adding this since there's no examples anywhere.		The example is using the debian little endian kernel/initrd which apparently won't process "rd_name" adding this since there's no examples anywhere.
	rd_name seems to be implemented by Alpine in <pre>octeon-rd_name.patch</pre>		rd_name seems to be implemented by Alpine in <pre>octeon-rd_name.patch</pre>

			The related kernel is linux-octeon which builds last on 3.14/3.15 due to some openssl dependency (openssl 3.x vs 1.x).

Darkfader: /* Run from RAM */

2025-07-22T22:00:16Z

Run from RAM

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:00, 22 July 2025
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	Example for loading the initrd (from a SATA disk).		Example for loading the initrd (from a SATA disk).
	The example is using the debian little endian kernel/initrd which apparently won't process "rd_name" adding this since there's no examples anywhere.		The example is using the debian little endian kernel/initrd which apparently won't process "rd_name" adding this since there's no examples anywhere.
			rd_name seems to be implemented by Alpine in <pre>octeon-rd_name.patch</pre>


	<pre>		<pre>
	# bring up sata host ports		# bring up sata host ports

Darkfader: /* Floating Point */

2025-07-22T21:57:53Z

Floating Point

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:57, 22 July 2025
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	The MIPS64 port is soft-float, because many of the CPUs we are targeting have broken FPUs. This causes problems with math applications, such as those dependent on OpenBLAS. Similarly, binaries that are compiled with <code>-mhard-float</code> can't be linked on Alpine MIPS64. We may do a hard-float port later.		The MIPS64 port is soft-float, because many of the CPUs we are targeting have broken FPUs. This causes problems with math applications, such as those dependent on OpenBLAS. Similarly, binaries that are compiled with <code>-mhard-float</code> can't be linked on Alpine MIPS64. We may do a hard-float port later.

			If you attempt on your own you will find it easier to bootstrap a new port from a hardfloat OS so you can avoid any 'infection' via a softfloat linker.
			If you try in 3.14, make sure you tear out the soft float bits from the bootstrap env and do not continue if you end up with a soft-float linked 'ld'.

	== Go ==		== Go ==

Darkfader: /* Run from RAM */

2025-07-22T21:55:58Z

Run from RAM

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:55, 22 July 2025
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	For those which do support named memory blocks, you can load an initramfs into one and then specify it as <code>rd_name=initramfs</code> on the kernel command line.		For those which do support named memory blocks, you can load an initramfs into one and then specify it as <code>rd_name=initramfs</code> on the kernel command line.

			Example for loading the initrd (from a SATA disk).
			The example is using the debian little endian kernel/initrd which apparently won't process "rd_name" adding this since there's no examples anywhere.
			<pre>
			# bring up sata host ports
			sata init
			# reserve memory starting at the default address $(loadaddr) and size based off the kernel's size (everything here is in hex)
			setenv octeon_reserved_mem_linux_base 0x2000000
			setenv octeon_reserved_mem_linux_size 0x15B23B0
			# create a named block named initramfs,
			# again the size given is the actual file size plus some rounding
			# like this it'll just pick free space and at the same time stay away from what the kernel uses

			namedalloc initramfs 0x19d8f00

			# now load the files from ext2 partition (ext3/ext4 only supported if removing certain flags during mkfs)
			ext2load sata 0:1 initramfs initrd-6.1.0-35-octeon.gz
			ext2load sata 0:1 $(loadaddr) vmlinux-6.1.0-35-octeon
			</pre>

			For to use this with alpine you need to decide what you'll load here, apkovl or a normal initrd, then try passing it to the alpine kernel using rd_name.

			failure can be spotted by this error message:
			<pre>
			[ 0.000000] Initrd not found or empty - disabling initrd
			</pre>

			(for anyone who reads this far: the debian kernel crashes on the LiquidIO II NIC during PCIe init. This is not related to initramfs)

	== Floating Point ==		== Floating Point ==

Darkfader: just make sure message is same

2025-04-28T11:29:02Z

just make sure message is same

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:29, 28 April 2025
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	{{Obsolete\|MIPS64 is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.14.3. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform. ~~Newer~~ releases are not available.}}		{{Obsolete\|MIPS64 is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.14.3. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform. New releases are not available for it.}}

	{{TOC right}}		{{TOC right}}

Darkfader at 11:15, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T11:15:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:15, 28 April 2025
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	{{Obsolete\|MIPS64 is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.14.3. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform.}}		{{Obsolete\|MIPS64 is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.14.3. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform. Newer releases are not available.}}

	{{TOC right}}		{{TOC right}}

Darkfader: /* Octeon 3 BGX */

2025-04-28T11:14:18Z

Octeon 3 BGX

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:14, 28 April 2025
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	The recommended kernel for most Octeon devices is the one in our <code>linux-octeon</code> package. However, this kernel does not have the drivers to support the Octeon 3 BGX networking features which are used on the higher-end Octeon SOCs. For those devices, you will need to use a vendor-supplied kernel for now until the driver is ported.		The recommended kernel for most Octeon devices is the one in our <code>linux-octeon</code> package. However, this kernel does not have the drivers to support the Octeon 3 BGX networking features which are used on the higher-end Octeon SOCs. For those devices, you will need to use a vendor-supplied kernel for now until the driver is ported.

			(Most of those drivers have been ported around 2022, but expect a lot of issues piecing it together)

	== Endianness ==		== Endianness ==

Zcrayfish: Correct the version in which MIPS64 was dropped.

2024-01-10T06:38:26Z

Correct the version in which MIPS64 was dropped.

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:38, 10 January 2024
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	{{Obsolete\|~~MIPS~~ is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.15.0. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform.}}		{{Obsolete\|MIPS64 is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.14.3. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform.}}

	{{TOC right}}		{{TOC right}}

Zcrayfish: MIPS is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.15.0. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform

2021-12-15T02:06:09Z

MIPS is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.15.0. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:06, 15 December 2021
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			{{Obsolete\|MIPS is no longer supported as of Alpine 3.15.0. Security updates are NOT being backported for this platform.}}

	{{TOC right}}		{{TOC right}}

Kaniini at 16:26, 8 April 2020

2020-04-08T16:26:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:26, 8 April 2020
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			These are the known issues with the [[MIPS64]] port.

	== Run from RAM ==		== Run from RAM ==