[ARM] Raspberry Pi update

There have been a couple of improvements for the Raspberry Pi 4b and Raspberry Pi 400.

The first step in installing EndeavourOS Arm is to install an Archlinux Arm base install. The Image-install script has been expanded to include Raspberry Pi 400.

New-image-install

Up to this point, Raspberry Pi 400 is only available as a 32 bit OS install. When a RPi 400 64 bit install becomes available, the plan is to switch from the 32 bit to 64 bit. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on getting 64 bit on the RPi 400, please let us know.

I feel the RPi4 model b runs better on the 64 bit OS. However, as a side note, if the RPi 400 install is used, it will run on both the RPi4 model b and the RPi 400. One can switch the uSD card between them at will. I don’t know when or why that would be an advantage, but there it is.

SECONDLY

Recently @linesma found a problem with the RPi4 model b involving resolution problems at 1824x984. He ran the problem down like a Beagle on a rabbit. Or is that a bull dog on a bone? Anyway his fix has been added to the EndeavourOS install script (the second script) for both the RPi 4 model b and the RPi 400. A tip of the hat to @linesma. Thanks for your help.

That’s it for now.

Pudge

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I prefer the beagle metaphor. Seeing how the beagle is my favorite breed of dog. The problem was that the Pi was not displaying resolutions properly because of over scan. For example, it was displying 1920X1080 at 1824X984.

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Hi,
Does anyone know why there is only a 32bits OS for the pi 400 at this moment ?

Until recently, Raspberry Pi OS (the official RPi OS) has only been available in 32 bit for backwards compatibility for the RPi 3, and I believe even further versions back. The 64 Bit Raspberry Pi OS has been recently released as a Beta. I think it is still Beta.

So the emphasis has been to make all RPi 4 devices compatible with 32 Bit. 64 Bit seems to be an afterthought.

The Raspberry Pi 4 series is the first RPi version with USB 3.0, 4 GB RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet. The USB 3.0 (and 2.0) chip (VL805 chip) is attached via the PCI Express interface.

The RPi 400 had to re-arrange the USB/PCIe configuration to provide for the built in keyboard. It utilized one USB 2 port for the internal keyboard. This eliminated one of the external USB 2 connectors.

Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough to understand if the ethernet, wireless, bluetooth, and integrated GPU are using the PCIe channels. It may be that the PCIe channels are getting saturated, or maybe not. Perhaps someone else would know about this than I do.

The Arch Linux 64 Bit OS has not been redone to compensate for this that I know of. Hopefully it is coming.

This is probably not a good explanation, because I am not knowledgeable on how all this hardware works together.

Pudge

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Thanks for your long answer, Pudge :+1:t2:

By the way, I just try Manjaro XFCE 64bits on my Rpi 400, and it works fine… So maybe EOS will be soon available in 64bits :wink:

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Yes, As far as I know, Manjaro is the only Arch based OS that has 64 bit working on a uSD card. What I don’t know is if the Manjaro 64 bit OS will run off a USB SSD.

That will be dependent on Arch Linux Arm offering a 64 BIT OS that will work on the RPi 4b 8GB RAM and the RPi 400. I believe Manjaro is using a different kernel than the one from Arch Linux Arm.

Much respect for the Manjaro Arm devs.

Pudge

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It does, I have it booting from an SSD in a 8GB Rpi 4.

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Thanks for the feedback. :pray:

Pudge

Sure! They use the /boot/cmdline.txt file, not the boot.txt that if I’m not mistaken Arch for Arm is using.

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I’ve been using three RPI’s booting off USB SSD’s over the last year or more. I’ve only run the 32-bit PiOS Debian based system on them, but would like to try out EndeavourOS if it’s doable. It’s been a while since I got the SSD’s to work, but my memory is that the main thing to do was update the firmware needed to make USB devices bootable, the rsync the SD card system to the SSD. I find the SSD’s useful, as they’re a LOT more reliable, much faster, and have greater storage capacity. I primarily use my RPI’s as backup repositories for important personal projects and personal data which I store on the cloud (currently using Linode). I’ve managed to get my home public IP forwarded on my ATT router to one of the RPI’s, making rsync the tool I use to backup my Linode VM. I’d like to experiment putting a non-Debian based system on one of the RPI’s and play around with it a bit. Sounds like EndeavourOS on ARM might be a go if I can install it on an SSD. Sorry to be late to the game here, but I haven’t had time to get onto the forum much over the last year.

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There is a Topic that has the very latest on RPi 4b 4 GB RAM, RPI 4b 8 GB RAM, and the RPi 400 info for running 64 Bit OS and on a USB SSD if desired.

I am as I write this, I am in the middle of writing a script that will accomplish the contents of the listed topic. Perhaps you might want to test it when I am finished?

Pudge

I will check out your suggested topic on the forum. Thanks for the pointer. I really am interested in using Linux on RISC architectures, especially now that Apple has brought RISC to the forefront with their new SOC cpu’s. Haven’t seen RISC at the forefront like this since the DEC Alpha chip days. And yes, after reading through the ARM forum, perhaps I’ll then be in a place to perhaps check out your script. Haven’t been on the forum much the last year or so, so am catching up.

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Hey, @Pudge, I don’t want to put pressure on you or anything, but do you think that script is going to be available by Christmas? :christmas_tree:

I am thinking of waiting to try it out before trying to follow those instructions that you’ve written to install the 64 bit Arch/EOS on an SDD with the 8BG rpi4.

Presently I do have the time to take that on, but having read that you are working on a script, I am thinking of just waiting. And I’m in no way in a hurry, of course, just wanted you to know you’ll have a tester for that use case.

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Yes, it is close to done.
If you want to test it, I have sent you a pm on this subject.

Anyone else wants to help in testing, PM me.

Pudge

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@Pudge Since you are busy writing the 64 bit script, I have put the original announcement on the designated news category on the ARM website.

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I am running both Raspberry PiOS 64 bit and EndeavourOS Arm on a new Pi 400. Initially i had issues getting it to boot off of usb SSD drives and or usb thumb drives.

I updated the firmware or eeprom and bootloader and i still had issues with usb boot. I don’t have a Pi4 yet as they are hard to get. Next delivery is after October here if you order one.

In order to boot on an ssd i had to add a kernel parameter to /boot/cmdline.txt. You need to get the VID and PID values of the drive first by running lsusb. Then add the following kernel parameter.
usb-storage.quirks=xxxx:xxxx:u substituting the VID and PID values that are x.

I have no issues booting on usb if i do this. You may or may not have this issue on Pi4 but i thought it worth mentioning.

I used the new install procedure to successfully boot up Arm EOS to my rpi 4b from SSD via a USB 3 port. I had previously been running PiOS from the SSD, and all of my rpi 4b’s have their eeproms updated to run from SSD. After creating the SSD from the ISO boot from my linux laptop, the rpi booted right up once I powered it up with the SSD attached. The new install procedure is ready for prime time!

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