Translation(s): none

Models covered
?StarFive ?VisionFiveV1

• ?StarFive VisionFive V1, ?StarFive JH7100 (Dual-core 64-bit ?SiFive U74) + Embedded 32-bit ?SiFive E24 Core, 8 GB 64-bit LPDDR4, Gigabit Ethernet, microSD Card.

Overall Status

Legend :
= OK ; Unsupported(No Driver) ; = Error (Couldn't get it working); [?] Unknown, Not Test ; [-] Not-applicable
= Configuration Required; = Only works with a non-free driver and or firmware

Important Note

There are no official Debian images available yet.

Installing Debian on VisionFive V1

Build the kernel

# Install prerequisites on the host machine
sudo apt install libncurses-dev libssl-dev bc flex bison make gcc gcc-riscv64-linux-gnu

# Download and extract latest StarFive JH7100 sources
wget https://github.com/starfive-tech/linux/archive/refs/heads/visionfive.zip
unzip visionfive.zip

# build the kernel
cd linux-visionfive/
cp arch/riscv/configs/starfive_jh7100_fedora_defconfig .config
make ARCH=riscv CROSS_COMPILE=riscv64-linux-gnu- menuconfig
make ARCH=riscv CROSS_COMPILE=riscv64-linux-gnu- -jX bindeb-pkg LOCALVERSION=-starfive-5.18

# While you wait for the kernel to compile, you can begin setting up the roots in the next section. The following step will not work until you do this.
# Once the kernel is built and the microSD partitions are mounted (see next section), copy the .deb files to the microSD card
sudo cp ../*.deb /mnt/jh7100/root/

# Also copy the device tree
sudo cp arch/riscv/boot/dts/starfive/jh7100-starfive-visionfive-v1.dtb /mnt/jh7100/boot/

Prepare filesystems and rootfs

# These instructions assume that your microSD card is at /dev/mmcblk0
# First, prepare the microSD card partitions
sudo cfdisk -z /dev/mmcblk0
# Pick "dos" when prompted
# Create the following four partitions:
#
# 16M: 83 Linux (will be deleted anyway)
# 16M: C W95 FAT 32
# 512M: 83 Linux BOOTABLE
# Rest of card: 83 Linux

# Then, delete the first partition (leaving 16M free space there), write the partitions, and exit
# You can double check your work with:
fdisk -l /dev/mmcblk0

# Next, prepare the filesystems
sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/mmcblk0p2
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L _/boot /dev/mmcblk0p3
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L _/ /dev/mmcblk0p4

sudo mkdir /mnt/jh7100
sudo mount /dev/mmcblk0p4 /mnt/jh7100

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/jh7100/boot
sudo mount /dev/mmcblk0p3 /mnt/jh7100/boot/

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/jh7100/boot/efi
sudo mount /dev/mmcblk0p2 /mnt/jh7100/boot/efi/

# You can check your work with lsblk

Bootstrapping

# Install prerequisites on host:
sudo apt install qemu-user-static binfmt-support

# The command below will bootstrap debian on the SD card.
sudo debootstrap --arch=riscv64 --keyring /usr/share/keyrings/debian-ports-archive-keyring.gpg --include=debian-ports-archive-keyring unstable /mnt/jh7100 https://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/

# If you get an error "Unable to execute target architecture", try the following process instead:
sudo debootstrap --foreign --arch=riscv64 --keyring /usr/share/keyrings/debian-ports-archive-keyring.gpg --include=debian-ports-archive-keyring unstable /mnt/jh7100/ http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/jh7100/usr/bin/
sudo cp "$(which qemu-riscv64-static)" /mnt/jh7100/usr/bin/
sudo chroot /mnt/jh7100/ /debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage

# Now enter the chroot and ensure that the package db is up to date
sudo systemd-nspawn -D /mnt/jh7100/ -M debian --bind-ro=/etc/resolv.conf
apt update
apt dist-upgrade

Installing kernel and bootloader config

# Now that you are in the chroot, you will install the .deb files from the kernel compilation
apt install ./*.deb

# Next, prepare the initramfs
cd /boot
apt install initramfs-tools
update-initramfs -ck all

# You will need some files from the official StarFive Fedora image
# Open a terminal on the host machine and download the image from here:
# https://github.com/starfive-tech/Fedora_on_StarFive

# Extract the Fedora image
sudo apt install zstd
zstd -d  Fedora-riscv64-jh7100-developer-xfce-Rawhide-20211226-214100.n.0-sda.raw.zst

# Examine the partitions. Note the partition start locations and units
fdisk -u -l Fedora-riscv64-jh7100-developer-xfce-Rawhide-20211226-214100.n.0-sda.raw

# Mount the second partition of the image as follows.
# Compute the offset by multiplying (units * start)
# For example, if the start is 319488 and units is 512 bytes, then (319488 * 512) = 163577856
# Use this offset value to mount the second partition:
sudo mkdir /mnt/fedora/
sudo mount -o loop,offset=163577856 Fedora-riscv64-jh7100-developer-xfce-Rawhide-20211226-214100.n.0-sda.raw /mnt/fedora

# Now you should be able to copy some files from the Fedora image to the SD card
sudo cp -R /mnt/fedora/boot/ /mnt/jh7100/boot
sudo cp -R /mnt/fedora/extlinux/ /mnt/jh7100/boot/
sudo cp /mnt/fedora/grub.cfg /mnt/jh7100/boot/

# Unmount the second Fedora partition
sudo umount /mnt/fedora

# And mount the first Fedora partition
sudo mount -o loop,offset=35651584 Fedora-riscv64-jh7100-developer-xfce-Rawhide-20211226-214100.n.0-sda.raw /mnt/fedora
sudo cp -R /mnt/fedora/EFI /mnt/jh7100/boot/efi

# Back in the chroot, you need to edit some of the new files

# Edit /boot/boot/uEnv.txt by commenting out ipaddr and netmask, and change "fedora" to "debian"

# Rename a directory:
cd /boot/efi/EFI
mv fedora/ debian/

# Edit /boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf to match your files:

timeout 20
menu title Kernel Boot Options.

label kernel
        kernel /vmlinuz-5.18.0-starfive-5.18
        fdt /jh7100-starfive-visionfive-v1.dtb
        append rw root=UUID=245a4691-f80c-4d26-8c59-9c4fce3f044d rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 earlycon=sbi rootwait stmmaceth=chain_mode:1 selinux=0 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
        initrd /initrd.img-5.18.0-starfive-5.18


# Edit /boot/grub.cfg to match your files:

set default=0
set timeout_style=menu
set timeout=2

set debug="linux,loader,mm"
set term="vt100"

menuentry 'Debian vmlinuz-5.18.0-starfive-5.18 visionfive' {
        linux /vmlinuz-5.18.0-starfive-5.18 rw root=UUID=245a4691-f80c-4d26-8c59-9c4fce3f044d rhgb console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 earlycon rootwait stmmaceth=chain_mode:1 selinux=0 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
        devicetree /jh7100-starfive-visionfive-v1.dtb
        initrd /initrd.img-5.18.0-starfive-5.18
}

# Set root password
passwd

# sync disks
sync

# Change hostname
echo visionfive > /etc/hostname

# Install ssh server and ntp
apt install openssh-server ntp

# exit chroot
exit

# Unmount everything from the host
sudo umount /mnt/fedora
sudo umount /mnt/jh7100/boot/efi
sudo umount /mnt/jh7100/boot/
sudo umount /mnt/jh7100/

# Now the microSD card should be bootable by the VisionFive V1