Using netHAT drivers with custom linux (not Raspbian)

[FrankS]

Hello, I was redirected to this forum by Henry Kurz (techsales@hilscher.com) after contacting info@hilscher.com with the following question:

I have a netHAT 52-RTE 7775.000 on my table and a Raspberry PI 3 B+.
Raspberry PI 3 B+ is ARM64 (aarch64).
But your drivers offered in netHAT_DVD_2016-08-1_V1_0_0_1.zip are 32 Bit ARM only.

We plan not to use original Raspbian for our project, because of the overloaded complexity of systemd init system.
We currently develop using Devuan 'devuan_ascii_2.0.0_arm64_raspi3.img.xz' which has a managable (much less complex) standard init system.
We were not aware of your netHAT 52-RTE module strictly depends on Raspbian operating system.

Can you help us out with drivers, firmware and demo for aarch64 (ARM64)? Best would be the source code of the drivers.

Some Debug output is attached.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Simon@netHAT]

Hello Frank,

The driver for netHAT is currently limited to 32-bit support.
In general, we do not offer a driver package free of charge(in source code).
Nevertheless, I would ask for your patience until end of this month.
Then, l I will receive a feedback from our development regarding the 64-bit mode driver.

Best regards,
Simon

[Simon@netHAT]

Hello Frank,

could you please provide us with additional information about your toolchain?

Thanks in advance,
Simon

[FrankS]

Sure, but we do not use a toolchain in a classical point of view. At least not a cross-compiler.
On our development hosts we compile natively using QEMU user chroot.
We base on Devuan image devuan_ascii_2.0.0_arm64_raspi3.img.xz
Here are some toolchain infos from a Raspi 3 B+ running Devuan ASCII 2:

Code:

$ uname -a
Linux devuan 4.16.14-v8+ #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Jun 5 18:50:10 CEST 2018 aarch64 GNU/Linux

$ cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Devuan GNU/Linux ascii"
NAME="Devuan GNU/Linux"
ID=devuan
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.devuan.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://devuan.org/os/community"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.devuan.org/"

$ gcc --version
gcc (Debian 6.3.0-18+deb9u1) 6.3.0 20170516

$ gcc -march=native -Q --help=target
The following options are target specific:
  -mabi=ABI                             lp64
  -march=ARCH                           armv8-a+crc
  -mbig-endian                          [disabled]
  -mbionic                              [disabled]
  -mcmodel=                             small
  -mcpu=CPU                   
  -mfix-cortex-a53-835769               [enabled]
  -mfix-cortex-a53-843419               [enabled]
  -mgeneral-regs-only                   [disabled]
  -mglibc                               [enabled]
  -mlittle-endian                       [enabled]
  -mmusl                                [disabled]
  -momit-leaf-frame-pointer             [enabled]
  -moverride=STRING           
  -mpc-relative-literal-loads           [enabled]
  -mstrict-align                        [disabled]
  -mtls-dialect=                        desc
  -mtls-size=                           [default]
  -mtune=CPU                  
  -muclibc                              [disabled]

$ ldd --version
ldd (Debian GLIBC 2.24-11+deb9u4) 2.24

$ ld -v
GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.28

$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor       : 0
BogoMIPS        : 38.40
Features        : fp asimd evtstrm crc32 cpuid
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 8
CPU variant     : 0x0
CPU part        : 0xd03
CPU revision    : 4
...

Hope that helps. Do you need some additional Info?
Thanks in advance for your help!

[Simon@netHAT]

Hello Frank,

Thanks for your additional information.
 
This would not be a simple configuration of the 32-bit mode.
In consultation with our development team, we cannot provide you with a netHAT Driver with 64-bit mode.
Sorry, for these bad news.

Best regards,
Simon

[Armin@netPI]

Hi Frank,

the point is that the Linux driver for all our devices we sell like PC cards named cifX, or embedded modules named comX or even the simple chips like netX 51, netX 52, netX100 or modules of them is not for free.

The original source code the netHAT driver was made of can be ordered from Hilscher as an official product here https://www.hilscher.com/products/produc...Lang=false. It is about 1000EUR. I hardly can imagine that you are willing to pay this amount of money for an $80 product.

Thx
Armin