Re: [gentoo-user] Re: AMD lappy

[james]

On 11/17/18 9:59 PM, Grant Edwards wrote:
> On 2018-11-18, james <garftd@×××××××.net> wrote:
>> On 11/17/18 6:51 PM, Grant Edwards wrote:
>>> On 2018-11-17, Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com> wrote:
>>>> On Saturday, 17 November 2018 23:00:22 GMT Grant Edwards wrote:
>>>>> On 2018-11-17, james <garftd@×××××××.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Actually and AMD Arm (64bit) Ryzen or newer.
>>>>>
>>>>> No, Ryzen is not an Arm processor.
>>>
>>>> Well, ... the PSP spy-in-the-die is an ARM core running within the
>>>> main AMD x86 CPU and you can't switch it off, or remove it.
>>>
>>> Right.  Unless AMD has screwed up royally, the ARM
>>> security-processor-thingy is pretty much invisible to the end-user.
>>>
>>>> However, I'm sure this is not the kind of ARM James' been looking
>>>> for.
>>>
>>> I assumed not.
>>>
>>> I'd love to have an Arm based laptop, but getting full-up Linux
>>> running reliably on a Chromebook is just a bit over my hassle budget.
>>> I also want it to have a 16" 4:3 150dpi display, an RJ45 Ethernet
>>> connector, and a real DB9 serial port.  I'll pass on the built in POTS
>>> modem...
>>
>> I had not realized that AMD has completely given up on Arm Systems.
>
> It's hard to tell.  They still show the Opteron-A on their web site,
> but Google couldn't find anything using it...
>
>> I'm looking for an arm64 system, with enough native power to compile 64
>> bit arm codes, natively. Here is the best I've found::
>>
>> SynQuacer Dev Box
>>
>> [1]  https://www.96boards.org/product/developerbox/
>>
>> Purports to run gentoo (embedded?).
>> "�SC2A11� is a multi-core chip with 24 cores of ARM� Cortex-A53"
>>
>> Not quite available (alpha) and a bit pricey at $1200.00.
>
> Ouch.
>
>> Like Grant I'm looking for an arm 64 system that is straightforward
>> on installing gentoo, and has enough resources to perform most
>> compiles, natively. Or somebody has distcc running on four of those
>> 4G DDR-4 boards.
>>
>> Perhaps a gentoo cluster running on the latest R. PI ?
>>
>> Perhaps Vapier has a hidden howto to put native gentoo on Chromebooks?
>
> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Chromebook
>
> It's definitly doable ( for certain models and some value of
> "doable").  Everytime I look into it, the models for which "real"
> Linux installations are documented are always out-of-production.
>
>> Perhaps "TomH" has some suggestions. I got one of those "hikey Armv8a"
>> boards from 2015, but cannot find his gentoo image he crafted and
>> published. I do not have time for another gentoo adventure, just want to
>> use it and sync it now and again and install ebuilds and write a few
>> ebuilds for some 64 bit arm boards.
>
> Cross development might be easier.  It's how a _lot_ of ARM Linux
> targets are supported.  Even if the devlopment host and target are
> both ARM64, unless they're _really_ identical (same kernel, distro,
> and libraries), you still end up doing a good amount of "cross"
> compiling.
>
>> My thoughts are to consolidate my efforts into one (arm64) arch, both on
>> the development lappy and the arm64  SBCs I have to code to and
>> maintain. Perhaps All winner? (Allwinner H6)?USB 3.0 is great for SSD
>> and offgrid applications.
>


So, I'm going with a standard::


https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi_3_64_bit_Install

I guess I'll try to cluster these guys, say four, into an old laptop
with a removed motherboard, and just cable the connections, to the
external sides of the old/large motherboard. It'll be interested to see
if I can get the 17.3 inch screen to work with this board. You'd think
that some  laptop case manufacturer would have already built a generic
laptop to house 4-8 of these R.pi.3B+ boards inside and prebuilt cables
to tether to glueable connectors on the outside of the case. I like the
Molex-screw-terminals myself, particularly for RS232 serial and A/D IO.
USB and HDMI out to be easy to extend.

And you thought those old (large) laptops were still useless....

Wish me luck. Drop a line if you find gentoo-clusterd  on these R.
Pi-3B+ SBC anywhere. Surely today's kids do that sort of thing between
classes?

It'd be great if we made this laptop to clusters (gentoo) Rpi a group
project... I might just look for a 'carrier-slot' hardware, where R.pi
can be inserted and removed kinda like the old pcmcia cards on lappies.

Thx Grant (&Mick),

James