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Un-Bricking Linux Plug Computers
An anonymous reader writes "Accidentally 'bricking' a little Linux plug computer doesn't have to be forever. This is a good howto on repairing a non-booting Linux plug computer. For example if it uses the uBoot environment then it already has some good built-in recovery tools. The article also mentions ESIA, the Sheevaplug installer, openocd, and GuruPlug."
Isn't the fact that you can "unbrick" it mean it's not really bricked?
Also I think this requires JTAG, which comes with Sheevaplug but is sold separately from Guruplug, and AFAIK is not available on the PogoPlug, et al. So, not quite so useful for me (I just picked up a PogoPlug on the cheap with the intent of running Plugbox Linux.
Where's the fucking [+/-] story buttons so I can vote this down off the front page?
Only 2 people have commented in the 15 minutes this has been up, and one of them was a frist post.
So what you're saying is that you don't think that word means what he thinks it means?
Also, anonymous coward isn't anonymous. I really wish it would warn us if we're posting while not logged in. Or maybe that's the captcha's job.
And the masses cried out, "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0!"
I bricked my sheevaplug which I bought last December at the 27C3, due to a bad U-Boot flash. It was extremely easy to recover using JTAG & OpenOCD (which also works fine under Windows XP, a nice surprise). For other devices however, like the WRT*, unbricking requires soldering a JTAG header and finding a JTAG cable, not so easy :(
BTW there's a new plug just release, the DreamPlug. A bit like the SheevaPlug bit with two Ethernet ports & wifi. Looks like a cool little beast, although the CPU like the sheevaplug is a bit underpowered.
This is just an OS reinstall. It's not like going in through the JTAG port and loading the firmware.
These devices exist in the space between hard embedded systems and OSs with a user interface. With hard embedded systems, you do all development on another machine and download an entire image. With user-oriented OSs, you can interact with the machine in some reasonable way. These things live in a limbo between those two points - smart enough not to be total slaves, but not smart enough for standalone development.
There's nothing wrong with that; that's normal life in the embedded world. But it's not something that end users previously had to deal with.
Seems exploding power supplies are common and after opening mine up it had indeed exploded too. Ordered a replacement PS for 9.95, just waiting for it to arrive.
It's not literally bricked until the oldest of the three little pigs can build a house out of it.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Anybody know if any of these little beasties come with two NIC ports?
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Hear hear! Let's recall that "brick" basically means "turning your equipment into something completely worthless, equivalent to a brick".
I propose the following "USB cable" test:
Has your device been rendered so unusable that you'd be willing to give it to me if I gave you a USB cable?
If the answer is "yes", then you have bricked your device. Congratulations.
If the answer is "no, let me work on this for a bit --I think I can restore partial functionality by pressing this reset button for 30 seconds, and then at least it will function as a glorified wall clock", then this is not "bricked".
If you say, "This is the third time I've bricked my device --I had to SSH into it and do 'sudo reboot'" --then the brick is in your brain.
Now, having said this, it's possible that the owner of the computer didn't know it was possible to undo the damage, in which case, yes, the device is bricked because he might as well have traded it in for a USB cable, prior to knowing how to salvage his device.
You can substitute any marginally useful but cheap piece of equipment for "USB cable".
Disclaimer: no, I haven't RTFA.
404555974007725459910684486621289147856453481154 in hex is "You sank my Battleship?"
[GPG key in journal]
Have they fixed the power supply over-heating/failure issues or are we still talking about the same warts that have a shelf-life of 12 months or less?
I'm serious, I would like an answer b/c I have been wanting one since the first of many, many, many slashvertisements appeared here two, three years ago. Problem is, everything I read on the outside says they fail prematurely and warranty fulfillment is spotty, at best. Am I wrong, Dude?
Imagination drew in bold strokes, instantly serving hopes and fears, while knowledge advanced by slow increments...
If you never wake up from sleeping, are you dead?
I'm not sure when this changed from tech jargon to etymology of sophomoric philosophy.
If it has the use characteristics of a brick it is bricked. That's what bricked means in the original context of use and in current usage. If you unbrick it, perhaps it was never bricked, because the probability wave function collapsed backwards through the space-time continuum, but WHO THE FUCK CARES? Before you unbricked it the damn cat was dead.
So shut up, Schrodinger, or Feynman and I will hold you down while Einstein kicks the crap out of you.
i realise locked down bootloaders are about control, but a brave hacker-friendly vendor would say 'here are the keys, no support offered but if you happen to brick your phone, here's how to factory restore'.
Thats inconceivable!
GCS/MU/P d- s:- a-- C++++$ UL++ P+ L++ E+ W++ N o K- w--- O M+ V- PS+++ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5- X R++ tv+ b++ DI++ D++ G+ e++ h-
or otherwise stated, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably isn't a foreign spy dressed up as a duck.
If your device is not working and just sits there in such a manner as to only be useful for it's services as a paperweight then it's bricked. Whether it's repairable or not is another matter, and learning that your bricked device can be un-bricked doesn't mean it wasn't bricked.
That's like saying your car hasn't broken down, even though you needed to get it towed, because you can repair it once you have a fanbelt.
between the "Sheevaplug" and the "Gurrruplug" (sic).
The original white-boxed Sheevaplug is remarkably robust. I've got one that has been running constantly for over 14 months without any problems (surreptitiously touches wood). On the other hand, the Guruplug was delivered late in a still undeveloped state, was far too complex for its own good and does indeed suffer from a host of psu/general failure problems.
I don't know about the US, but I've found NewIT, the distributors for UK and Europe to be sensible and most helpful in supporting their customers.
If you just want a mini Linux box to play about with, then the Sheevaplug is probably quite safe to buy... :-)
Remarkable timing for this story, as my Sheevaplug suddenly died last week after just over 330 days of flawless uptime. Turns out, there is a known issue with the original power supplies that were shipped, and they die pretty frequently after 8-10 months of use. This is so common that Globalscale now sells the PSUs separately for ~$10 USD (plus another $15 for shipping, of course).
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