Ubuntu MATE generic armhf rootfs
The Ubuntu MATE team have made a generic Ubuntu MATE 15.04 root file system for aarch32 (ARMv7) based devices. This root file system is intended for ARMv7 enthusiasts and board manufacturers who’d like to make an Ubuntu MATE image for their device(s). In order to adapt the root file system for your device you’ll need to:
- Add a boot loader
- Add a kernel
- Add X.org 1.17 drivers
- Add any other hardware specific configuration
We’d love Ubuntu MATE images for more aarch32 (ARMv7) devices and we will gladly host the images and catalogue what the community creates.
The root file system is based on the regular Ubuntu armhf
base, and not the
new Snappy Core, which means that the installation procedure for applications is
the same as that for the regular desktop version, ie using apt-get
.
NOTE! There are no predefined user accounts. The first time you boot the Ubuntu MATE image it will run through a setup wizard where you can create your own user account and configure your regional settings. The first boot is quite slow, but once the first boot configuration is complete subsequent boots are much quicker.
Making an Ubuntu MATE image for aarch32 (ARMv7) based devices
These instructions are brief but hopefully sufficient for ARM device hackers to get started.
Download
The generic Ubuntu MATE aarch32 (ARmv7) root filesystem tarball is available via BitTorrent and direct download. If you can spare the bytes, please download via BitTorrent and leave the client open after your download is finished, so you can seed it back to others. A web-seed capable client is recommended for fastest download speeds.
Many thanks to First Colo for contributing the hosting and bandwidth for the Ubuntu MATE downloads.
If you direct download the image please make sure the MD5 hash matches:
dcbc6539d2260ddcc7bb13a963f35583
Download tip
If everyone who downloaded Ubuntu MATE donated $2.50 it would
fund the full-time development of Ubuntu MATE and MATE
Desktop. Please give us a tip and help both projects flourish! If
you’d like to donate more or become an Ubuntu MATE patron
please visit the donate page.
Extract the root file system
The root filesystem tarball will require a minimum of 4GB to extract. Extract the rootfs archive to the location the example build script uses.
sudo mkdir -p /var/local/build/vivid/ubuntu-mate/mate cd /var/local/build/vivid/ubuntu-mate/mate tar xvf ~/Download/ubuntu-mate-15.04-desktop-armhf-rootfs.tar.gz .
Get the example build script
NOTE! Currently this script will only run on an armhf
device.
The Ubuntu MATE team have created a very simple script that builds an Ubuntu MATE armhf image. This is largely based on the image we made for the Raspberry Pi 2 and will require some modification for other devices.
cd ~ git clone [email protected]:ubuntu-mate/ubuntu-mate-armhf.git
Build an image
NOTE! Currently this script will only run on an armhf
device.
In order to add support for a new aarch32 (ARMv7) device you will need to:
- Create a
configure_device()
function. Theconfigure_raspi2()
can be used as a reference. - Modify the
armhf_image()
function so${DEVICE_NAME}
can call yourconfigure_device()
function. - You may need to modify the
make_image()
function to correctly setup the/boot
and/
partitions for your device. - At the bottom of the script add a call to
armhf_image
that references your device.
Once the above changes have been made, execute the script from a shell.
sudo ./build-image.sh
This will take a long time, so I suggest you start this running before you go to bed.
Tip! Mount /var/local/build/
on a NAS via NFS.
If you add support for a new device please submit a pull request.
Write an image to flash
Once you’ve created an image it can be written to flash storage using ddrescue
.
sudo ddrescue -D --force ubuntu-mate-15.04-desktop-armhf-device.img /dev/sdX
The flash storage may be mounted on any /dev/sdX
so use the command lsblk
to check.
Feedback and Improvements
If you start working on, or create, an Ubuntu MATE image for an aarch32 (ARMv7) device then please let us know in the Ubuntu MATE Development Discussion forum.
If you have any improvements, or add support for a new device, then please submit a pull request to our BitBucket.
References
The Ubuntu MATE team have created an image for the Raspberry Pi 2. It may be a useful reference.
Changes
2015-05-09
- Initial Release.