Coming to life
Beagleblog
There are several options for running a Linux system on the BeagleBoard. The most common is the Angstrom distribution, alternatives include an Android port by the Embinux company, a custom Ubuntu, and maybe more I don't even know of. I'll go with Angstrom for now, others distributions will have to wait.
The BeagleBoard has a card reader slot that can read SD and SDHC cards, so I am getting an 8GB SDHC card to store the Linux system. Conveniently, you can just prepare the flash card with your Linux PC – provided you have a working card reader.
Installing Angstrom is not a big deal; the only challenge is to partition the SD card appropriately. I just followed the tutorial on http://code.google.com/p/beagleboard/wiki/LinuxBootDiskFormat and everything worked out. According to the tutorial, you need to set some low-level parameters you might know from BIOS settings for your hard drive, such as cylinders and read/write heads (which don't really exist with a flash card). One FAT partition is for booting the system, another Ext3 partition will contain the Linux system.
When you are done partitioning, you need to copy the boot files into the FAT partition and un-tar Angstrom to the Linux filesystem. The web page http://code.google.com/p/beagleboard/wiki/HowToGetAngstromRunning lists the actual commands. I did not need to update the BeagleBoard firmware as the page proposes because it was already up to date on my hardware. So after unpacking the files, you just need to configure the boot loader.
Putting the SD card into the slot on the BeagleBoard and plugging the (USB) power in will immediately show the bootloader screen, followed by the well-known Linux boot messages. If you have a monitor attached to the board via an HDMI/DVI cable, you will see a graphical boot screen, too. Connecting mouse and keyboard via a USB hub will make the BeagleBoard an almost fully functional graphical terminal – you just don't have a network connection.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.
-
DebConf24 to be Held in South Korea
Busan will be the location of the latest DebConf running July 28 through August 4
-
Fedora Unleashes Atomic Desktops
Fedora has combined its solid distribution with rpm-ostree system to make it possible to deliver a new family of Fedora spins, called Fedora Atomic Desktops.
-
Bootloader Vulnerability Affects Nearly All Linux Distributions
The developers of shim have released a version to fix numerous security flaws, including one that could enable remote control execution of malicious code under certain circumstances.