Can you paste the whole log from the u-boot prompt?
In the previous run the ramdisk image was corrupted because the single image was loaded at 0x800000. But the boot message showed that the initrd image was at 0x0066c000-0x009ae825. So it was over the 8MB area.
However after the load address was changed to 0x04000000 (64MB), the ramdisk still seemed corrupted but with different error messages.
=> bootm ## Booting image at 04000000 ... Image Name: Linux-2.6.33.5 Image Type: PowerPC Linux Kernel Image (gzip compressed) Data Size: 4424922 Bytes = 4.2 MB Load Address: 00400000 Entry Point: 00400554 Verifying Checksum ... OK Uncompressing Kernel Image ... OK Memory <- <0x0 0x8000000> (128MB) ENET0: local-mac-address <- 00:09:9b:01:58:64 CPU clock-frequency <- 0x7270e00 (120MHz) CPU timebase-frequency <- 0x7270e0 (8MHz) CPU bus-frequency <- 0x3938700 (60MHz)
zImage starting: loaded at 0x00400000 (sp: 0x07d1cbd0) Allocating 0x22a1e1 bytes for kernel ... gunzipping (0x00000000 <- 0x0040c000:0x0066b0ac)...done 0x21c6c8 bytes Attached initrd image at 0x0066c000-0x009ae825 initrd head: 0x1f8b0808
Linux/PowerPC load: root=/dev/ram Finalizing device tree... flat tree at 0x9bb300 Using my870 machine description Linux version 2.6.33.5 (shawn@ubuntu) (gcc version 4.2.2) #4 Tue Sep 21 09:23:51 PDT 2010 Found initrd at 0xc066c000:0xc09ae825
The following shows the boot message that the same kernel and the same ramdisk were loaded separately. The difference is that when boot from two separate images, the ramdisk is loaded to the top of RAM (0x79d9000-0x7d1b825). While when booting from the single image, the ramdisk is loaded to the place immediately after the uncompressed kernel image (0x0066c000-0x009ae825). I'm not familiar with how the kernel uses the memory. But it seems clear from this failure that the kernel overwrites to where the initrd locates.
Anyone can shed some light on why the kernel would overwrite the initrd area? BTW, if the initrd is small enough, the single image method works well. Maybe we should have relocated the initrd to the top of available ram just like u-boot's bootm?
=> bootm 1000000 2000000 ## Booting image at 01000000 ... Image Name: Linux-2.6.33.5 Image Type: PowerPC Linux Kernel Image (gzip compressed) Data Size: 1040228 Bytes = 1015.8 kB Load Address: 00400000 Entry Point: 00400554 Verifying Checksum ... OK Uncompressing Kernel Image ... OK ## Loading RAMDisk Image at 02000000 ... Image Name: 16MB Ramdisk Image Type: PowerPC Linux RAMDisk Image (gzip compressed) Data Size: 3418149 Bytes = 3.3 MB Load Address: 00000000 Entry Point: 00000000 Verifying Checksum ... OK Loading Ramdisk to 079d9000, end 07d1b825 ... OK Memory <- <0x0 0x8000000> (128MB) ENET0: local-mac-address <- 00:09:9b:01:58:64 CPU clock-frequency <- 0x7270e00 (120MHz) CPU timebase-frequency <- 0x7270e0 (8MHz) CPU bus-frequency <- 0x3938700 (60MHz)
zImage starting: loaded at 0x00400000 (sp: 0x07d1cbd0) Allocating 0x22a1e1 bytes for kernel ... gunzipping (0x00000000 <- 0x0040c000:0x0066b0ac)...done 0x21c6c8 bytes Using loader supplied ramdisk at 0x79d9000-0x7d1b825 initrd head: 0x1f8b0808
Linux/PowerPC load: root=/dev/ram Finalizing device tree... flat tree at 0x678300 Using my870 machine description Linux version 2.6.33.5 (shawn@ubuntu) (gcc version 4.2.2) #4 Tue Sep 21 09:23:51 PDT 2010 Found initrd at 0xc79d9000:0xc7d1b825
Thanks, -Shawn.