Date: Sat, 20 Apr 2024 11:46:51 +0200
From: Ramiro Aceves <ea1abz%gmail.com@localhost>
To: netbsd-users%netbsd.org@localhost, port-arm%netbsd.org@localhost
Subject: need your advice before new Raspberry Pi purchase
Hello,
I am thinking about buying a more powerful Raspberry Pi than my actual
Raspberry Pi ZeroW. I like very much how NetBSD operating system is working
although I was a bit dissapointed with WIFI driver for the builtin WIFI
device, I feel that I can control the OS and it is the OS I was looking for,
simple and straightforward without bells and whistles.
In general NetBSD works fine in the Pi once you get used to it, everything
makes sense soon, you fell confortable and why not to say, I am in a new
world after many years using Linux and needed new sensations. On the Zero W
WIFI bwfm driver did not work well and overcome that buying a USB WIFI
dongle with RTL 8188EU chip that works almost ok (with no channel switching
in the router). Now I am going to use only ethernet network connection so
WIFI will not be a problem.
I have been reading https://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/evbarm/raspberry_pi/ but
information is a bit confusing.
"As of early 2024, NetBSD does not support the Raspberry Pi 5."
Reading that I inmediatly discarded the Raspberry Pi 5 choice. Being
realistic I think It does not work in NetBSD 10 now and I estimate it will
not work well for perhaps some years. Life is short, I cannot wait and so I
think RaspberryPi 4 should be my buying target.
"NetBSD 10"
"RPI4 general support (but there are issues)"
Seems explained below.
"RPI4 ethernet (Broadcom GENETv5) (but the man page for genet(4) is
missing)"
Can I be sure that ethernet will work fine and reliable? Network speed?
"builtin bluetooth on RPI3 (RPI0W? RPI4?)"
Does bluetooth work on the Pi4?
"builtin WiFi on RPI0W, RPI3 and RPI4 - bwfm(4)"
Does WIFI bwfm driver work as badly as in the ZeroW? Not relevant for my
future use of the Pi 4 cause I will use it through ethernet but that will be
a bonus, just curious.
"RPI4 xhci does not work with a straight netbsd-10 install"
I seems that below is the explanation.
"RPI4 hardware rng does not work with a straight netbsd-10 install"
I seems that below is the explanation.
The following chapter is very confusing for me:
"Issues and Workarounds"
"RPI4 xhci"
"With the netbsd-10 arm64.img on a RPI4 (most of them), the pci driver is
missing and therefore xhci will not attach, so the USB ports will not work.
One workaround is to switch to UEFI, but that leads to a 3GB memory limit
and needing a monitor. Another is to add kernel config. One can also add the
hardware rng. Adding the following to GENERIC64.local results in both
working; you likely also need a dtb that includes the RNG. \todo Explain why
this isn't in GENERIC64 or link to a PR.
GENERIC64
bcm2838pcie* at fdt? # STB PCIe host controller
bcm2838rng* at fdt? # RPI4 RNG
There is some need to load firmware for the xhci driver, but apparently that
works, once the above is added"
Does it mean that using "traditional booting" you end with non working USB
ports? Will you even end without keyboard? I mainly will use the Pi headless
via ssh but need the keyboard in the first configuring steps.
After switching to UEFI you will make USB ports work but 8 GB RapberryPi
will be reduced to 3 GB only with no workaround? What do "needing a monitor"
mean? Why?
If the fix for USB and rng is recompiling the KERNEL, why is not enabled by
default in the standard image?
"RPI4 UEFI 3 GB"
"To work around bugs in hardware (that may or may not be fixed in recent
RPI4) and because not all OSes have workarounds, the UEFI firmware's default
is to limit RAM to 3GB. NetBSD 10 can be used with more, so this needs to be
configured in UEFI."
That should be explained more in detail for newcomers.
Last questions:
Do GPIO pins work ok?
Does I2C work? That is important for me cause I plan to read some sensors.
Does HDMI output work or should I use serial console? traditional boot vs
UEFI difference in this matter?
What is your final opinion about NetBSD in that board? Are there better
supported boards perhaps?
Many thanks and sorry for so many questions, just I want to be sure that I
am going to make a good and useful purchase. If I purchase a Rpi 4 instead
of Rpi 5 to have NetBSD support and It does not work ok, it will be a
absolute nonsense.
I appreciate your work very much and your comments and advice will be
welcome and very valuable for me.
Thanks in advance.
Ramiro.