linaro-android-tools Scripts Upgrade Android Kernel & Initrd via ADB

With Linaro 13.01 release, Linaro announced linaro-android-tools (aka Kernel Update Tools), a set of tools to improve development time for kernel developers. Today, they published a blog post explaining those scripts allow developers to update the kernel without having to take out the SD card from their development board, and instead update the firmware via ADB with a PC connected via the network or USB.

Currently there are 2 shell scripts:

update-android.sh – To update kernel files in boot partition such as boot.tar.bz2, single files (e.g. uImage) or kernel modules.
Usage:

update-android.sh [--serial|-s serial] [--partition|-p boot-partition] &lt;boot.tar.bz2|uImage|board.dtb|...&gt;
Update the kernel files in the boot partition of the specified
android device with the specified boot.tar.bz2 file
update-android.sh [--serial|-s serial] kernel-source-directory
Push all the module files in the specified kernel directory
into the /system/modules directory of the specified android device

Update the kernel files in the boot partition of the specified

android device with the specified boot.tar.bz2 file

update-android.sh [--serial|-s serial] kernel-source-directory

Push all the module files in the specified kernel directory

into the /system/modules directory of the specified android device

For example:

./update-android.sh out/target/product/pandaboard/boot.tar.bz2

1	./update-android.sh out/target/product/pandaboard/boot.tar.bz2

update-uInitrd.sh – To update files in the initrd
Usage:

update-uInitrd.sh [--serial|-s &lt;serial&gt;] [--partition|-p &lt;boot-partition&gt;] [--target|-t &lt;target-file&gt;] &lt;source-file&gt;
Update the target file in uInitrd of the specified device
with the specified source file
When the target file is not specified, will update the file in
the root directory that has the same file name of the source file

update-uInitrd.sh [--serial|-s <serial>] [--partition|-p <boot-partition>] [--target|-t <target-file>] <source-file>

Update the target file in uInitrd of the specified device

with the specified source file

When the target file is not specified, will update the file in

the root directory that has the same file name of the source file

For example:

./update-uInitrd.sh /tmp/init.rc

1	./update-uInitrd.sh /tmp/init.rc

Those 2 scripts are available in Linaro git repository:

git clone http://android.git.linaro.org/git-ro/platform/external/linaro-android-tools.git

1	git clone http://android.git.linaro.org/git-ro/platform/external/linaro-android-tools.git

Currently the scripts only support Pandaboard, Origen, Versatile Express, and Versatile Express A9 boards,but they could be easily modified to support other boards supporting linaro packages.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.