Improve hardware detection for more boards

[EliasGabrielsson]

There is a need of improving for PIN64. Currently scripts only trigger when using exact the base image openhabian uses.

There is a great detection script here: https://github.com/leonsio/arm-board-detect.

I suggest if this script is implemented to also make an compatibility chart which points out which boards is tested and works. Long-term HW boards will come and go so its great to have a framework for supporting them. Maybe assign maintainer and tester for each board as well so each new release have at least been installed from ground up for each board type.

[EliasGabrielsson]

#309

[ThomDietrich]

That's an important point. Let's also mention @leonsio here.

One question arising for me: How do we want to include it. Because of the need to use these functions right from the beginning we might need to hard-include it as a copy.

@leonsio the detection for the Pine model can be done even better, see my PR here:
OutsideIT/FireMotD#35
Feel free to use it.

[EliasGabrielsson]

I maybe misunderstand this but doesn't the linked patch have the same problem as in this repository that the board detection is based in iamge. Eg. elif [[ $(uname -r) =~ "pine64-longsleep" ]] ; then assumes that the image is longsleep.

My output of uname -r on the PINE64 using another base image produces: 3.10.105-bsp-1.2-ayufan-118. This was the problem referred to in first post but not written out.

@leonsio script does use processor info and is unrelated to installed kernel.

[leonsio]

the best way to detect SoC is to use the information from device-tree/model or ( if not present ) to detect Soc based on some hardware specification.

for example CPU architecture or hardware string in /proc/cpuinfo

the biggest problem is to identify the correct board, if many boards uses the same chipset. for example Allwinner A64 is used on this boards

• Azpen hybrx
• FriendlyARM NanoPi A64
• Olimex A64-OLinuXino
• Pine64
• Sinovoip Banana Pi M64
• Xunlong Orange Pi Win

in this case you need some more unique specifications to detect the right hardware like RAM/ethernet/soundchips or other

The kernel string can be set to anything

[ThomDietrich]

I totally agree.
It's pretty easy: Back then I needed to add the Pine A64 quickly (without being too sloppy with the filter). That's why I chose the "pine64-longsleep" solution. The distribution was the one I was interested in.
Now that you are investing some more thought into it. I am all up for it!

@EliasGabrielsson @leonsio the mentioning above was not related to the board detection but about the memory. The script by @leonsio differentiates two Pine A64 versions but there are three.

[EliasGabrielsson]

Closing this as effort goes into export relevant installation scripts to the Armbian Project.