OSADL members approved project to provide mainline Linux support for the MPC512x

By: Carsten Emde

Are you interested in making a mainline MPC512x port happen? Join us!

Freescale ADS512101

As a regular OSADL member, DENX Software Engineering has proposed an OSADL project to provide mainline Linux support for the MPC512x processor and was able to obtain the required majority of member votes in favor of the project. Funded partially by the OSADL, the project will be launched if and when the remaining funding is committed.

Hardware support

The accepted project aims to implement the following features into the mainline Linux kernel (ordered in descending priority):

• CPU / clocks / interrupts / memory
• Serial console (no handshake support)
• Ethernet
• Real-time (Xenomai, PREEMPT_RT, VxWorks emulation etc.)
• MTD / NOR flash support
• I2C / RTC
• MTD / NAND flash support
• PCI
• Framebuffer
• SD-Card support
• P-ATA support, especially for Compact Flash cards
• CAN support (Socket-CAN driver)
• UBI / UBIFS support
• Low-power mode support
• Serial support with full H/W handshake
• Watchdog support
• SPDIF / audio support

The Freescale reference design (available as Freescale or STX Mini-ITX Mainboard) will be used, and the work will be based on kernel version 2.6.29.

Rationale

Instead of developing in parallel a wide variety of half-hearted ports none of which may ever be accepted in mainline Linux, we develop a single port - supported by many, who need it - which will eventually go to mainline Linux and be maintained and adapted by the kernel community. This single OSADL port will, of course, cost only a fraction of the many other individual ports altogether - and the tedious off-tree maintenance is also avoided. Thus, we are calling for companies who also need a state-of-the-art mainline Linux port of the MPC512x processor family to join the OSADL community and to help us getting this project started.

Additional benefits of an OSADL membership

In addition to proposing OSADL projects as explained above, OSADL members will

• get support for using, distributing, and managing Open Source software in the industry and in embedded systems,
• participate free of charge at trade fairs where OSADL has its own booth such as the Embedded World Exhibition 2009,
• participate free of charge at OSADL seminars and conferences on various topics in the context of using and distributing Open Source software,
• use the Upstream Submission Program to tweak existing drivers of general interest in such a way that they may be accepted for inclusion into the mainline kernel,
• let board firmware or other software be certified to conform to the OSADL board support package standard,
• obtain off-prints of OSADL articles, optionally with the member's logo or advertisement,
• and much more!

Press coverage

Linuxdevices already reported on the project.

Contact us

Please let us know, if you need any more information. You may send an email to

• Wolfgang Denk, DENX Software Engineering, or
• Andreas Widder, DENX Computer Systems, or
• Carsten Emde, Open Source Automation Development Lab,

but you may also visit us at the Embedded World Exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany (March 3 to 5, 2009). The OSADL booth is located in hall 11, booth 306; Denx are in hall 9, booth 375 and also in hall 11, booth 306.

Documents (in PDF format)

• OSADL By-Laws
• OSADL Membership Application Form
• Letter of Intent (if you do not want to join, unless the project gets started)

Update: Hurrah! We are glad to report that the first membership application already arrived. The mainline MPC512x port is approaching. Details to follow soon.