PC Engines apu2 experiences

soder

@Qinn Sure, its here:
https://pcengines.github.io/ --> Documentation -->Cold reset - document describing reset types for the platform.

leads you here: https://github.com/pcengines/apu2-documentation/blob/master/docs/cold_reset.md

After flashing new firmware it is highly recommended (sometimes even necessary) to perform a cold boot. It is not always an option for remote devices, so tests were made to find another way of forcing cold boot path in firmware. Note that this cannot guarantee that when any device on board entered an unexpected state it can be brought back to defined state without full power cycle.

fireodo

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@fireodo said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

Hardeware: APU2C4 16gb mSATA SSD - Bios: Coreboot Mainline Version 4.10.0.0 - Firmware: Latest-stable-pfSense (amd64)

May I ask you if you use the apuled.ko kernel module to drive the 3 Front-LEDs and if so is this still working after update to the mainline coreboot bios?

Thank you,
fireodo

Sorry I can't tell, as I do not use it, if you test it would be nice when you report back.

I made a test on a spare Apu2 and the apuled.ko is loading but has no effect :-( ( in /dev/led/ are only the igb0 and igb1)
Flashing back the bios 4.0.27 and everything is fine. I guess in Bios v4.10.0.0 its the "enable basic ACPI support for GPIOs" that kills the apuled function ...

Cheers,
fireodo

soder

@logan5247 if the WAN setup is set to PPPoE, you cant tweak it any further than 400-600 Mbit. I tried it in the past 1 year. Couldnt manage to overcome it. Many people tried to prove the opposite, still there was no single list of parameters under *sense that magically removed the builtin hidden slowdown component.

Veldkornet

@fireodo said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@fireodo said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

Hardeware: APU2C4 16gb mSATA SSD - Bios: Coreboot Mainline Version 4.10.0.0 - Firmware: Latest-stable-pfSense (amd64)

May I ask you if you use the apuled.ko kernel module to drive the 3 Front-LEDs and if so is this still working after update to the mainline coreboot bios?

Thank you,
fireodo

Sorry I can't tell, as I do not use it, if you test it would be nice when you report back.

I made a test on a spare Apu2 and the apuled.ko is loading but has no effect :-( ( in /dev/led/ are only the igb0 and igb1)
Flashing back the bios 4.0.27 and everything is fine. I guess in Bios v4.10.0.0 its the "enable basic ACPI support for GPIOs" that kills the apuled function ...

Cheers,
fireodo

Probably best to log it as an issue

fireodo

@Veldkornet said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

Probably best to log it as an issue

... Done ;-)

fireodo

@fireodo said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Veldkornet said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

Probably best to log it as an issue

... Done ;-)

I got an answer from Michał Żygowski: temporary solution for now: https://github.com/pcengines/apu2-documentation/blob/master/docs/gpios.md#known-issue
for all user that uses the apuled driver.

fireodo

This post is deleted!

Qinn

New update 4.10.0.1 and the led's not working is mentioned in known issues https://pcengines.github.io/#mr-26

fireodo

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

New update 4.10.0.1 and the led's not working is mentioned in known issues https://pcengines.github.io/#mr-26

Yes, i know! Thanks anyway!

Qinn

Recently I encountered a few people that pull the power plug on the APU to revoke a "cold boot"

So just to be on the safe side:

As it is best to have "cold boot" after a bios update, the elegant way to shutdown an APU (as it has no power button) is:

Diagnostics -> Halt System

and then wait until the APU is powered down, so all led's, including the network led's, have gone down.

Qinn

I experienced something strange, after an update to bios 4.10.0.1 my internal network speeds were halved, so I went back to 4.10.0.0 and they were restored! Can anyone confirm this, as I cannot test it at the moment?

kevindd992002

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

I experienced something strange, after an update to bios 4.10.0.1 my internal network speeds were halved, so I went back to 4.10.0.0 and they were restored! Can anyone confirm this, as I cannot test it at the moment?

So can anybody confirm this? I don't want to upgrade to the latest firmware if this is true.

Veldkornet

@kevindd992002 said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

I experienced something strange, after an update to bios 4.10.0.1 my internal network speeds were halved, so I went back to 4.10.0.0 and they were restored! Can anyone confirm this, as I cannot test it at the moment?

So can anybody confirm this? I don't want to upgrade to the latest firmware if this is true.

I’m not having any problems with it.

soder

@Qinn Yes, it is proper to issue the Halt system / Shutdown command, and the APU will turn itself off entirely (all LEDs go blank). But after that, how do you turn on the system again? As there is no power button to press, as you already clearly explained. So you will still need to unplug the power adapter, and re-connect after a couple of seconds.

fireodo

@soder said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn As there is no power button to press, as you already clearly explained. So you will still need to unplug the power adapter, and re-connect after a couple of seconds.

Indeed, you have to unplug/plug the Power-Jack - there is no other way! :-)

Qinn

@soder Yes as @fireodo already has said, there is no other way to power up. After the Halt command did it's job and the APU is powered down (all led's, including the network interface led's, are down) you must unplug and then re-plug the power cord, to get the APU to power up.

This way is the elegant way, opposite to pulling the plug when it's running, the latter could harm the filesystem.

Qinn

@kevindd992002 said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

I experienced something strange, after an update to bios 4.10.0.1 my internal network speeds were halved, so I went back to 4.10.0.0 and they were restored! Can anyone confirm this, as I cannot test it at the moment?

So can anybody confirm this? I don't want to upgrade to the latest firmware if this is true.

Tested it vigorously and could not reconstruct the drop down in speed, so now (as you can see in my profile)I am running on version 4.10.0.1 ;), sorry for the inconvenience.

kevindd992002

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@kevindd992002 said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

@Qinn said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

I experienced something strange, after an update to bios 4.10.0.1 my internal network speeds were halved, so I went back to 4.10.0.0 and they were restored! Can anyone confirm this, as I cannot test it at the moment?

So can anybody confirm this? I don't want to upgrade to the latest firmware if this is true.

Tested it vigorously and could not reconstruct the drop down in speed, so now (as you can see in my profile)I am running on version 4.10.0.1 ;), sorry for the inconvenience.

You made me worried :)

logan5247

v4.10.0.2 is out. Has anyone tried it yet?
https://pcengines.github.io/#mr-27

Veldkornet

@logan5247 said in PC Engines apu2 experiences:

v4.10.0.2 is out. Has anyone tried it yet?
https://pcengines.github.io/#mr-27

I have it running on 2 devices. No issues that I’m aware of.