Anyone currently running Crimson

[FranklyFlawless]

Just a friendly reminder to backup any important files before experimenting with a new unstable PureOS image.

[OpojOJirYAlG]

@FranklyFlawless

Just a friendly reminder to backup any important files

This. Just this. Everyone. Please.

[tomoqv]

I am interested in doing the same on my second L5. Please share your steps to get there and your experience! Thank you

[Ick]

If I didn’t get nerd7473 wrong he’s using his second device. So I guess there is no important file that needs to be saved.

However, wouldn’t it be better to flash it to crimson instead of updating? At least for people who want a “production-ready” experience with stable crimson builds later. Or am I wrong?

[irvinewade]

@Ick

wouldn’t it be better to flash it to crimson instead of updating?

My opinion, yes. It is simpler and cleaner.

By cleaner, I mean, for example, that everyone installing crimson from scratch has an initially identical system.

As a data point, when a new LTS version of Ubuntu is released, they don’t even offer the upgrade from the previous LTS version until the first point release update to the new LTS version comes out. So the only way to run the LTS version immediately is to install from scratch (unless you really want to be on the bleeding edge and force the update before it is offered and are prepared to deal with whatever mess ensues).

[FranklyFlawless]

The steps are mostly the same as reflashing the Librem 5.

Low disk space - how to clean out garbage?

Here is a high-level overview: Download, verify, and install the PureOS 10.3 image on a USB drive using disk-writing software such as balenaEtcher. Boot into the PureOS USB live image. Follow the instructions listed by Irvine Wade above this post, or alternatively this one below. https://developer.puri.sm/Librem5/Development_Environment/Phone/Troubleshooting/Reflashing_the_Phone.html Remember to install git first before mirroring the repository. Also note the command sudo apt build-…

The major difference is downloading the landing image (plain variant only as of this time) instead of the Byzantium image.

https://arm01.puri.sm/job/Images/job/Image%20Builds%20landing/

After you download it, extract the file and put it in the root directory of librem5-flash-image. Also get the DAS U-Boot image (u-boot-librem5.imx) and place it in the same directory.

https://arm01.puri.sm/job/u-boot_builds/job/uboot_librem5_mainline_build/

Then open the Terminal in the directory, and run this command:

$ ./scripts/librem5-flash-image --skip-download

This only works on the Evergreen model; do not follow these steps if you are on any other Librem 5 revision.

[irvinewade]

@FranklyFlawless

plain variant only as of this time

OK, that’s another reason to limit this to a crash-and-burn phone, not a real-use phone.

[FranklyFlawless]

Well, since December 27th, 2018, whenever anyone followed the instructions to reflash the Librem 5, the plain variant was used as the default. It was only recently changed to LUKS in June 23rd, 2023, which my actions may have been a catalyst for: I mentioned about it to Purism support just before I decided to make a forum account on June 26th, 2023.

Commits · main · Librem5 / librem5-flash-image · GitLab

[nerd7473]

Absoultely, that’s why I’m testing on my other L5

[FPJ]

If you are gonna make the jump perhaps you should image your current byzantium set up via Jumpdrive and gnome disk as described here:

L5 Re-flash Dry run

Yeh…Trial, error, and gain experience in your own Linux Lab😂

I was experimenting with image restoration and was successful at reflashing an image backup from my L5 that was saved on my L13 laptop.

[ssilvi]

@FranklyFlawless
Thanks for the instructions. I can reflash the L5 with byzantium no problem, but the git scripts mentioned above are for flashing byzantium, not crimson AFAICT. I am getting ‘image not found’ errors when executing any of the flash-image scripts. The script needs modification for crimson but I have no idea how to change it.

[FranklyFlawless]

Here are the instructions:

@FranklyFlawless

I suggest that you do not use Crimson for anything important, and that you externally backup your files beforehand. Currently, Crimson images are only built using Jenkins on Evergreen with the plain variant.

1. Flash a PureOS 10.3 image on a USB drive, then boot it.
2. Install git, then follow these steps up until you have finished installing the udev rules.
3. Download the librem5r4.img.xz from landing and u-boot-librem5.imx from mainline , then extract librem5r4.img.xz using Archive Manager to the root of librem5-flash-image. Move u-boot-librem5.imx into the root of the same directory as well.
4. Execute this code, then follow the subsequent steps thereafter:

./scripts/librem5-flash-image --skip-download --dir ./

[ssilvi]

OK. Followed instructions and still getting the no image error. The librem5r4.img and imx files are both located in the root folder.

Here’s the terminal output:

pureos@pureos:~/librem5-flash-image$ ./scripts/librem5-flash-image --skip-download --dir ./
2024-07-06 22:46:40 INFO Looking for librem5r4 luks byzantium image
2024-07-06 22:46:46 ERROR No matching image found

Seems like the script is still attempting to download an image and ignoring the --skip-download flag.

[FranklyFlawless]

Okay, try adding --stable and let me know if the script makes any further progress.

[ssilvi]

Yes, now the script progresses. When I plug in the phone, it begins the flash but dies before the process completes. The messages are as follows:

1:3 3/ 5 [===========> 32% ] FB: flash -raw2sparse all
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “/home/pureos/librem5-flash-image/./scripts/librem5-flash-image”, line 538, in
sys.exit(main())
File “/home/pureos/librem5-flash-image/./scripts/librem5-flash-image”, line 521, in main
flash_image(uuu_target, args.debug)
File “/home/pureos/librem5-flash-image/./scripts/librem5-flash-image”, line 351, in flash_image
subprocess.check_call([‘uuu’, uuu_target])
File “/usr/lib/python3.9/subprocess.py”, line 373, in check_call
raise CalledProcessError(retcode, cmd)
subprocess.CalledProcessError: Command ‘[‘uuu’, ‘./flash_librem5r4.lst’]’ died with <Signals.SIGBUS: 7>.

[FranklyFlawless]

Those last few messages are referring to uuu. If you have not done so already, you need to install uuu and the udev rules for serial access permissions to the Librem 5.

[ssilvi]

I ran through the install steps up to the udev rules install. uuu is installed and the udev rules are there in /etc/udev/rules.d/70-librem5-flash-image.rules but the script keeps dying at the same spot.

[FranklyFlawless]

Okay, there is another step that is often overlooked in the documentation:

sudo apt build-dep .

Ensure that the Python dependencies are built, then try running the script again.

[ssilvi]

Yes, I ran that command again just to be sure. Same result.

[FranklyFlawless]

There are a few ideas I have left:

• Use a different flashing mode method

@FranklyFlawless

Enter the flashing mode by holding volume-up button while turning the phone on.

            If it's not detected, follow these steps:
            - Ensure that the phone is powered off
            - Turn all Hardware-Kill-Switches off
            - Unplug the USB cable if connected
            - Remove battery
            - Hold volume-up button
            - Insert the USB-C cable (red light blinks, no green light)
            - Reinsert the battery (red and green lights constantly on, the script will continue)
            - Release volume-up button

• Use a different USB cable
• Use a different USB port