RouterBOARD 500 Series User's Manual
p - boot protocol
t - do memory testing
x - exit setup
your choice:
To select a menu point, press the key written at the beginning of this line. Pressing [Enter] selects the option
marked with '*'.
Configurable Options
boot delay
– how much time to wait for a key stroke while booting (1..10 seconds;
1 second
by default).
boot key
– which key will cause the loader to enter configuration mode during
boot delay
(any key |
<Delete> key only;
any key
by default). Note that in some serial terminal programs, it is impossible to use
the [Delete] key to enter the setup – in this case it might be possible to do this with the [Backspace] key.
serial console
– to configure initial serial console bitrate (1200 | 2400 | 4800 | 9600 | 19200 | 38400 |
57600 | 115200;
115200
bps by default).
boot device
– initial boot device (Etherboot | boot from NAND | boot from CF | boot Ethernet once, then
NAND | boot Ethernet once, then CF;
boot from NAND
by default). You can also select
boot chosen
device
option to boot from the device selected immediately, without saving the setting.
memory test
– whether to test all the RAM during boot procedure (yes | no;
no
by default). Enabling this
option may cause longer boot process.
cpu mode
– whether to enter CPU suspend mode on HTL instruction (power save | regular;
power save
by
default). Most OSs use HLT instruction during CPU idle cycle. When CPU is in suspend mode, it consumes
less power, but in low-temperature conditions (below 0°C) it is recommended to choose regular mode, so
that overall system temperature would be higher.
try cpu frequency
– try this CPU frequency on the next power cycle (199MHz | 266MHz | 333MHz;
266MHz
by default). Note that the
J1
jumper is marked on the board as to select CPU frequency, however it
has no effect and the only way to control CPU frequency is using this boot loader setting.
keep cpu frequency
– permanently set the current CPU frequency (not the one set, but the one actually
active).
reset configuration
– whether to reset all the boot loader settings to their respective default values (yes |
no;
no
by default).
upgrade firmware
– receive a new boot loader image using XModem protocol over serial line or using
DHCP/BOOTP and TFTP protocols through the Ethernet network (upgrade firmware over ethernet | upgrade
firmware over serial port).
board info
– prints the serial number, boot loader version, CPU frequency, memory size and MAC addresses
of the onboard Ethernet ports
boot protocol
– network booting protocol (bootp protocol | dhcp protocol;
bootp protocol
by default).
do memory testing
– performs a full memory test.
Changing CPU Frequency
By default, the RouterBOARD 500 series boards are equipped with 266MHz processors, which may be
overclocked to 333MHz with a varying degree of success (no guarantees). The boards that are tested to
work on 400MHz must be especially ordered, and our ability to provide them, as well as schedule depends
on the demand for this factory option.
The bootloader is made so that you must first try a different frequency before it could be set permanently,
and if you do not apply a frequency permanently, it would fall back to the previous setting on the next power
cycle. It is still possible, however, that the board is not working properly on the frequency you've applied, so
the default (266MHz) CPU frequency can be restored. To do that, power the board with the S1 button
pressed, then unplug the power, and when you will turn the board on again, it will have CPU frequency set to
266MHz temporarily, so you will have to apply that frequency by issuing the
keep cpu frequency
command
in the loader configuration prompt.
Boot Loader Upgrading
The boot loader is needed to initialize all the hardware and boot the system up. Newer loader versions might
have support for more hardware, so it's generally a good idea to upgrade the loader once a newer version is
available. You can upgrade the loader through the onboard serial port using XModem protocol (programs
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