installing minimserver on netgear R7000 router flashed with advanced tomato firmware

[simoncn]

Have you verified that the /opt/java/jdk1.8.0_121/bin/java file exists? If so, it sounds like your OS isn't a standard version of Linux.

[dafart]

Hello Simon, yes the file is indeed there.. and I do think tomato / advanced tomato is not a standard linux distro.. I used entware (same as optware) to allow some sort of package manegement but unfortunatly java is not a precompiled packge for entware (however optware seems to have openjdk available)
The tomato forum is very inactive and there's not much documentation..

[simoncn]

(05-04-2017 21:30)dafart Wrote:  Hello Simon, yes the file is indeed there.. and I do think tomato / advanced tomato is not a standard linux distro.. I used entware (same as optware) to allow some sort of package manegement but unfortunatly java is not a precompiled packge for entware (however optware seems to have openjdk available)
The tomato forum is very inactive and there's not much documentation..

You mentioned optware. Another user has done some work on making MinimServer run on optware. See this thread for more information.

[dafart]

Yes I read that!
I have entware installs that currently doesn't have openjdk binaries in their package list.. I might make the switch to optware but have to check if that works with tomato firmware..

Thanks for the advice anyway!

[dafart]

Here's for my own reference and for anyone who also want to run minimserver on their Netgear R7000 (or related) router running advanced tomato firmware.

After having serveral attempts to run it in entware I finally decided to use this guide to create a debian jessie chroot environment and install openjdk from here:

Install advanced tomato from here
Install entware-ng using this guide
Use this guide to create a debian folder to allow chroot acces

After entering the chroot environment I first tried to get ejre-7u75-fcs-b13-linux-arm-vfp-sflt-client_headless-18_dec_2014.tar.gz running but I keep on getting " not found" or "illigal command" errors

Code:

cat /proc/cpuinfo
Processor    : ARMv7 Processor rev 0 (v7l)
processor    : 0
BogoMIPS    : 1998.84

processor    : 1
BogoMIPS    : 1998.84

Features    : swp half thumb fastmult edsp
CPU implementer    : 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant    : 0x3
CPU part    : 0xc09
CPU revision    : 0

Hardware    : Northstar Prototype
Revision    : 0000
Serial        : 0000000000000000

After that I simply used the command

Code:

apt-get install default-jre-headless

Which installed

Code:

java -version
java version "1.7.0_121"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea 2.6.8) (7u121-2.6.8-2~deb8u1)
OpenJDK Zero VM (build 24.121-b00, interpreted mode)

This allowed me to run minimserver just fine.. not as snappy as compared to the version on my atom based NAS or my xeon based freenas server, but very much usable enough..

One question I have:

Code:

dpkg --print-architecture

gives me "armel"
However in order to use oracle java 8 I need to have hard float version of debian..
i tried multi-arch

Code:

dpkg --print-foreign-architectures
armhf

but that didn't work out at all..

Would I get a noticable performance boost when running java 8 on a hard-float arch?
Can someone point me to a debian armhf image I can use to chroot in? And will this CPU actually support this? (BCM4709A0) ?

If not I will stay happy with my current setup.. but any speed improvement will be worth to give it a try!

Thanks in advance,

Daf

[simoncn]

The speed issue is caused by this:

OpenJDK Zero VM (build 24.121-b00, interpreted mode)

This version has no JIT and is about 5x slower than Oracle Java.

[dafart]

Hello Simon, thanks for your reply!

I understand the difference in speed between openjdk and oracle java would be significant,

Therefor I removed openjdk and currenly use ejdk-8u121-linux-arm-sflt.tar.gz.

What I actually wanted to ask is this: from my understanding the cpu in this router should be capable of using hard floating libraries as well... Therefor I could try to find/install a debian chroot folder compiled for hrdfl.. and use a hflt version of oracle java.. Would that also give me an increase in performance? Or is it very unlikely that this router sipports both architectures and should I stop worrying about a possible performance increase and be happy with my current setup?

Kind regards,

Daf

Code:

java -version
java version "1.8.0_121"
Java(TM) SE Embedded Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_121-b13, headless)
Java HotSpot(TM) Embedded Client VM (build 25.121-b13, mixed mode)

I assume this version has JIT compiled?

[simoncn]

The version you are now using has the JIT enabled and you should be seeing a significant speed increase from the OpenJDK runtime that you were using previously.

If you can install a Debian chroot that is compiled for hard float and also install hard-float Java, this should give you a further speed increase in some transcoding scenarios and I think it would be worth doing.

[alexinc]

(10-04-2017 20:29)dafart Wrote:  Therefor I could try to find/install a debian chroot folder compiled for hrdfl..

Hola dafart,

did you find one? After years of searching i'm trying to revive my Xiaomi R2D with entware and the solution of chrooted Debian. So far everything looks identical to your setup and openjdk already was running... ;-)