https://developer.toradex.com/knowledge-base/build-u-boot-and-linux-kernel-from-source-code
Summary
This article describes how to build the U-Boot boot loader and the Linux kernel directly without using a higher-level build system such as OpenEmbedded. This mostly makes sense during U-Boot or Linux development.
We provide OpenEmbedded recipes which build U-Boot and Linux as part of a complete image, hence if you plan to build a complete image follow the OpenEmbedded (core) article. This article also includes download and build of the software described further down.
You might also need to compile the Linux kernel driver backports. If this is the case, see the specific article Kernel Driver Backports Integration.
Source Code
The source code of the U-Boot boot loader and the Linux kernel may be found on our Git server at git.toradex.com.
git clone -b <git-branch> git://git.toradex.com/u-boot-toradex.git
git clone -b <git-branch> git://git.toradex.com/linux-toradex.git
Note: Should your company firewall/gateway inhibit the git protocol, you may use HTTP or HTTPS instead (e.g. git clone https://git.toradex.com/u-boot-toradex.git).
The required git branch, U-Boot configuration and U-Boot/Linux binaries to be used depend on module type and image version.
Image Versions
Select the appropriate tab below to get a list of branch and configuration names.
Tegra Based Modules (Apalis/Colibri Txx)
Valid values for <board> are either apalis_t30, apalis-tk1, colibri_t20 or colibri_t30. Tegra U-Boot Versions
| Image Version | U-Boot Git Branch | U-Boot Configuration | U-Boot Binary |
|---|---|---|---|
| V2.0 / V2.1 / V2.2 | colibri | <board>_config | u-boot.bin |
| V2.3 beta 2 | colibri | <board>_config | u-boot.bin |
| V2.3 beta 3 | colibri (T20) 2014.10-toradex (T30) |
<board>_defconfig | u-boot.bin (T20) u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin (T30) |
| V2.4 / V2.5 / V2.6 | 2015.04-toradex | <board>_defconfig | u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin |
| 2.7 / 2.8 | 2016.11-toradex | <board>_defconfig | u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin |
| 3.0 (TK1 only) | toradex_2019.07 | <board>_defconfig | u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin |
Tegra T20/T30 Linux Kernel Versions
| Image Version | Kernel git branch | Kernel Configuration | Device Tree | Kernel Binary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2.0 / V2.1 / V2.2 | colibri | <board>_defconfig | - | arch/arm/boot/uImage |
| V2.3 beta 2 | tegra | <board>_defconfig | - | arch/arm/boot/uImage |
| V2.3 beta 3 | tegra | <board>_defconfig | - | arch/arm/boot/uImage |
| V2.4 / V2.5 / V2.6 / 2.7 / 2.8b1 | tegra | <board>_defconfig | - | arch/arm/boot/zImage (T20) arch/arm/boot/uImage (T30) |
| 2.8b2 | tegra | <board>_defconfig | - | arch/arm/boot/zImage |
Tegra K1 Linux Kernel Versions
| Image Version | Kernel git branch | Kernel Configuration | Device Tree | Kernel Binary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2.6 / 2.7b1 / 2.7b2 / 2.7b3 / 2.7b4 | toradex_tk1_l4t_r21.5 | <board>_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/uImage |
| 2.7b5 / 2.8b1 | toradex_tk1_l4t_r21.6 | <board>_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/uImage |
| 2.8b2 | toradex_tk1_l4t_r21.6 | <board>_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/zImage |
| 2.8b3 / 2.8b4 / 2.8b5 | toradex_tk1_l4t_r21.7 | <board>_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/zImage |
| 3.0 | toradex_tk1_l4t_r21.7 | <board>_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/zImage |
Tegra K1 Mainline Linux Kernel Versions
| Image Version | kernel.org linux-stable.git branch | Kernel Configuration | Device Tree | Kernel Binary | Additional Patches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7 | linux-4.9.y | tegra_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/uImage | morty patches |
| 2.8b1 | linux-4.14.y | tegra_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/uImage | rocko patches |
| 2.8b2 | linux-4.14.y | tegra_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/zImage | rocko patches |
| 3.0 | linux-4.14.y | tegra_defconfig | tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb |
arch/arm/boot/zImage | thud patches |
Toolchain
Toolchain for Hard Float Calling Convention
Beginning with image 3.0, as part of our OpenEmbedded Thud update we transitioned to using version 8.2 of the gcc compiler. Arm releases well tested binary toolchains which can be used to cross compile software for our modules (choose gcc-arm-8.2-2019.01-x86_64-arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz for 32bit Arm and gcc-arm-8.2-2019.01-x86_64-aarch64-linux-gnu.tar.xz for 64bit Arm):
Beginning with image 2.8, as part of our OpenEmbedded Rocko update we transitioned to using version 7.3 of the gcc compiler. Linaro releases well tested binary toolchains which can be used to cross compile software for our modules (choose gcc-linaro-7.3.1-2018.05-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz):
https://releases.linaro.org/components/toolchain/binaries/7.3-2018.05/arm-linux-gnueabihf/
Beginning with image 2.7b2, as part of our OpenEmbedded Morty update we transitioned to using version 6.2 of the gcc compiler. Linaro releases well tested binary toolchains which can be used to cross compile software for our modules (choose gcc-linaro-6.2.1-2016.11-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz):
https://releases.linaro.org/components/toolchain/binaries/6.2-2016.11/arm-linux-gnueabihf/
Beginning with image V2.6, as part of our OpenEmbedded Jethro update we transitioned to using version 5.2 of the gcc compiler. Linaro releases well tested binary toolchains which can be used to cross compile software for our modules (choose gcc-linaro-5.2-2015.11-2-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz):
https://releases.linaro.org/components/toolchain/binaries/5.2-2015.11-2/arm-linux-gnueabihf/
Beginning with image V2.0, we transitioned to using the hard-float ABI:
https://releases.linaro.org/archive/14.11/components/toolchain/binaries/
Note: Since the 14.11 release Linaro only provides x86_64 toolchains. If you use 32-bit Linux on your host machine (check using uname -m), you can still download the older 14.09 release which is still 32-bit:
https://releases.linaro.org/archive/14.09/components/toolchain/binaries/
To install the toolchain on your host machine, unpack the tar.xz file:
cd wget -c https://releases.linaro.org/components/toolchain/binaries/5.2-2015.11-2/arm-linux-gnueabihf/gcc-linaro-5.2-2015.11-2-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz tar xvf gcc-linaro-5.2-2015.11-2-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz ln -s gcc-linaro-5.2-2015.11-2-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf gcc-linaro
The U-Boot and Linux makefiles use the environment variables ARCH/CROSS_COMPILE to configure and call the compiler correctly. Therefore, these environment variables must be exported in any shell instance that will run configure/compile commands to build U-Boot or Linux for the target module.
For 32bit Arm:
export ARCH=arm export PATH=~/gcc-linaro/bin/:$PATH export CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf-
For 64bit Arm:
export ARCH=arm64 export PATH=~/gcc-linaro/bin/:$PATH export CROSS_COMPILE=aarch64-linux-gnu-
You can put those commands into a file and source that file to export it more easily, E.g.:
echo "export ARCH=arm" >> ~/export_compiler echo "export PATH=~/gcc-linaro/bin/:$PATH" >> ~/export_compiler echo "export CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf-" >> ~/export_compiler source ~/export_compiler
Linux Image / Flashing Tools
The following instructions expect the latest Linux image to be extracted on your host machine.
The latest Linux images are available at: http://files.toradex.com/Colibri/Linux/Images
As an example we'll use Colibri_T20_LinuxImageV2.3_20150320.tar.bz2 which will create a directory Colibri_T20_LinuxImageV2.3.
To download and extract the image:
cd
wget http://files.toradex.com/Colibri/Linux/Images/Colibri_T20_LinuxImageV2.3_20150320.tar.bz2
sudo tar xjvf Colibri_T20_LinuxImageV2.3_20150320.tar.bz2
DTC
U-Boot compilation for some modules needs a device tree compiler (DTC) of version 1.3 or higher to be installed and executable. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) and later provide a version which is recent enough:
sudo apt-get install device-tree-compiler
To check the version:
$ dtc -v
Version: DTC 1.3.0
If you need to build a newer version, you can get the latest version (DTC 1.4.1 at the time of writing) from source:
git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/dtc/dtc.git -b v1.4.1
cd dtc/
make
export PATH=$HOME/dtc/:$PATH
Alternatively, one can use the tools built with an OpenEmbedded build. See the toolchain chapter above.
U-Boot Tools
The uImage target of the Linux kernel compilation needs a recent mkimage tool which is actually built during U-Boot compilation as explained further below. Ensure that one is included in PATH:
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/u-boot-toradex/tools
Alternatively, one can simply install the Fedora package uboot-tools:
sudo dnf install uboot-tools
respectively the Debian/Ubuntu package u-boot-tools:
sudo apt-get install u-boot-tools
Alternatively, one can use the tools built with an OpenEmbedded build. See the toolchain chapter above.
Other Build Host Tools
You need some basic build tools to compile the kernel. Most are likely part of your distro's standard install.
For Fedora:
sudo dnf install bc gcc git ncurses-devel lzop make perl
For Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install bc build-essential git libncurses5-dev lzop perl
U-Boot
For detailed information about which branch, configuration or binary to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Source
Obtain the U-Boot source code using Git:
cd
git clone -b 2016.11-toradex git://git.toradex.com/u-boot-toradex.git
cd u-boot-toradex
Note: The 2016.11-toradex branch is used as an example. For detailed information about which branch to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Configuration
Please select the appropriate tab below to find the board configuration name:
Configurations for T20 and T30 modules:
- apalis_t30_defconfig
- apalis-tk1_defconfig
- colibri_t20_defconfig
- colibri_t30_defconfig
For detailed information about which configuration to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Ensure the environment is configured for cross compilation as explained in the toolchain chapter. Then choose one of those configurations and load it:
make colibri_t20_config
Compilation
The following is the procedure to compile the boot loader.
make -j3 2>&1 | tee build.log
Note: Starting with image 3.0 we use U-Boot based on 2019.07 which changed certain make targets to include -dtb in their names. For backwards compatibility just make sure you explicitly state the make target e.g. as follows: make u-boot.imx otherwise only the new target named u-boot-dtb.imx will be built. However, the two are equal apart from their name.
Note: Starting with image 3.0 we use U-Boot based on 2019.07 which dropped the NAND make targets (only required for Colibri iMX6ULL and the none 1GB aka NAND rather than eMMC based Colibri iMX7). You may therefore manually create u-boot-nand.imx as follows:
# U-Boot is flashed 1k into a NAND block, create a binary which prepends
# U-boot with 1k of zeros to ease flashing
dd bs=1024 count=1 if=/dev/zero | cat - u-boot.imx > u-boot-nand.imx
When using the cross compiler built by a OpenEmbedded build of our BSP V2.5 or later, the compiler might have an error during linking
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld.bfd: cannot find -lgcc
make[2]: *** [examples/standalone/hello_world] Error 1
make[1]: *** [examples/standalone] Error 2
make: *** [examples] Error 2
The new cross compiler does not have a hard-coded default sysroot and hence needs the sysroot to be specified explicitly:
make CC='arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-gcc --sysroot=${HOME}/oe-core/build/out-glibc/sysroots/colibri-vf'
Boot Container (Apalis iMX8/Apalis iMX8X/Colibri iMX8X/Verdin iMX8M Mini)
Please open this section to get information on how to create the boot container for i.MX 8 and i.MX 8X based modules:
Please open this section to get information on how to create the boot container for i.MX 8M Mini family based modules:
Update
Toradex Easy Installer (Apalis TK1, Apalis iMX8, Apalis/Colibri iMX8X, Apalis/Colibri iMX6, Colibri iMX6ULL, Colibri iMX7, Verdin iMX8M Mini) - U-Boot
Integrate above built artefacts into our regular Toradex Easy Installer package:
Note: For Apalis TK1 first manually convert u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin to apalis-tk1.img using
bootimage
from the legacy BSP package and its update.sh script.
Replace the U-Boot binary and if applicable the SPL in the unpacked Toradex Easy Installer directory.
Now adjust the image.json to your liking (e.g. change at least the name and description for you to be able to distinguish it from our regular package). You may of course also change any of the other properties as documented in the Toradex Easy Installer article on our developer website.
Use Toradex Easy Installer - U-Boot
You may now use above prepared Toradex Easy Installer package with the Toradex Easy Installer.
Legacy Images - U-Boot
Image V2.3 & Older
The following procedure is to flash just the new boot loader (assumes target is already in recovery mode):
cd ~/Colibri_T20_LinuxImageV2.3/colibri-t20_bin
cp ~/u-boot-toradex/u-boot.bin ./u-boot-custom.bin
ln -fs u-boot-custom.bin u-boot.bin
cd ..
./update.sh -r 512 -u -v V1_2
Note: This example performs an update for the Colibri T20 512MB V1_2. Enter the update parameters according to the Colibri T20 version.
Image V2.4 & Newer
Refer to the Tegra based modules section below for the T20 U-Boot update procedure of V2.4+ images.
Tegra based modules (T20: Image V2.4+)
Replace the existing u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin in the extracted BSP package.
cd ~/Apalis_T30_LinuxImageV2.3/apalis-t30_bin
cp ~/u-boot-toradex/u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin ./u-boot-dtb-tegra-custom.bin
ln -fs u-boot-dtb-tegra-custom.bin u-boot-dtb-tegra.bin
cd ..
Prepare an SD card as described in the Flashing Embedded Linux to Tegra Modules article.
Boot the module to the U-Boot prompt and update U-Boot:
run setupdate
run update_uboot
Note: Refer to the Txx Recovery Mode article if the module is not able to boot into U-Boot.
After the update, reset or power cycle to execute the new U-Boot.
Standalone Application
Note: If you don't know if you need to read this, you will not need to read this.U-Boot allows to run standalone applications which may use callbacks into the U-Boot binary. One has to overcome some obstacles to get the hello_world example in the U-Boot sources up and running on an ARM based CPU.
Linux Kernel
Kernel Source
For detailed information about which branch to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Obtain the kernel source code using Git:
git clone -b tegra git://git.toradex.com/linux-toradex.git
cd linux-toradex
Note: The tegra branch is used as an example. For detailed information about which branch to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Note: If additional patches are provided apply them as follows: git am <patch files>.
Kernel Configuration
Our kernel tree provides default kernel configurations for our modules:
For detailed information about which configuration to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Ensure the environment is configured for cross compilation as explained in the toolchain chapter.
Set the default configuration:
make colibri_t20_defconfig
...
At this point one may alter the kernel configuration by either editing .config directly (e.g. setting CONFIG_* to either =y or =m aka as module) or use one of the kernel configuration utilities included, e.g.
make nconfig
Kernel Compilation
Depending on the module, different kernel image types are used. Furthermore, some kernels require a device tree to describe the system's hardware (see Device Tree Customization for details).
Our kernel configurations build some drivers as kernel modules.
To assure module compatibility the kernel refuses to load modules with a 'vermagic' string which does not match its own, on top of that the modules are stored under a directory named after the version string.
Thus one usually needs to compile and deploy the kernel modules together with the kernel in order to use them.
For detailed information about which binary and device tree to use, please consult the image version tables provided at the top of the article.
Tegra T20/T30 Based Kernel (Colibri T20, Apalis/Colibri T30)
To compile the kernel:
make -j3 uImage 2>&1 | tee build.log
Using a GCC 4.8 or newer toolchain with the gold linker may cause the following issue:
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: error: arch/arm/boot/compressed/piggy.gzip.o: unknown CPU architecture
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: error: arch/arm/boot/compressed/lib1funcs.o: unknown CPU architecture
This is a known issue with older kernel versions and the gold linker (see this message by the gold creator). The recommended solution is to just revert to using the regular bfd linker as follows:
make -j3 uImage LD=${CROSS_COMPILE}ld.bfd | tee build.log
Tegra K1 Based Kernel (Apalis TK1)
To compile the kernel & device trees:
make -j12 | tee build.log
For BSPs prior to BSP 2.8b2 where the Linux kernel binary was still deployed in the uImage format one had to build things separately e.g. as follows:
make -j3 uImage LOADADDR=0x80008000 2>&1 | tee build.log
make tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb
Vybrid Based Kernel (Colibri VFXX)
Since V2.3 Beta 3, the boot loader expects the kernel to be located within the root file system and in the zImage format.
Since V2.3 Beta 5 (i.e. branch colibri_vf_3.18) a device tree must additionally be built from the kernel sources.
Since V2.6 Beta 2, the boot loader expects the kernel/dtb to be located in their own static UBI volume and in the zImage format.
To compile the kernel & device tree:
make -j3 zImage | tee build.log
make vf610-colibri-eval-v3.dtb
The Linux kernel for our Vybrid based modules can show linking issues when using the gold linker:
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: --pic-veneer: unknown option
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: use the --help option for usage information
The recommended solution is to just revert to using the regular bfd linker as follows:
make -j3 zImage LD=${CROSS_COMPILE}ld.bfd | tee build.log
i.MX 6 Based Kernel (Apalis/Colibri iMX6)
Starting with Apalis iMX6 Image V2.3 Beta 1 and for all Colibri iMX6 kernels some additional parameters are required to compile the kernel plus a device tree is built from the kernel sources.
Valid device trees:
To compile the kernel & device tree:
make -j3 uImage LOADADDR=10008000 2>&1 | tee build.log
make imx6q-apalis-eval.dtb
i.MX 6ULL Based Kernel (Colibri iMX6ULL)
To compile the kernel & device tree:
make -j3 zImage 2>&1 | tee build.log
make imx6ull-colibri-eval-v3.dtb
The Linux kernel for our i.MX 6ULL based modules can show linking issues when using the gold linker:
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: --pic-veneer: unknown option
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: use the --help option for usage information
The recommended solution is to just revert to using the regular bfd linker as follows:
make -j3 zImage LD=${CROSS_COMPILE}ld.bfd | tee build.log
i.MX 7 Based Kernel (Colibri iMX7S/iMX7D)
To compile the kernel & device tree:
make -j3 zImage 2>&1 | tee build.log
make imx7d-colibri-eval-v3.dtb
The Linux kernel for our i.MX7 based modules can show linking issues when using the gold linker:
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: --pic-veneer: unknown option
arm-angstrom-linux-gnueabi-ld: use the --help option for usage information
The recommended solution is to just revert to using the regular bfd linker as follows:
make -j3 zImage LD=${CROSS_COMPILE}ld.bfd | tee build.log
i.MX 8/8X/8M Mini Based Kernel (Apalis iMX8/Apalis iMX8X/Colibri iMX8X/Verdin iMX8M Mini)
To compile the kernel & device tree:
Get the name of the needed *.dtb file from the table above. Here we use fsl-imx8qm-apalis-ixora-v1.1.dtb as an example.
make -j3 Image 2>&1 | tee build.log
make freescale/fsl-imx8qm-apalis-ixora-v1.1.dtb
Kernel Module Compilation, all Modules
Attention: If you recompile the kernel you should update the kernel modules as well because they often have strong dependencies to a specific kernel build
To compile the kernel modules as configured in .config (everything with CONFIG_*=m) run:
make -j3 modules
Extract the kernel modules with:
mkdir modules
export INSTALL_MOD_PATH=modules
make modules_install
Create a kernel module tarball with:
cd modules
tar -czf ../modules.tar.gz .
cd -
Install the tarball on your module with:
tar -xzf modules.tar.gz -C /
Kernel Update
There are two methods to update the Linux kernel on the target hardware. For new modules, we only support the process based on the Toradex Easy Installer. However, for older modules and kernel versions, the legacy method may need to be used.
Please choose the appropriate tab below to choose one of these two processes:
Toradex Easy Installer (Apalis TK1, Apalis/Colibri iMX6, Colibri iMX6ULL, Colibri iMX7)
Integrate above built artifacts into a suitable embedded Linux image packaged in Toradex Easy Installer format. You can download it from the Binary Images section on the Linux Software page.
For a module which uses raw NAND simply replace the kernel binary and device tree(s) in the unpacked Toradex Easy Installer directory.
For a module which uses eMMC the kernel binary and device tree(s) are part of the bootfs.tar.xz archive. Replace them in the archive.
[user@host ~]$ tar xf ~/Downloads/Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image-Tezi_2.8b1.64-20171229.tar
[user@host ~]$ cd Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image-Tezi_2.8b1.64/
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image-Tezi_2.8b1.64]$ mkdir Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image-Tezi_2.8b1.64]$ cd Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs/
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs]$ tar xJf ../Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs.tar.xz
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs]$ cp ~/linux-toradex/arch/arm/boot/dts/tegra124-apalis-eval.dtb .
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs]$ cp ~/linux-toradex/arch/arm/boot/dts/tegra124-apalis-v1.2-eval.dtb .
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs]$ cp ~/linux-toradex/arch/arm/boot/zImage .
[user@host Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs]$ tar cJf ../Apalis-TK1_LXDE-Image.bootfs.tar.xz *
Now adjust the image.json to your liking (e.g. change at least the name and description for you to be able to distinguish it from our regular package). You may of course also change any of the other properties as documented in the Toradex Easy Installer article on our developer website.
You may now use above prepared Toradex Easy Installer package with the Toradex Easy Installer.
Kernel Module Deployment
Note: You may also integrate your kernel modules into the root file system archive inside a Toradex Easy Installer package where applicable.
If kernel modules were compiled, they may be deployed as follows:
sudo -E env "PATH=$PATH" make INSTALL_MOD_PATH=<path-to-rootfs>/ modules_install
Where <path-to-rootfs>/ either points to:
- the rootfs folder of the previously extracted update package in which case one has to remember to re-generate and re-flash the root file system image afterwards
- directly to a NFS rootfs location
-
a temporary folder, after which the kernel modules must be separately installed on the target as follows:
cd <path-to-rootfs>/ tar cjvf kernel-modules.tar.bz2 lib/modules/* #copy the file to the target #extract on the target as follows: cd / tar xjvf kernel-modules.tar.bz2Alternatively in one command copying through ssh (using scp for the whole installation folder does not work well since the module tree contains a symlink to the kernel sources):
cd <path-to-rootfs>/ tar -cf - . | ssh root@192.168.10.70 'cd / && tar -xf -'
Note: The kernel and any kernel modules must to be deployed as matching versions.
Note: Run depmod on the target after deploying new or changed kernel modules.