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sima-cli bootimg

Prepare a bootable image for the SiMa DevKit.

The default target is Modalix with eLxr. For example, sima-cli -i bootimg -v 3.0.0_daily --netboot needs no board or firmware options. Use --boardtype mlsoc --fwtype yocto to select the previous defaults.

Parent command: sima-cli

Usage​

sima-cli bootimg [OPTIONS]

Options​

NameDescription
-v, --versionFirmware version to download and write (e.g., 1.6.0) (required)
-b, --boardtypeTarget board type. (default: modalix)
-t, --fwtypeTarget firmware type. (default: elxr)
-n, --netbootPrepare image for network boot and launch TFTP server.
-f, --forceAllow daily mirror fallback if Artifactory is unavailable (internal Modalix eLxr netboot only).
--recoveryWrite eLxr Modalix recovery media for automatic eMMC recovery.
--devkit, --devkit-ipDevKit IP for remote netboot; discover and select a DevKit when omitted.
-r, --rootfsCustom root fs folders (internal use only)
-a, --autoflashNetwork boot the selected DevKit, then automatically flash its internal storage once SSH is ready.

Arguments​

None.

Full Help​

Usage: sima-cli bootimg [OPTIONS]

  Prepare a bootable image for the SiMa DevKit.

  This command downloads the specified firmware version and prepares a
  removable boot medium (SD card or USB) or configures a TFTP-based network
  boot environment. It supports both MLSoC- and Modalix-based DevKits, as well
  as Yocto and eLxr firmware types.

  Matching internal builds appear in aligned Version and Build time (UTC)
  columns, newest first. Build time uses the newest Artifactory archive
  creation timestamp for each version. Unknown timestamps appear last.

  Operations Performed:

    • Download the correct firmware bundle for the selected version

    • Build a bootable disk image (SD/USB) OR configure TFTP netboot

    • (Optional) Boot the DevKit over the network and flash internal eMMC
    storage (use `f` command)

    • Support for internal/testing rootfs overrides (`--rootfs`)

  Typical Use Cases:

      • Flashing a new firmware version to an SD card

      • Setting up a fast development loop using TFTP netboot

      • Preparing an eLxr-based bring-up image for Modalix DevKits

      • Automating eMMC flashing over the network

  Examples:

      # Write an SD card image for an MLSoC DevKit

      sima-cli bootimg -v 1.6.0 --boardtype mlsoc --fwtype yocto

      # Set up netboot for a Modalix DevKit

      sima-cli bootimg -v 3.0.0 --netboot

      # Select a DevKit for confirmed remote U-Boot setup and reboot

      sima-cli bootimg -v 3.0.0 --netboot --devkit-ip
      192.168.1.20

      # Allow daily mirror fallback for internal eLxr 3.0+ netboot

      sima-cli -i bootimg -v 1247 --netboot
      -f

      # Prepare an eLxr netboot image for Modalix

      sima-cli bootimg -v 2.0.0 --netboot

      # Prepare USB/SD recovery media that automatically recovers eMMC

      sima-cli bootimg -v 3.0.0 --recovery

Options:
  -v, --version TEXT              Firmware version to download and write
                                  (e.g., 1.6.0)  [required]
  -b, --boardtype [modalix|mlsoc]
                                  Target board type.  [default: modalix]
  -t, --fwtype [yocto|elxr]       Target firmware type.  [default: elxr]
  -n, --netboot                   Prepare image for network boot and launch
                                  TFTP server.
  -f, --force                     Allow daily mirror fallback if Artifactory
                                  is unavailable (internal Modalix eLxr
                                  netboot only).
  --recovery                      Write eLxr Modalix recovery media for
                                  automatic eMMC recovery.
  --devkit, --devkit-ip TEXT      DevKit IP for remote netboot; discover and
                                  select a DevKit when omitted.
  -r, --rootfs TEXT               Custom root fs folders (internal use only)
  -a, --autoflash                 Network boot the selected DevKit, then
                                  automatically flash its internal storage
                                  once SSH is ready.
  --help                          Show this message and exit.

Daily netboot fallback​

For internal Modalix eLxr 3.0+ builds, --netboot (also --autoflash) uses the public daily platform mirror only when -f/--force is provided and Artifactory cannot be reached or authentication fails. Without -f, preparation stops with an error explaining how to enable fallback. Size and SHA-256 verification remain mandatory with -f. -v accepts an exact build name or a search term such as 1247, 3.0, or develop. Multiple matches appear newest build first.

The minimal TFTP archive, palette .img.gz eMMC image, and troot_blob.be come from the same selected build. Mirror downloads must match the index size and SHA-256 before extraction or TFTP startup. If an Artifactory artifact request fails after selection, the fallback retains that exact build. Missing or invalid mirror artifacts stop preparation with an error.

Existing local-file, direct-URL, Yocto, and older eLxr download paths remain available.

Remote netboot preparation​

Use --netboot --devkit 192.168.2.2 to select a DevKit, or omit --devkit to use SDK setup discovery. Multiple discovered devices prompt for a selection. If none are discovered, TFTP remains available and the CLI shows instructions for configuring the DevKit manually. Automatic flashing is disabled without a selected device; once SSH is available, type f to flash. --devkit-ip remains an alias. The device must be reachable over SSH and provide the U-Boot binary and environment files under /boot. The CLI matches the environment format to the bootloader: a single-file FAT loader uses a four-byte CRC header, while a redundant loader uses the two-file format. Existing files written in the wrong redundant format are backed up and converted for single-file loaders before applying settings.

The host route to the selected DevKit determines the TFTP server IP, including on hosts with multiple interfaces. The DevKit's active address, subnet, and return-route gateway are reused for static netboot; DHCP is not required.

After downloading the image and starting TFTP, a yellow panel shows the device, network settings, persistent U-Boot changes, and reboot consequences. Confirmation defaults to No. Accepting temporarily remounts /boot writable when needed, restores its original mount mode on exit, and saves the previous environment under /boot/sima-cli-netboot-backup.*, sets boot_targets=net and the static network boot commands, verifies the settings, and schedules a reboot. If the initial SSH connection to the selected DevKit fails, the CLI reports the DevKit address and connection error, skips remote setup, and keeps TFTP available for manual network boot. Declining leaves U-Boot unchanged and does not reboot the selected DevKit. The TFTP server and client monitoring stay active at the netboot> prompt so another device can network boot from this host. Automatic flashing is disabled for this session when setup is declined; wait for ✅ SSH is available on <IP> and type f to flash manually. Failures during environment preparation restore the saved environment and prevent reboot.

Platform 2.1.2 and earlier may use a legacy fw_env.config layout that cannot be identified safely. In that case, sima-cli restores the saved environment, keeps TFTP running, and prints the exact U-Boot setenv, saveenv, and reset commands for the detected DevKit and host network. Enter those commands through the serial console after interrupting autoboot. Automatic flashing is disabled for that session; after the network-booted system becomes reachable over SSH, type f at the netboot> prompt to flash it.

Keep the host and TFTP server running. The settings persist until changed: failed network boots retry and reboot, so recovery may require serial access. The backup directory includes both original environment files and a readable environment.txt. By default, wait for ✅ SSH is available on <IP>, then type f to flash the device. With -a/--autoflash, flashing starts automatically once the selected DevKit is SSH-ready and confirmed to be running the network boot image. The confirmation panel explains that flashing will start automatically. Automatic flashing runs once and does not select another discovered device.

sima-cli -i bootimg -v 1247 --netboot -f --devkit 192.168.2.2

Remote preparation supports legacy 2.1 images without /boot/u-boot.bin by validating their redundant FAT environment configuration and CRCs. Other platforms retain bootloader-based format detection.

Recovering from an IP change during netboot​

The board may receive a different IP address when Linux boots. If the SSH reboot check keeps waiting on the old address, press Ctrl+C at the netboot> prompt to stop automatic SSH checks. The TFTP server stays running; use q to exit the session.

Type d at the prompt to run multicast discovery on the local network. If the board does not respond, connect its serial console, run sima-cli serial in another terminal, log in, and run ip -4 addr (or ifconfig) on the board. Once you have identified the correct board and its current IP, type f <ip> (for example, f 192.168.2.20) to flash it. Discovery does not select a flash target automatically. A timed-out SSH check also prints these recovery steps and leaves the board unconnected.

Preparing eMMC for flashing​

Before netboot flashing writes the eMMC image, sima-cli lists all mounted filesystems backed by the eMMC, including LVM volumes such as /data and bind mounts. It unmounts them before releasing LVM mappings. Flashing stops if a mount is busy, the running root filesystem or active swap uses eMMC, or a device mapping remains active. Close the processes using those filesystems and retry from the network recovery environment. Unmounting and image-write errors stop flashing instead of reporting success.