Hi
I got my beaglebone A3 a couple of weeks ago, my first development board and I am a beginner on embedded linux.
To begin with I did not have any spare micro SD to copy the ones in the box, and against my better judgement I started using them, compiled some C++ code with python bindings I had intended to test on ARM, and was successful.
The next step I took was updating and upgrading all packages using ‘opkg’.
Unfortunately that ‘broke’ the ethernet interface: I could not get any connection through the ethernet cable set up: The board does not seem to recognise there’s a cable attached, and a router does not see anything at the end of the cable either. As an effect I could not get the board to connect to the internet anymore. I could still connect through the usb (from windows using the ethernet/usb gadget interface and using putty to connect via ssh).
My conclusion is that there is something dodgy with the package upgrades: I now managed to download one pf the Angstrom demo images, copied it to a new mSD card, and with that card all is well again.
I think this should be a warning to other beginners: Make sure you clone the cards that come in the box before attempting to write anything else to their filesystems.
Obviously one of the package upgrades I undertook must have some sort of problem that causes the ethernet interface to stop working. But I am afraid I would not know how to find which package and version is responsible, and so can’t really report the bug.
Even through, it’s great fun, and I am absolutely amazed how powerful this little board is.
Martin