What can I do with 'Ubuntu 20.04 Partial Flash'?

Tachyon
1

I was looking at the guide document and got a question about 'Ubuntu 20.04 Partial Flash'.

In that document, it's written as below.

"""Why?: so you can update the kernel, bootloader, and DTS/DTBO to add display support without overwriting the userdata partition (which contains the Ubuntu root file system and your changes). Any many other reasons as well :)"""

So, is this feature limited for display support? Does Ubuntu 20.04 not support the device tree overlay additions or kernel changes at all?

Among the guide documents, the following is mentioned in the 'Tachyon Device Tree Source', but I'm asking for confirmation.

"""The DTS files reference bindings from the 5.14 kernel used for the Tachyon 20.04 build. Those bindings and documentation have been included as well. Compiling and loading custom DTB files for the 20.04 build is not supported, these files are provided for reference only."""

Do I have to do it only on Ubuntu 24.04 to modify the device tree or add drivers?

2

The partial flash is not limited to just display support. Display support is mentioned as just one example of why it would be useful. This allows you to add new hardware support without wiping your entire user space (i.e. previous projects, configurations, etc).

I believe you’re correct, I think you’ll have to have to be running Ubuntu 24.04 to add custom device tree configurations or drivers.