Introduction

The SP2301 Linux EVB from WIZnet is an industrial-grade embedded Linux development board designed for industrial IoT and edge computing applications. A key feature of this board is its dual-port Ethernet capability, achieved by combining:

• The native SP2301 Ethernet interface for control signals

• An expansion Ethernet port via W5100S-io / W5500-io for data communication

This architecture ensures physical separation between control and data flows, providing greater system stability and security.

With SecurePi firmware and Linux kernel drivers that already support WIZnet W5100S / W5500 chipsets, users can easily enable dual-port Ethernet communication. This guide outlines how to install the firmware using the SD card and BOOT switch, without needing Linux command-line operations.

What You’ll Need

• SP2301 Linux EVB

• Micro SD card (8 GB or larger, FAT32 formatted)

• PC (Windows, Linux, or macOS) to prepare the SD card

• DC power supply (9V to 36V)

Firmware Installation Steps

1. Download and Prepare the Firmware

SecurePi provides pre-built Linux firmware images designed for supported platforms, including the SP2301 Linux EVB. These images come ready to boot and include built-in support for WIZnet hardware.

On your PC:

• Download the SecurePi firmware image for the SP2301 Linux EVB.

• Verify the integrity of the image using the provided checksum (such as SHA256).

• Use tools like balenaEtcher or Rufus to write the firmware image to the Micro SD card.

Important: Ensure the correct drive is selected in your flashing tool to avoid overwriting other storage devices.

2. Insert the SD Card

Once the flashing process is complete:

• Safely eject the Micro SD card from your PC.

• Insert it into the Micro SD slot on the SP2301 Linux EVB.

3. Set the BOOT Switch

The SP2301 Linux EVB is equipped with a BOOT mode selector switch that determines the startup source.

Set the BOOT switch to SD boot mode. This instructs the board to load the Linux OS directly from the SD card during startup. There is no need to manually flash internal storage or run additional setup commands.

4. Power On the Board

• Connect the SP2301 Linux EVB to a stable power source using the DC input (9V to 36V).

• The board will detect the firmware on the SD card and automatically boot into the Linux operating system.

• Indicator LEDs will confirm power and activity status.

Dual Ethernet Ready Without Additional Configuration

Once booted:

• The SecurePi Linux OS will run directly from the SD card.

• The included Linux kernel already contains the necessary WIZnet driver modules for the W5100S and W5500 chipsets.

• Both Ethernet ports will be operational:

  • The native SP2301 Ethernet port as the control interface

  • The W5100S-io / W5500-io expansion port as the data interface

This setup enables immediate use of dual-port Ethernet functionality without requiring driver installation or complex configuration.

Conclusion

The SP2301 Linux EVB combined with SecurePi firmware provides a fast and reliable method to enable dual-port Ethernet networking. With its BOOT switch-controlled SD card boot process and built-in WIZnet driver support, developers can deploy the board quickly for industrial IoT and edge computing applications without needing to perform additional setup or command-line operations.

If you need a diagram of the BOOT switch positions, a quick-start PDF, or a sample configuration overview, let me know and I can provide that material.