Because GUI is too slow and all I need is SSH connection, I will use Ubuntu Server edition on my robot. First time to use Server OS, second time to install OS on BeagleBoard. Tools: SD card, computer with ubuntu, BeagleBoard's serial cable.

Files from: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/OMAP
Instructions: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/OMAPMaverickInstall

gunzip ubuntu-11.10-preinstalled-server-armel+omap.img.gz
sudo dd bs=4M if=ubuntu-11.10-preinstalled-server-armel+omap.img of=/dev/sdb

gunzip ubuntu-11.10-preinstalled-server-armel+omap.img.gz
sudo dd bs=4M if=ubuntu-11.10-preinstalled-server-armel+omap.img of=/dev/sdb

Some orange screen and errors in serial console.

MMC: block number 0x1 exceeds max(0x0)
** Can't read from device 0 **

** Unable to use mmc 0:1 for fatload **
## Executing script at 82000000
Wrong image format for "source" command

I had to erase nand flash. Then, some more hours of random debuging later I started to get linux booting messages and then random characters and language names. My HTerm messed all the spacing up. Tried with minicom, same thing there, I hate minicom. Then I found terminal program named screen. Fancy and colorful, I didn't know you can get color over serial.

Ubuntu server setup

I selected Ubuntu Server Package and OpenSSH package from installing menu and it started to download and install those. Then finally, Ubuntu command line. No screen, no keyboard, just command line. Whatever, don't need anyting else anyway. Found good guide how to make startup scripts from: random instruction.

Contents of the file:

#Connect to web
sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid "ut-public"
#and give me IP.
sudo dhclient wlan0
#ip to server script from last post
python /home/user/ssh_me.py

#Connect to web
sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid "ut-public"
#and give me IP.
sudo dhclient wlan0
#ip to server script from last post
python /home/user/ssh_me.py

Tried to install dropbox to it too, but didn't find armel version of it. Next - OpenCV. But it still doesn't work on Beagle so I can't write how to do it.