i believe i found the answer: config PHYS_OFFSET in my device kernel code.
[kernel code dir]/arch/arm/Kconfig:
config PHYS_OFFSET
hex "Physical address of main memory" if MMU
depends on !ARM_PATCH_PHYS_VIRT
default DRAM_BASE if !MMU
default 0x00000000 if ARCH_EBSA110 || \
ARCH_FOOTBRIDGE || \
ARCH_INTEGRATOR || \
ARCH_IOP13XX || \
ARCH_KS8695 || \
ARCH_REALVIEW
default 0x10000000 if ARCH_OMAP1 || ARCH_RPC
default 0x20000000 if ARCH_S5PV210
default 0xc0000000 if ARCH_SA1100
help
Please provide the physical address corresponding to the
location of main memory in your system.