Help Needed: Cracking the Code on LinuxCNC Servo Homing Setup!

I need your assistance with the homing process as I seem to be stuck. I have thoroughly reviewed the documentation and forums, but I cannot find the solution, and I do not understand why it is not working.This is not the first CNC I have built, but it is the first with LinuxCNC. The concepts of soft and hard limits are clear to me, but I do not understand their configuration and cannot achieve what I want. My goal is to home all axes to 0,0,0 using the servo's internal homing system, which then passes the coordinates to LinuxCNC. This part is working.Here's the process I want to achieve:

• The machine should move within the specified hard limits when it is not homed. This is not working.
• All axes should home during the homing process. This is working.
• After homing, the machine should return with a 5mm offset where the soft limit starts. This is not working. 
  • HOME_OFFSET = 5 not working. 
• The soft limit should be 5mm less than the hard limit on all axes. This is not working.
  
  Really hard to understad what is the linuxcnc's theory behind softlimits. Hardlimits are clar, working as expected. 

Attached are the INI and HAL files.

Thanks,
The first point if fair enough, so I have to disable jogging while it is not homed.
On the second point, Yes, I tried the exact setup, just HOME_ABSOLUTE_ENCODER = 1, since the modified homing will move all the axis, and when it is homed, I need homing without movement. But after the homing, soflt limix reaching kicks in. I dont really understand why, and how soflt limits working in this exact situation.
From manual is clear, the AXES_n are used after the machine homed, and JOINT_n before, in joint mode. But where are the soflimits then?

I have tandem axes, but they are configured outside lcnc, in servo drives gantry function. This is why TRAJ using XYZ.

Hello Eduard!
I am currently fiddling around with a similar system too, just using the EL7 drives instead of the EL8 - but the communication protocols are the same as far as I can see.
You write that you got the drives internal homing routine to work with Marco Reps' el8homecomp - are you sure of that? When I tried his component yesterday I could never see the opmode (pin "opmode-display") change from CSP (value 8) to HM (value 6). And the limits that I had set for homing velocity and homing acceleration were clearly disregarded - the drive would simply drive the axis to zero at 6000rpm and maximum achievable accelleration. Luckily I had nothing connected to the motors shaft...
So currently this problem remains unresolved for me, too.
Have a nice evening!
Paul

Here is the latest INI.
 

still having the error when powering off linuxcnc:
Exceeded POSITIVE soft limit on Joint_2 (0.000000)

After turn it on, the axes are homed and not be able to move a joint, neither homing again ewen if I unhomed the machine. So I have to shut it down, open lcnc again and now I can homing. But when it runs, never run into soft limit error, just very very close to limitswitch. 

Actually I tought the AXIS is soft limit, JOINT is hard limit, but not that case. I need something to have when softlimit is smaller area than hardlimit and machine not even close to limit switch. It is so basic, I'm sure lcnc has to have, and I'm suprised why it is so hard to find.