canoeboot
/
cbwww
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

remove junk 

Signed-off-by: Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
master
Leah Rowe 2024-01-27 16:50:51 +00:00
parent 66c8fedc64
commit 96391759be
1 changed files with 0 additions and 846 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

846
site/news/canoeboot0.1.md
View File

@ -62,850 +62,4 @@ PS: I use a new GPG signing key on Libreboot releases now. Check the Libreboot
download page for it. At the time of writing, the new key is not listed on
the Canoeboot page but I used that key.
Introduction
============
*This* new release, Canoeboot 20231026, released today 26 October 2023, is
based on the [Libreboot 20231021](https://libreboot.org/news/libreboot20231021.html)
release, porting changes in it on top of
[nonGeNUine Boot 20230717](nongenuineboot20230717.md) as a base. The previous
release was nonGeNUine Boot 20230717, released on 17 July 2023; the project
named *nonGeNUine Boot* has been renamed to Canoeboot, in this release, which
is the first ever release under the name *Canoeboot*.
Canoeboot provides boot firmware for supported x86/ARM machines, starting a
bootloader that then loads your operating system. It replaces proprietary
BIOS/UEFI firmware on x86 machines, and provides an *improved* configuration
on [ARM-based chromebooks](../docs/install/chromebooks.html) supported
(U-Boot bootloader, instead of Google's depthcharge bootloader). On x86
machines, the GRUB and SeaBIOS coreboot
payloads are officially supported, provided in varying configurations per
machine. It provides an [automated build system](../docs/maintain/) for the
[configuration](../docs/build/) and [installation](../docs/install/) of coreboot
ROM images, making coreboot easier to use for non-technical people. You can find
the [list of supported hardware](../docs/hardware/) in Canoeboot documentation.
Canoeboot's main benefit is *higher boot speed*,
[better](../docs/gnulinux/encryption.md)
[security](../docs/gnulinux/grub_hardening.md) and more
customisation options compared to most proprietary firmware. As a
[libre](https://writefreesoftware.org/learn) software project, the code can be
audited, and coreboot does
regularly audit code. The other main benefit is [*freedom* to study, adapt and
share the code](https://writefreesoftware.org/), a freedom denied by most boot
firmware, but not Canoeboot! Booting Linux/BSD is also [well](../docs/gnulinux/)
[supported](../docs/bsd/).
Canoeboot is maintained in parallel with Libreboot, and by the same developer,
Leah Rowe, who maintains both projects; Canoeboot implements the [GNU Free
System Distribution Guideline](https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.en.html)
as policy, whereas Libreboot implements its own [Binary Blob Reduction
Policy](https://libreboot.org/news/policy.html).
Work done since last release
============================
No new mainboards have been added in Canoeboot 20231026, versus nonGeNUine
Boot 20230717, but a slew of build system enhancements and new features have
been ported from Libreboot.
However, the *following* mainboards added in Libreboot 20231021 have *been
excluded* in this Canoeboot release, due to the GNU FSDG policy: HP
EliteBook 2170p, HP EliteBook 8470p, Dell Precision T1650 and Dell
Latitude E6430.
GRUB LUKS2 now supported (with argon2 key derivation)
---------------------------------------------------
*This* new Canoeboot release imports the [PHC argon2
implementation](https://github.com/P-H-C/phc-winner-argon2) into GRUB,
courtesy of [Axel](https://axelen.xyz/) who initially ported the code to run
under GRUB *2.06*, but this Canoeboot release uses GRUB *2.12* (an RC revision
from git, at present).
Axel's code was published to [this AUR repository](https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/tree/?h=grub-improved-luks2-git&id=1c7932d90f1f62d0fd5485c5eb8ad79fa4c2f50d)
which [Nicholas Johnson](https://nicholasjohnson.ch/) then rebased on top of
GRUB *2.12*, and I then imported the work into Libreboot, with Johnson's
blessing; Canoeboot has inherited this work in full.
These libreboot patches added argon2 support, and have been ported to Canoeboot
in this 20231026 release:
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=2c0c521e2f15776fd604f8da3bc924dec95e1fd1>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=fd6025321c4ae35e69a75b45d21bfbfb4eb2b3a0>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=438bf2c9b113eab11439c9c65449e269e5b4b095>
This means that you can now boot from encrypted `/boot` partitions. I'm very
grateful to everyone who made this possible!
Simplified commands (build system)
-------------------------
Simply put, cbmk (the Canoeboot build system) is now *easier to use* than
gbmk (the nonGeNUine Boot 20230717 build system) was; there
are only *9* shell scripts in this release, versus 50 or so in the
nonGeNU 20230717 release, and the command structure has been simplified.
You can find information about *using* the build system in
the [Canoeboot build instructions](../docs/build/) and in the [cbmk
maintenance manual](../docs/maintain/).
The Libreboot 20231021 release has *12* scripts, bacause there are 3 more
scripts there for handling the downloading of vendor code; since Canoeboot
intentionally avoids doing that, those scripts are not needed in Canoeboot
and have therefore been excluded. They are: `script/vendor/download`,
`script/vendor/inject` and `include/mrc.sh`.
TWO massive audits. 50% code size reduction in lbmk.
--------------------------------------------
Libreboot's build system, lbmk, is written entirely in shell scripts. It is
an automatic build system that downloads, patches, configures and compiles
source trees such as coreboot and various payloads, to build complete ROM
images that are easier to install. More info about that is available in
the [lbmk maintenance manual](https://libreboot.org/docs/maintain/) - and you
can read the [cbmk maintenance manual](../docs/maintain/) for comparison.
The primary focus of Libreboot 20231021 cultiminated in two *audits*, namely
[Libreboot Build System Audit 2](https://libreboot.org/news/audit2.html) and
then [Libreboot Build System Audit 3](https://libreboot.org/news/audit3.html).
The changes in those audits have been ported to this *Canoeboot* release.
Changes include things like vastly reduced code complexity (while not
sacrificing functionality), greater speed (at compiling, and boot speeds are
higher when you use the GRUB payload), many bug fixes and more.
Serprog firmware building (RP2040 and STM32)
-----------------------------------
In addition to coreboot firmware, the Canoeboot build system (lbmk) can now
build *serprog* firmware, specifically `pico-serprog` and `stm32-vserprog`, on
all devices that these projects support.
The *serprog* protocol is supported by flashrom, to provide SPI flashing. It
can be used to set up an external SPI flasher, for [flashing Canoeboot
externally](../docs/install/spi.md). This too has been ported from Libreboot.
Pre-compiled firmware images are available, for many of these devices, under
the `roms/` directory in this Canoeboot 20231026 release! Riku Viitanen is the
one who added this capability to Libreboot, which was then ported to Canoeboot.
Updated U-Boot revision (2023.10)
----------------------------
Alper Nebi Yasak submitted patches that update the U-Boot revision in
Libreboot, on `gru_bob` and `gru_kevin` chromebooks. Additionally, the `cros`
coreboot tree has merged there with the `default` tree instead (and the `default`
tree has been updated to coreboot from 12 October 2023).
Many improvements were made to these boards, which you can learn about by
reading these diffs:
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=eb267733fabe6c773720706539ef37f1ce591f81>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=8b411963b7e4941cbd96ac874d0582eaa20ea998>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=b2d84213dae4e199b4e4fa4f70dd6e3fbf5d90c4>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=f459e05ecd40592d80d119d16449d40f0dfbfa78>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=5b4ced3329f5fd8cb1fa166c8ac424e0bb618d67>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=46e01c0e1dade74f5ce777bf8593fe2722318af2>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=7afe2f39189fa196547c3dd9f9f617cfab91d835>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=f7db91c848f1fbf6bea93b62dfa4313ff550eeec>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=f9bad4449aa97aa2eb21f2254c0ad1515119888a>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=fea0cec24a1f2b03cf3c8b928259222f0bcf2357>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=f08102a22731182e8ad2f678ab39b19508fd455a>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=4e7e4761918d2cb04f3bf664c8c0ea8426a0e3bc>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=6e65595da5301b9b8c435a9ab55e6f0d9b01a86d>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=4d9567a7561df6eeb0dd81f2faf522c8526163b0>
All of these patches have been ported to this Canoeboot release.
Coreboot, GRUB, U-Boot and SeaBIOS revisions
------------------------------------
In Canoeboot 20231026 (*this release*):
* Coreboot (default): commit ID `d862695f5f432b5c78dada5f16c293a4c3f9fce6`, 12 October 2023
* Coreboot (cros): MERGED WITH `coreboot/default` (see above)
* Coreboot (fam15h\_udimm): commit ID `1c13f8d85c7306213cd525308ee8973e5663a3f8`, 16 June 2021
* GRUB: commit ID `e58b870ff926415e23fc386af41ff81b2f588763`, 3 October 2023
* SeaBIOS: commit ID `1e1da7a963007d03a4e0e9a9e0ff17990bb1608d`, 24 August 2023
* U-Boot: commit ID `4459ed60cb1e0562bc5b40405e2b4b9bbf766d57`, 2 October 2023
In nonGeNUine Boot 20230717 (*previous release*):
* Coreboot (default): commit ID `e70bc423f9a2e1d13827f2703efe1f9c72549f20`, 17 February 2023
* Coreboot (cros): commit ID `8da4bfe5b573f395057fbfb5a9d99b376e25c2a4` 2 June 2022
* Coreboot (fam15h\_udimm): DID NOT EXIST
* GRUB: commit ID `f7564844f82b57078d601befadc438b5bc1fa01b`, 14 February 2023
* SeaBIOS: commit ID `ea1b7a0733906b8425d948ae94fba63c32b1d425`, 20 January 2023
* U-Boot (for coreboot/cros): commit ID `890233ca5569e5787d8407596a12b9fca80952bf`, 9 January 2023
As you can see, all revisions are quite new in this release.
Build system tweaks
===================
resources/ now config/
----------------------
The `resources/scripts/` directory is now `script/`, and what was `resources/`
now only contains configuration data plus code patches for various projects,
so it has been renamed to `config/` - I considered splitting patches
into `patch/`, but the current directory structure for patches is not a problem
so I left it alone.
Also, the IFD/GbE files have been moved here, under `config/ifd/`. These can
always be ge-generated if the user wants to, using ich9gen, or using a
combination of bincfg and ifdtool from coreboot, and nvmutil (to change the
mac address) from Canoeboot or Libreboot.
Full list of changes (detail)
--------------------
These changes have been ported from the Libreboot 20231021 release, which are
mostly the results of the two audits (mentioned above):
* Much stricter, more robust error handling; too many changes to list here, so
check the git log. Also, errors that *are not errors* are no longer treated as
such; nonGeNUine Boot 20230717's build system was actually too strict, sometimes.
* Most logic has been unified in single scripts that perform once type of task
each, instead of multiple scripts performing the same type of talk; for
example, defconfig-based projects now handled with the same scripts, and
preparing trees for them is done the same. These unifications have been done
carefully and incrementally, with great thought so as to prevent *spaghetti*.
The code is clean, and small.
* GitHub is no longer used on main Git repository links, instead only as backup
* Backup repositories now defined, for all main repos under `config/git/`
* Single-tree projects are no longer needlessly re-downloaded when they already
have been downloaded.
* GRUB LUKS2 support now available, with argon2 key derivation; previously, only
PBKDF2 worked so most LUKS2 setups were unbootable in Canoeboot. This is fixed.
* Vastly reduced number of modules in GRUB, keeping only what is required.
* Use `--mtime` and option options in GNU Tar (if it is actually GNU Tar), when
creating Tar archives. This results in partially reproducible source archives,
and consistent hashes were seen in testing, but not between distros.
* Always re-inialitise `.git` within lbmk, for the build system itself, if
Git history was removed as in releases. This work around some build systems
like coreboot that use Git extensively, and are error-prone without it.
* More robust makefile handling in source trees; if one doesn't exist, error
out but also check other makefile name combinations, and only error out if
the command was to actually build.
* ROMs build script: support the "all" argument, even when getopt options are
used e.g. `-k`
* Disabled the pager in `grub.cfg`, because it causes trouble in some
non-interactive setups where the user sees an errant message on the screen
and has to press enter. This fixes boot interruptions in some cases, allowing
normal use of the machine. The pager was initially enabled many years ago,
to make use of cat a bit easier in the GRUB shell, but the user can just
enable the pager themselves if they really want to.
* U-Boot can now be compiled standalone, without using the ROMs build script,
because crossgcc handling is provided for U-Boot now in addition to coreboot.
* All helper scripts are now under `include/`, and main scripts in `script/`,
called by the main `build` script
* Generally purge unused variables in shell scripts
* Simplified initialisation of variables in shell scripts, using the `setvars`
function defined under `include/err.sh`
* Support patch subdirectories, when applying patches. This is done recursively,
making it possible to split up patch files into smaller sets inside sub
directories, per each source tree (or target of each source tree, where a
project is multi-tree within lbmk)
* SPDX license headers now used, almost universally, in all parts of cbmk.
* Files such as those under `config/git` are now
concatenated, traversing recursively through the target directory; files first,
then directories in order, and for each directory, follow the same pattern
until all files are concatenated. This same logic is also used for patches.
This now enables use of subdirectories, in some config/patch directories.
* General code cleanup on `util/nvmutil`
* Git histories are more thoroughly deleted, in third party source trees during
release time.
* Symlinks in release archives are no longer hard copies; the symlinks are
re-created by the release script, because it clones the current lbmk work
directory via Git (local git clone), rather than just using `cp` to copy links.
* Properly output to stderr, on printf commands in scripts where it is either
a warning prior to calling `err`, or just something that belongs on the error
output (instead of standard output).
* Don't use the `-B` option in make commands.
* SECURITY: Use sha512sum (not sha1sum) when verifying certain downloads. This
reduces the chance for collisions, during checksum verification.
* Set GRUB timout to 5s by default, but allow override and set to 10s or 15s
on some mainboards.
* Support both curl and wget, where files are downloaded outside of Git; defer
to Wget when Curl fails, and try each program three times before failing. This
results in more resilient downloading, on wobbly internet connections.
* Don't clone Git repositories into `/tmp`, because it might be a tmpfs with
little memory available; clone into `tmp/gitclone` instead, within lbmk,
and `mv` it to avoid unnecessary additional writes (`mv` is much more efficient
than `cp`, for this purpose).
* Removed unused `target.cfg` handling in vendor scripts, because they use
the concatenated config format instead (they always have).
* Coreboot builds: automatically run make-oldconfig, to mitigate use of raw
coreboot config where a revision was updated but the config was untouched.
This may still result in a confirmation dialog, and it's still recommended
that the configs be updated per revision (or switch them to defconfigs).
* Vastly simplified directory structure; `resources/scripts/` is now `script/`,
and `resources/` was renamed to `config/`; ifd and gbe files were also moved
to `config/ifd/`. Commands are now 1-argument instead of 2, for example
the `./build boot roms` command is now `./build roms`.
* memtest86plus: only build it on 64-bit hosts, for now (32-bit building is
broken on a lot of distros nowadays, and lbmk doesn't properly handle cross
compilation except on coreboot or U-Boot)
* (courtesy of Riku Viitanen) don't use cat on loops that handle lines of text.
Instead, use the `read` command that is built into `sh`, reading each line.
This is more efficient, and provides more robust handling on lines with
spaces in them.
* *ALL* projects now have submodules downloaded at build time, not just multi
tree projects such as coreboot - and a few projects under `config/git` have
had certain `depend` items removed, if a given project already defines it
under `.gitmodules` (within its repository).
* Improved cbutils handling; it's now even less likely to needlessly re-build
if it was already built.
* The release build script no longer archives what was already built, but
instead builds from scratch, creating an archive from source downloads
first before building the ROM archives. This saves time because it enables
a single build test per release, whereas at was previously necessary to test
the Git repository and then the release archive. Testing both is still desired,
but this behaviour also means that whatever is built at release time is
guaranteed to be the same as what the user would build (from archives).
* Improved handling of `target.cfg` files in multi-tree projects coreboot,
SeaBIOS and U-Boot. Unified to all such projects, under one script, and
with improved error handling.
* GRUB payload: all ROM images now contain the same ELF, with all keymaps
inserted. This speeds up the build process, and enables easier configuration
when changing the keyboard layout because less re-flashing is needed.
* Simplified IFD handling on ICH9M platforms (e.g. X200/T400 thinkpads); the
ich9gen utility wasn't needed anymore so ich9utils has been removed, and now
the IFD/GbE files are included pre-assembled (generated by ich9gen). Ich9gen
can still be used, or you can re-generate with coreboot's bincfg; the ifdtool
util can be used to edit IFD and nvmutil (part of Canoeboot) can change MAC
addresses. The ich9utils code was always redundant for the last few years,
especially since 2022 when nvmutil was first written.
* Running as root is now forbidden, for most commands; lbmk will exit with
non-zero status if you try. The `./build dependencies x` commands still work
as root (they're the only commands available as root).
* Enabled memtest86plus on more boards, where it wasn't previously enabled.
* Only enable SeaBIOS as first payload on desktops, but still enable GRUB as
second payload where GRUB is known to work (on each given host). The text
mode and coreboot framebuffer modes are provided in each case, where feasible.
* The `list` command has been mostly unified, making it easier to tell (from
lbmk) what commands are available, without having to manually poke around
under `script/`.
* The `-T0` flag is now used, universally, on xz commands. This makes `xz` run
on multiple threads, greatly speeding up the creation of large tar archives.
* Universally use `-j` in make commands, for multi-threading, but it relies
on `nproc` to get thread count, so this only works if you have `nproc` (you
probably don't, if you run BSD; BSD porting is still on TODO for Canoeboot)
* File names as arguments now universally have quotes wrapped around them, and
similar auditing has been done to all variables used as arguments everywhere
in lbmk. There were cases where multiple arguments were wrongly quoted then
treated as a single argument, and vice versa. This is now fixed.
* Re-wrote `.gitcheck`; now, a global git name/email config is always required.
The only behaviour (setting local config, and unsetting) was quite error-prone
under fault conditions, where cleanup may not have been provided, or when
execution was interrupted, resulting sometimes in accidentally committing
to `lbmk.git` as author named `lbmkplaceholder`.
* The new BSD-like coding style is now used on *all* shell scripts in lbmk. A
few scripts still used the old lbmk coding style, as of audit 2.
* Scripts no longer directly exit with non-zero status, under fault conditions;
instead, `x_` or `err` is used to provide such behaviour. This results in all
exits from lbmk being consolidated to `err`, under fault conditions. - zero
exits are also consolidated, going only through the main script, which has its
own exit function called `lbmk_exit` that provides `TMPDIR` cleanup.
* BSD-style error handling implemented, with an `err` function (and functions
that use it) inside `include/err.sh`; there is also `x_` which can be used
to run a command and exit automatically with non-zero status, useful because
it provides more verbose output than if you just relied on `set -e`, and it
still works when a script *does not* use `set -e` - however, it is not used
on all functions, because it works by executing `$@` directly, which can break
depending on arguments. Therefore, some scripts just default to `|| err` for
providing breakage in scripts.
* Memtest *6.2* now used (instead of *5.x* releases). This is essentially a
re-write, and it works on the coreboot framebuffer, whereas previous revisions
only worked on text mode setups.
* NO MAKEFILE. The Makefile in lbmk has been removed. It was never meaningfully
used because all it did was run lbmk commands, without implementing any logic
itself. A Makefile may be added again in the future, but with a view to
installing *just the build system* onto the host system, to then build ROM
images under any number of directories. Lbmk's design is strictly no-Makefile,
but it uses Makefiles provided by third party source trees when building them.
* Safer GRUB configuration file handling between GRUB memdisk and coreboot CBFS;
it is no longer possible to boot without a GRUB config, because the one in
GRUB memdisk is provided as a failsafe, overridden by *inserting* one in CBFS,
but there is no config in CBFS by default anymore.
* The build system *warns* users about `elf/` vs `bin/`, when it comes to
flashing coreboot ROM images; it tells them to use `bin/` because those
images do contain payloads, whereas the ones under `elf/` do not.
* VASTLY more efficient build process; all coreboot ROMs without payload are
now cached under `elf/`, as are payloads, then they are joined separately by
the usual ROMs build script, and these cached ROMs contain many changes in
them that were previously handled by `moverom` in the main ROM build script.
Under the new design, repetitive steps are avoided; payloads are inserted into
a copy of the cached ROMs under `TMPDIR`, *before* being copied for keymaps
and small files; this eliminates delays caused by slow compression (LZMA is
always used, when inserting payloads). After crossgcc and the payloads are
compiled, the ROM with coreboot builds in under a minute, whereas it would
have previously taken several minutes on most Canoeboot-supported hardware.
* VASTLY reduced GRUB payload size; modules that aren't needed have been removed
resulting in much smaller GRUB payloads, that also boot faster.
* ALL defconfig creation, updating and modification are handled by the same
script that *also* handles compiling, as mentioned in the bullet-point below.
* ALL main source trees are now compiled, downloaded, configured and cleaned
using the same script. The *download* (Git) logic is a separate file
under `include/` and its functions are called by the main build script, which
provides a stub for this.
* Scripts are no longer executed directly, ever, except the main script. All
scripts are otherwise executed from `script/`, inheriting the `TMPDIR`
variable set (and exported) by lbmk.
* Generally improved user feedback in scripts, especially the vendor scripts.
* Coreboot, U-Boot and SeaBIOS are now downloaded, configured and compiled using
the exact same script. Although these codebases differ wildly, their build
systems use the same design, and they are compatible from a user-interface
perspective.
* Vastly improved `/tmp` handling; a universal `TMPDIR` is set (environmental
variable) and exported to all child processes running lbmk scripts. On exit,
the main tmp directory is purged, cleaning all tmp directories under it.
* General simplification of coding style on all shell scripts.
* Fixed some variable initialisations in the coreboot ROM image build script
* Don't enable u-boot on QEMU x86 images (due to buggy builds, untested)
* Fixed coreboot-version file inserted into coreboot trees, when compiled
on Canoeboot release archives.
* Very general auditing has been done, finding and fixing bugs.
* Reduced the number of scripts significantly. There were about 50 scripts in
the nonGeNUine Boot 20230717 build system. There are closer to *20* in today's
Canoeboot 20231026 revision.
* Many scripts that were separate are now unified. For example: the scripts
handling defconfigs files on SeaBIOS, u-Boot and coreboot have now been
merged into a single script, performing the same work *better* in less code.
* Ditto many other scripts; repeated logic unified, logic generalised. The
logic for *downloading* coreboot and u-boot was unified into one script,
basing off of the coreboot one, and then expanding to also cover SeaBIOS.
Most building (e.g. handling of Makefiles) is now done in a single script.
* Far superior error handling; in many scripts, the `-e` option in `sh` was
heavily relied upon to catch errors, but now errors are handled much more
verbosely. *Many* fault conditions previously did not make lbmk *exit* at all,
let alone with non-zero status, and zero status was sometimes being returned
under some edge cases that were tested. Error handling is more robust now.
* `util/ich9utils` (containing `ich9gen`) was *removed*, thus eliminating about
3000 source lines (of C code) from lbmk. The `nvmutil` program, also provided
by and originating from the Canoeboot project, can already change GbE MAC
addresses. Coreboot's bincfg can generate ich9m descriptors, and ifdtool can
manipulate them; so the features provided by ich9utils were superfluous, since
they are available in other projects that we ship. We now ship pre-built
ifd/gbe configs on these machines, which can be modified or re-assembled
manually if you want to. This eliminates a moving part from Canoeboot, and
speeds up the build a little bit.
* ROM images (of coreboot) build *much faster*: no-payload coreboot ROMs are
cached on disk, as are payloads, where previously only the latter was cached.
These cached images have as much inserted into them as possible, to eliminate
redundant steps in the build process. The `elf` directory contains these, and
the existing `bin` directory still holds the full ROM images (containing
payloads) when compiled.
* GRUB payload: vastly reduced the size of the payload, by eliminating GRUB
modules that were not needed. About 100KB of compressed space saved in flash!
* GRUB payload: [argon2 key derivation supported](argon2.md) - this means LUKS2
decryption is now possible in GRUB. This work was performed by Nicholas
Johnson, rebasing from Axel's AUR patch for GRUB 2.06 (Canoeboot currently
uses GRUB 2.12).
* The *new* coding style is now used on many more scripts, including
the `build/boot/roms_helper` script - the new style is much cleaner,
mandating that logic be top-down, with a `main()` function defined; it's
basically inspired by the OpenBSD coding style for C programs, adapted to
shell scripts.
* All GRUB keymaps now included; a single `grub.elf` is now used on all ROM
images. The `grub.cfg` goes in GRUB memdisk now, but can be overridden by
inserting a `grub.cfg` in CBFS; many behaviours are also controlled this way,
for example to change keymaps and other behaviours. This results in *much*
faster builds, because a different GRUB payload doesn't have to be added to
each new ROM image; such takes time, due to time-expensive LZMA compression.
This, plus the optimised set of GRUB modules, also makes GRUB itself load
much faster. All of the fat has been trimmed, though still quite a lot more
than a Crumb.
* A lot of scripts have been removed entirely, and their logic not replaced;
in many cases, Canoeboot's build system contained logic that had gone unused
for many years.
* More reliable configs now used on desktop mainboards: SeaBIOS-only for start,
but GRUB still available where feasible (in the SeaBIOS menu). This makes it
more fool proof for a user who might use integrated graphics and then switch
to a graphics card; the very same images will work.
* TMPDIR environmental variable now set, and exported from main parent process
when running lbmk; child processes inherit it, and a single tmp dir is used.
This is then automatically cleaned, upon exit from lbmk; previously, lbmk did
not cleanly handle `/tmp` at all, but now it's pretty reliable.
Hardware supported in this release
==================================
All of the following are believed to *boot*, but if you have any issues,
please contact the Canoeboot project. They are:
### Servers (AMD, x86)
- [ASUS KFSN4-DRE motherboard](../docs/hardware/kfsn4-dre.md)
- [ASUS KGPE-D16 motherboard](../docs/hardware/kgpe-d16.md)
Desktops (AMD, Intel, x86)
-----------------------
- [Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L motherboard](../docs/hardware/ga-g41m-es2l.md)
- [Acer G43T-AM3](../docs/hardware/acer_g43t-am3.md)
- [Intel D510MO and D410PT motherboards](../docs/hardware/d510mo.md)
- [Apple iMac 5,2](../docs/hardware/imac52.md)
- [ASUS KCMA-D8 motherboard](../docs/hardware/kcma-d8.md)
### Laptops (Intel, x86)
- **[Dell Latitude E6400](../docs/hardware/e6400.md) (easy to flash, no disassembly, similar
hardware to X200/T400)**
- ThinkPad X60 / X60S / X60 Tablet
- ThinkPad T60 (with Intel GPU)
- [Lenovo ThinkPad X200 / X200S / X200 Tablet](../docs/hardware/x200.md)
- Lenovo ThinkPad X301
- [Lenovo ThinkPad R400](../docs/hardware/r400.md)
- [Lenovo ThinkPad T400 / T400S](../docs/hardware/t400.md)
- [Lenovo ThinkPad T500](../docs/hardware/t500.md)
- [Lenovo ThinkPad W500](../docs/hardware/t500.md)
- [Lenovo ThinkPad R500](../docs/hardware/r500.md)
- [Apple MacBook1,1 and MacBook2,1](../docs/hardware/macbook21.md)
### Laptops (ARM, with U-Boot payload)
- [ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 (gru-bob)](../docs/install/chromebooks.md)
- [Samsung Chromebook Plus (v1) (gru-kevin)](../docs/install/chromebooks.md)
Downloads
=========
You can find this release on the downloads page. At the time of this
announcement, some of the rsync mirrors may not have it yet, so please check
another one if your favourite one doesn't have it.
Special changes
===============
Besides deblobbing, there are two critical differences in how Canoeboot's
build system works in this release, versus the Libreboot 20231021 build system:
* Single-tree git submodules are not downloaded in Canoeboot; none of them are
used in the Libreboot release, but using them simplified `config/git/` because
many of those entries were defined as submodules by each given project; in
some serprog-related repositories, proprietary drivers get downloaded that are
never actually compiled or executed in any way. Rather than deblob these in
Canoeboot, the Canoeboot build system simply skips downloading those
repositories altogether.
* Thus, several entries in under `config/git/` for Canoeboot 20231026, that do
not exist under Libreboot 20231021.
This quirk is only a minor difference. Severals scripts that handled
dependencies for building non-FSDG-compliant boards (such as blob download
scripts) have been *excluded* in this Canoeboot release, because they are
not needed.
As a result, the Canoeboot build system is about 1250 sloc when counting shell
scripts of the build system; the Libreboot build system is about 1750. This
comparison is between Canoeboot 20231026 and Libreboot 20231021 - by contrast,
Libreboot 20230625 was 3388 sloc, and GNU Boot 0.1 RC is 2111 sloc (counting
shell scripts, because it uses the same design as lbmk and cbmk).
That ~1250 sloc in Canoeboot is *with* all the extra features such as serprog
integration and U-Boot support (on actual mainboards, that you can flash it
with). The build system in Canoeboot 20231026 is *[extremely
efficient](../docs/maintain/)*.
Backports
=========
In addition to the Libreboot 20231021 changes, the following Libreboot patches
were backported into this Canoeboot release, from Libreboot revisions pushed
after the Libreboot 20231021 release came out:
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=3b92ac97b6ed2216b5f0a17ff9c015f0d8936514>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=280bccebb5dfbbb7fd3eceab85165bac73523f7c>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=444f2899e69e9b84fd5428625aa04b00c1341804>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=03c830b2e9dd8f0847045700349c69ab40458ad8>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=b353b0c7134d155feb53b3ab17fdf6ad959ba668>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=f1785c3f43734108443fed9c6b91ffcb835ae097>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=85bc915684cbeb562d8c6fbf81f9e35064ac04f1>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=df031d422a1c0b76edbea1cdee98796ad3d1392f>
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=5f6ba01d414e2d98d7db049347b8c5c5d125ba61>
Changes NOT included in this release
====================================
These entries are from the Libreboot 20231021 change log, but these changes
are *not* present in the Canoeboot 20231026 release:
* Better integrity checking when downloading vendor files
* Scrubbing of vendor files *now* handled by the inject script, rather than
the release script. This enables more robust handling of configs pertaining
to vendor files, that tell lbmk where the files are and how to insert them; it
therefore follows that this same script should be used to delete them.
* Unified handling of git/vendor config files, containing URLs, revisions,
checksums and so on. This is handled by a single function
under `include/option.sh`
* Intel ME extraction is now provided in one function, instead of two, when
downloading vendor files per mainboard, before running it
through `me_cleaner`
* Unified checking of the destination file, when downloading vendor updates.
This results in more reliable checking of whether a vendor file has already
been downloaded or not, where it is only handled if missing.
* Vendor scripts: archive extraction is now unified, the same method used for
each archive. This enables more robust checking of hashes and so on.
* More deeply integrated the Intel MRC download script (from coreboot) into
Canoeboot's vendor scripts, removing its download logic and re-using that
from Canoeboot's scripts instead; now, the MRC script only contains extraction
logic, and it is an *include* file, rather than a standalone script.
* Where no-microcode ROM images are provided, ensure that the ROM hashes still
match when running the vendor inject script. This is only useful on the
Dell Latitude E6400, which is otherwise FSDG-compatible but (in Canoeboot)
comes with or without microcode updates, and with or without the Nvidia VGA
ROM (handled by vendor inject/download scripts) for dGPU variants. Verification
previously failed, under certain conditions, when inserting that VGA ROM.
* Vendor scripts: don't use `/tmp` for ROM images when inserting vendor files.
In case `/tmp` is a tmpfs and not much RAM is available, it is paramount that
the user's file system is used instead, where there is likely greater capacity;
it is done under `tmp/` in lbmk (not to be confused with `/tmp`).
* move `me7_updater_parser.py` to `util/` (not under `script/`)
* The directory containing vendor files no longer exists in lbmk, because it
is instead created when needed; the ifd/gbe files were moved to `config/ifd`
so the vendorfile directory became redundant.
* Don't support removal of microcode (during release time) on untested targets.
Set `microcode_required="y"` on most boards, but leave it set to `"n"` on
platfroms such as GM45 (ThinkPad X200/T400, Dell E6400, etc); anything FSDG
compatible, in other words.
* Improved Dell Latitude E6400 support; the same image now provides iGPU and
dGPU support, since it's SeaBIOS-only anyway, so a VGA ROM is inserted into
the same ROM that also enables libgfxinit, enabling the Intel or Nvidia GPU
to be used (if the VGA ROM is missing, only the Intel GPU will work)
* Only remove microcode (where that behaviour is enabled per board) in release
ROMs, but not during build time. This results in reduced disk usage during
development, but release archives still contain the no-microcode option if
you want to use that; manual removal is also still possible, during development.
* *Copy* `dl_path`, don't move it, when downloading and extracting a vendor
file. This reduces the change of it being missing later when lbmk is run again.
* Improved handling of vendor file hashes; previously, the backup would only
be tried if the first one failed to download, but if the first file succeeded
and yet had a bad hash, the backup would not be tried. Now the backup is tried
when either the first download fails OR it has a bad hash, making downloads
of vendor files more resilient to network failure.
* When extracting ME files from vendors, more types of archives are supported
for decompression at build time.
* Fixed bug where vendor files were always being downloaded from backup URLs
at build time.
* Spoof the user agent string mimicking that of Tor Browser, when downloading
vendor files at build time. This circumvents restrictions based on user agent
string, when lbmk interacts with certain HTTP servers.
* Abort (with non-zero exit) if KBC1126 EC firmware fails to download at build
time.
* Haswell (libre MRC) coreboot tree: fixed acpica downloads, which no longer
work on the upstream URL. Old acpica binaries now hosted on Canoeboot rsync.
* Blobutil: generally more reliable now at downloading vendor files, especially
under fault conditions; for example, if a download failed before, it'd try
a backup link, but now it also tries the backup link if main download succeeds
but checksum verification didn't; and SHA512 checksums are now used, for
greater security, whereas nonGeNUine Boot 20230717 used sha1sum (now we use
sha512sum). A user agent is specified in wegt, matching that used by Tor
Browser (which in turn mimics Firefox running on Windows). This is needed
for some vendors, which seem to dislike wget's default user agent.
Excluded mainboards
===================
The following boards are *missing* in Canoeboot 20231026, but are supported in
the Libreboot 20231021 release; this is because they do not comply with FSDG
policy:
* Dell Latitude E6430
* Dell Precision T1650
* HP EliteBook 2170p
* HP EliteBook 2560p
* HP EliteBook 2570p
* HP EliteBook 8470p
* HP 8200 SFF
* HP 8300 USDT
* HP EliteBook 9470m
* Lenovo ThinkPad T420
* Lenovo ThinkPad T420S
* Lenovo ThinkPad T430
* Lenovo ThinkPad T440p
* Lenovo ThinkPad T520
* Lenovo ThinkPad T530
* Lenovo ThinkPad W530
* Lenovo ThinkPad W541
* Lenovo ThinkPad X220/X220T
* Lenovo ThinkPad X230/X230T
Removed/modified code, in the build system
-------------------------------------------
Again, certain features cannot be merged from Libreboot and into Canoeboot,
because of the restrictions set by Canoeboot policy (adhering to GNU FSDG). Here
is an overview of the code present in Libreboot 20231021 that is *missing* in
Canoeboot 20231026:
* **coreboot and u-boot download scripts:** Binary blobs are now removed during
download. A list of blobs is programmed into the build system, based on
scanning of each tree with the linux-libre `deblob-check` script. (yes, it
works on other code bases, besides Linux). **This means that most mainboards
no longer compile, in coreboot, and many u-boot targets no longer compile.**
* **`build/roms`:** These scripts build ROM images. For **zero-blob boards**,
in other words boards that do not require binary blobs, *regular* Libreboot
inserts **CPU microcode** by default, but copies each ROM to produce a
corresponding, parallel zero-blobs version **without** CPU microcode. **This**
censored version of Libreboot modifies the script in the following way: since
the coreboot and uboot download scripts **remove blobs** anyway, including CPU
microcode, the default compiled ROMs exclude microcode. Therefore, *this*
version simply removes that logic, because it's not needed.
* **`blobutil`:** Anything pertaining to the downloading of vendor blobs
has been removed. This includes `me_cleaner`, `ME7 Update Parser` and the like.
It is not needed, in this version of Libreboot. Directories such
as `resources/blobs/` (containing code and config data) has been removed.
In regular Libreboot, there are certain required binary blobs that we cannot
legally distribute on certain mainboards, so `blobutil` auto-downloads them
from the vendor while compiling ROM images, then it processes them (if needed)
and inserts them; the scripts that produce release archives will *delete*
these blobs, for the release, and those same scripts can be re-run on release
ROMs, to re-insert binary blobs. It is *completely automated*, removing any
need for manual intervention by the user, thus saving hours of time in some
cases. Blobutil snaps them up like *that* and everything *Just Works*.
It does this for *many* different types of blobs, including: Intel ME, Intel
MRC, HP KBC1126 EC firmware, VGA ROMs - you just run 1 command on 1 ROM (or
an entire collection of ROMs) and it does it, automatically detecting what
is needed for the given ROM image, per mainboard definition. Very easy to use.
This *highly innovative* technology does not exist in Censored Libreboot.
* Blobs: Removed Intel Flash Descriptors and GbE configuration files. These are
non-copyrightable, non-software blobs, just binary-encoded config. They are
not needed, in this Libreboot version. NOTE: ICH9M ones remain, because they
are needed (but they are not software).
* Blobs: Anything downloaded and inserted by `blobutil`, during the build
process or post-release in the Libreboot build system. This includes:
Intel ME firmware, Intel MRC firmware, HP KBC1126 EC firmware and VGA option
ROM for Nvidia GPU variant of Dell Latitude E6400.
* `lbmk`: Code that executes blob-related scripts has been removed.
* Patches: Any custom coreboot patches, for mainboards that require binary
blobs, have been removed. They are not needed in this Libreboot version.
* `update/release`: correspondingly deleted files
are no longer copied by these scripts (they are the scripts that generate
tar archives for Libreboot releases, after everything is compiled). The build
logic no longer bothers to scrub non-redistributable inserted binary blobs
from certain ROM images, because 1) those corresponding mainboards are no
longer supported anyway and 2) the logic for downloading/inserting those
blobs no longer exists. So there's nothing to do.
It's not actually a lot of code that was removed. The actual diff that did this
is very large, because it also removed the coreboot configs for the removed
boards, and those configs are very large.
Libreboot is superior to Canoeboot, in every way. You should use Libreboot.
Use of Canoeboot is even *dangerous*, because lack of microcode updates in
Canoeboot could potentially lead to data loss due to memory corruption.
Read more about the [Binary Blob Reduction
Policy](https://libreboot.org/news/policy.html) of the Libreboot project. The
Canoeboot project is provided as a proof of concept, to demonstrate just how
awful Libreboot used to be, before it implement the new policy in November 2022.
Canoeboot is a worthless project, but engineered to a high standard. It's
necessary to do this, because there are some people who won't adequately see
the problem unless it actually exists; Canoeboot is not a problem, because it's
not the only choice, but there was a time when osboot didn't even exist, let
alone the new Libreboot, and the other more pragmatic coreboot distros do not
support as much hardware as Libreboot does today.
You should use Libreboot, even if your hardware is compatible with Canoeboot.
I make these Canoeboot releases, specifically so that I have something to crap
all over. I could criticise GNU Boot more heavily, but GNU Boot is even more
inferior; I make Canoeboot as good as it can feasibly be at any point in time,
and criticise *that* result. My arguments are stronger when an *example* exists,
especially a strong example such as Canoeboot. If the best possible solution is
still inferior, then that will further invalidate the even lesser solutions,
and that is the entire purpose of Canoeboot; I do Canoeboot releases, specifically
so that I can crap all over them. I'm allowed to do that if it's mine.
I say again. Canoeboot is inferior.
[Download Libreboot 20231021 instead](https://libreboot.org/news/libreboot20231021.html).
Censored Libreboot 20230710 release
===================================
On this day, the websites of Censored Libreboot and nonGeNUine Boot are being
redirected (HTTP 301 return) to the Canoeboot website.
An archive of nonGeNU 20230717's announcement is contained on this website,
but not Censored Libreboot 20230717; it was virtually identical to
nonGeNUine Boot 20230717, the latter of which was just a re-brand of
Censored Libreboot.
If you do want to see either nonGeNU or C-Libreboot, go to these links:
* <https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/log/?h=fsdg20230625>
* <https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbwww/commits/branch/c20230710>
* <https://libreboot.org/news/censored-libreboot20230710.html>
And for nonGeNUine Boot, though the code (website and code) is included in
the Canoeboot repositories, here are the original repositories:
* <https://codeberg.org/vimuser/gbmk>
* <https://codeberg.org/vimuser/gbwww>
* <https://codeberg.org/vimuser/gbwww-img>
You can find the actual software release archives for nonGeNUine Boot 20230717
and Censored Libreboot 20230710 under Libreboot rsync mirrors,
in the `canoeboot` directory. They have been moved there, from where they
were previously hosted.
Post-release errata
===================
The following binary blobs were overlooked, and are still present in the
release archive for Canoeboot 20231101 and 20231026; this mistake was
corrected, in the [Canoeboot 20231103 release](canoeboot20231103.md), so you
should use that if you don't want these files. They are, thus:
* `src/coreboot/default/3rdparty/stm/Test/FrmPkg/Core/Init/Dmar.h`
* `src/coreboot/fam15h_rdimm/src/vendorcode/intel/fsp1_0/baytrail/absf/minnowmax_1gb.absf`
* `src/coreboot/fam15h_rdimm/src/vendorcode/intel/fsp1_0/baytrail/absf/minnowmax_2gb.absf`
* `src/coreboot/fam15h_udimm/src/vendorcode/intel/fsp1_0/baytrail/absf/minnowmax_1gb.absf`
* `src/coreboot/fam15h_udimm/src/vendorcode/intel/fsp1_0/baytrail/absf/minnowmax_2gb.absf`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_err.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_gap.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_gatt.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_gattc.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_gatts.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_hci.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_l2cap.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_ranges.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/ble_types.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_error.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_error_sdm.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_error_soc.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_nvic.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_sdm.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_soc.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf_svc.h`
* `src/pico-sdk/lib/tinyusb/hw/mcu/nordic/nrf5x/s140_nrf52_6.1.1_API/include/nrf52/nrf_mbr.h`
Thanks go to Craig Topham, who is the Copyright and Licensing Associate at the
Free Software Foundation; you can find his entry on the [FSF staff
page](https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board). Craig is the one who reported
these.
The Canoeboot 20231026 and 20231101 release tarballs will not be altered, but
errata has now been added to the announcement pages for those releases, to let
people know of the above issue.
You are advised, therefore, to use the [Canoeboot 20231103
release](canoeboot20231103.md).
Update on 12 November 2023:
---------------------------
This file was also overlooked, and is still present in the release tarball:
* `src/vendorcode/amd/agesa/f12/Proc/GNB/Nb/Family/LN/F12NbSmuFirmware.h`
This has now been removed, in the Canoeboot git repository (`cbmk.git`), and
this file will absent, in the next release after Canoeboot 20231107. Thanks go
to Denis Carikli who reported this. The patch to fix it is here:
<https://codeberg.org/canoeboot/cbmk/commit/70d0dbec733c5552f8cd6fb711809935c8f3d2f3>