2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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% ASUS KGPE-D16, KCMA-D8 and KFSN4-DRE re-added to Libreboot
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% Leah Rowe
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% 16 July 2023
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Introduction
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============
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2023-07-16 11:54:32 +00:00
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[Libreboot 20211122](libreboot20211122.md) was the last release to officially
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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support these boards: ASUS KFSN4-DRE, KCMA-D8 and KGPE-D16; they were removed
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2023-07-16 11:55:56 +00:00
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much later, in subsequent releases.
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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I'm pleased to announce that they have, today, been re-added to `lbmk.git`.
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This is the [automated build system](../docs/maintain/) that builds Libreboot
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ROM images, and Libreboot releases, ready for installation.
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These boards are available *now*, if you're willing to [build Libreboot from
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source](../docs/build/); otherwise, you will find them in the next regular
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release of Libreboot.
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It was implemented with this patch:
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<https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=af084014f04602f570a23b0cc23a112401348faf>
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2023-07-16 11:54:32 +00:00
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Differences now, versus Libreboot 20211122
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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------------------------------------------
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2023-07-16 11:54:32 +00:00
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The following changes have been made, relative to Libreboot 20211122:
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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* Coreboot `4.11_branch` (branch) used, instead of regular `4.11` (release tag).
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This contains many fixes on top of the original Coreboot 4.11 release that
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Libreboot used.
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* I fixed several errors, enabling coreboot's crossgcc toolchain compilers
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from `4.11_branch` to *build* properly, on modern distros; Debian Sid was
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tested, and Arch Linux should work too. Without these patches, it would not
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build at all.
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* Fixed downloading of `acpica` (for use of `iasl`) in the coreboot crossgcc
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build script; the upstream link for tarballs of `acpica` were no longer
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online. Coreboot switched to github in newer revisions, but this older one
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needed patching. I ended up hosting the relevant tarball *myself*, on
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Libreboot rsync. The mirrors now have it, and Libreboot's modified
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coreboot `4.11_branch` uses that.
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* Libreboot's build system (`lbmk.git`) has been modified, to make it avoid
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building GCC Gnat, in crossgcc from coreboot `4.11_branch`. Coreboot
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implements video initialisation in *Ada* on many platforms, but these AMD
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boards use AST (Aspeed) framebuffer chips, where coreboot video initialisation
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is written in normal C. This avoids having to deal with build issues, when
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[building older Gnat with newer host
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Gnat](https://gcc.gnu.org/install/prerequisites.html)
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2023-07-16 11:54:32 +00:00
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The PIKE2008 fix from Libreboot 20211122 was retained, and it is included in
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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today's change. This inserts an empty option ROM in CBFS, without which SeaBIOS
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would hang; the empty option ROM prevents SeaBIOS from loading the real one.
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Dasharo firmware
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----------------
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**Libreboot does not yet integrate Dasharo.**
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Dasharo has support for ASUS KGPE-D16 on a much newer version of coreboot,
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where *upstream* coreboot had deleted KFSN4-DRE/KCMA-D8/KGPE-D16 support just
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after the 4.11 release; however, Dasharo *only* supports KGPE-D16 (out of these
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boards).
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2023-07-16 12:05:56 +00:00
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I intend to study code differences between D8/D16 in time, and port those to
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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Dasharo so that it can have a KCMA-D8 port. I then wish to use this in
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Libreboot. I *could* use Dasharo now, for D16, regardless. For now, the main
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priority is to have support for these boards again in Libreboot.
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The previous news announcement said that I would only add these boards after
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doing that, but I felt this work is worthy enough for entry in the main branch
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of Libreboot. Any issues that it has will be similar to what was present in the
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2023-07-16 11:54:32 +00:00
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Libreboot 20211122 release (Dasharo made a lot of improvements, especially to
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2023-07-16 11:51:54 +00:00
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raminit).
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I would like it if people can provide testing for all of these boards, in
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today's Libreboot's revisions. [Learn here how to become a board tester for
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the Libreboot project](../docs/maintain/testing.md).
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