kgpe-d16 request

site/news/MANIFEST

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+kgpe-d16.md
 freedom.md
 libreboot20230319.md
 usa-libre-part3.md

site/news/kgpe-d16.md

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+% ASUS KGPE-D16 hardware donation needed
+% Leah Rowe
+% 30 March 2023
+
+This page will be updated after I've acquired the hardware.
+
+Please donate a D16 machine if you can
+======================================
+
+If someone can donate one to me, that would be a great service to the Libreboot
+project. Preferably assembled, with CPU, cooler, working RAM (in coreboot), in
+a case with PSU... throw in a graphics card if you can.
+
+ASUS KGPE-D16 support was removed from Libreboot a while ago, because I didn't
+have enough testers to be confident in providing ROM images for it.
+
+I would like to re-add support for ASUS KGPE-D16 in a future Libreboot release,
+but this time I'd like to be able to test it myself.
+
+I don't currently have a KGPE-D16 set up at my lab, because fing parts
+and (especially) the coolers is a challenge, to say the least.
+
+If you would like to help, and have a machine to spare, please can you contact
+me at my email address: [info@minifree.org](mailto:info@minifree.org)
+
+KCMA-D8 also needed
+-------------------
+
+I'm also arranging for an assembled machine with KCMA-D8 in it to be sent to
+me - though I'm not yet sure if that will go through, so if you have one of
+those aswell, I'd be interested too.
+
+How I plan to re-add
+====================
+
+Dasharo produces updated coreboot images for KGPE-D16, with source code. They
+took coreboot from release 4.11 and updated the code. I plan to add support in
+lbmk (Libreboot's build system) for using other coreboot repositories besides
+the official one, when downloading, patching and compiling for each board.
+
+In other words, I would integrate Dasharo's coreboot repository in Libreboot,
+alongside the default one on coreboot.org.
+
+As far as I know, Dasharo does not yet work on KCMA-D8 (that was the case,
+last time I checked), but I could inspect code differences between D8/D16 in
+coreboot's branch `4.11_branch` and try to port those to Dasharo, to then put
+in Libreboot.
+
+Failing that (for KCMA-D8), I would just use `4.11_branch` from coreboot.
+D8/D16 support was dropped in coreboot after release 4.11, but updated code
+mostly fixing compiler issues and such, is available in a branch off
+of 4.11 called `4.11_branch`.
+
+When Libreboot dropped support for D8/D16, it wasn't using `4.11_branch`.
+Instead, it was using the normal 4.11 tag in coreboot.git, with some extra
+patches on top provided by Libreboot.