update
parent
3dcd7e4971
commit
35fa0e5efb
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@ -2,27 +2,17 @@
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% Leah Rowe
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% 19 March 2023
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**UPDATE: I think I fixed the issue mentioned in the update below. As I write
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this note, I need to wait until I can access my flashing gear. Will re-add
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t440pmrc/w541mrc to rsync if i'm right. on irc last night i discovered mrc
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needs to be in a fixed offset, after looking at coreboot src. i replicated
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that offset using `-b` switch in cbfstool. what i need to know is whether it's
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always the same offse tfor anyone who compiles it, then i can adjust in the
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blobtool script**
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**UPDATE ON 24 MARCH 2023:
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T440p/W541 ROM images using blob `mrc.bin` for raminit, were deleted
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from the rsync mirrors for this release. The ones with libre MRC are still
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available. This was due to a bug that has now been fixed. For more information,
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see: [libreboot20230319_update.md](libreboot20230319_update.md) - you should
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build from `lbmk.git` directly if you want to use those images, or use the ones
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with the libre MRC code in it, for which ROM images (as stated) are still
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available. Thanks.**
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Original update announcement below:
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**UPDATE: `t440pmrc_12mb` and `w541mrc_12mb` images were deleted from the
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release; PLEASE DO NOT USE THEM AS THEY DO NOT BOOT.**
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**The images of target `t440p_12mb` and `w541_12mb` boot just fine, and these
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use the libre MRC replacement for raminit. The `t440pmrc_12mb`
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and `w541mrc_12mb` images use blob MRC. More info about that is below, and
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you can read this follow-up news article about the retroactive deletion, see:**
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^ The notes above will be updated once this is cleared up.
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**[libreboot20230319_update.md](libreboot20230319_update.md)**
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Introduction
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============
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Libreboot provides boot firmware for supported x86/ARM machines, starting a
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bootloader that then loads your operating system. It replaces proprietary
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@ -1,93 +1,102 @@
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% T440p ROMs using mrc.bin deleted (libre MRC setups retained)
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% 20230319 W541/T440p ROMs using mrc.bin deleted
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% Leah Rowe
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% 23 March 2023
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% 23 March 2023 (UPDATED on 24 March 2023)
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**UPDATE: I think I fixed the issue mentioned in the update below. As I write
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this note, I need to wait until I can access my flashing gear. Will re-add
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t440pmrc/w541mrc to rsync if i'm right. on irc last night i discovered mrc
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needs to be in a fixed offset, after looking at coreboot src. i replicated
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that offset using `-b` switch in cbfstool. what i need to know is whether it's
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always the same offse tfor anyone who compiles it, then i can adjust in the
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blobtool script**
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This was reported last night, but the issue it reports has been fixed as
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of this morning, on 24 March 2023. News article ammended, and date updated
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to the 24th instead of 23rd.
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note above and/or this page will be amended/deleted if fix works, and then i
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will just re-add mrc-based images to rsync. sorry for inconvenience.
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Introduction
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============
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Introduction, and warning
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=========================
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From the rsync mirrors for Libreboot 20230319, the following images have
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been *deleted* retroactively:
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Haswell machines (T440p/W541 ThinkPads) have the following targets in lbmk,
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and these were available in as ROM images pre-compiled in the recent
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Libreboot 20230319 release. They are:
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* `t440pmrc_12mb`
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* `w541mrc_12mb`
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* `t440pmrc_12mb`: uses `mrc.bin` for raminit / peripherals (binary blob)
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* `w541mrc_12mb`: uses `mrc.bin` for raminit / peripherals (binary blob!)
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* `t440p_12mb`: uses Angel Pon's experimental libre replacement of `mrc.bin`
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* `w541_12mb`: ditto (uses Angel's code)
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Those images listed above use the proprietary `mrc.bin` blob for raminit and
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peripherals.
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The `t440p_12mb` and `w541_12mb` images are *still available*, in the
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Libreboot 20230319 release images. HOWEVER:
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Libreboot *also* has these images:
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The `t440pmrc_12mb` and `w541mrc_12mb` images have been *deleted* from rsync,
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for the Libreboot 20230319 release. The previous 20221214 release also had
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these as `t440p_12mb` and `w541_12mb` because in that release, only the blob
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MRC was available (Angel's libre replacement appeared in the 20230319 release),
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and they've been deleted there aswell.
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* `t440p_12mb`
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* `w541_12mb`
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If you downloaded pre-built `t440pmrc_12mb` or `w541mrc_12mb`, please DO NOT
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USE THEM AS THEY DO NOT BOOT. The cause is being investigated.
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These ones, the ones without `mrc` in the name, use experiment source code from
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Angel Pons of coreboot (`hell` on IRC), removing the need for `mrc.bin`
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entirely. *These* ROM images are still available, in the rsync mirrors, for the
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Libreboot 20230319 release.
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Essentially, we believe that there are differences between these two things,
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in terms of the resulting image after MRC blob insertion:
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Why were the MRC-based images deleted?
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--------------------------------------
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* Coreboot's own build system logic, for inserting MRC blobs. This is what
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Libreboot uses when compiling these images, on those targets. **This boots
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just fine.**
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* Libreboot's own `blobutil` which is used to re-insert MRC blobs on release
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images (which have the MRC blobs scrubbed, prior to release). **Does not
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boot, resulting in a brick.**
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The ROM images themselves were *correct*, but there is a bug in the `blobutil`
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insert script, for inserting `mrc.bin` into these images. The `mrc.bin` file
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must be inserted at a specific offset, and no offset was declared explicitly
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by `blobutil`.
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So it is these differences being investigated first. If you want to reliably
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boot and use `t440pmrc_12mb` or `w541mrc_12mb`, please compile them yourself
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using the [Libreboot build instructions](../docs/build/) - otherwise, if you
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want the libre MRC version, using `t440p_12mb` or `w541_12mb` images, then
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that's OK and you can use the pre-compiled images from Libreboot 20230319.
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In the Libreboot 20230319 release source archive, the `blobutil` program runs
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this command for inserting `mrc.bin` when necessary:
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Context
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-------
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./coreboot/default/util/cbfstool/cbfstool ${rom} add -f mrc/haswell/mrc.bin -n mrc.bin -t mrc
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When building T440p or W541 ROM images directly, from `lbmk` (Libreboot's
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automated build system), MRC images are inserted if required (depending on
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the build target). These images are scrubbed from release images, and a script
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is provided (documented) to re-download and re-insert these into the image.
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This is **wrong**, because it's missing the following arguments at the the end:
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**Scenario one, compile from lbmk (using `mrc.bin`) - BOOTS FINE:**
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-b 0x78fe00
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Booting T440p/W541 images generated by running lbmk directly (or using source
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tarballs from releases to build them), on an image that uses the `mrc.bin`
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blob, will boot perfectly and work just fine.
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This, the correct command for those images would be:
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**Scenario two, release roms (using `mrc.bin`) - DOES NOT BOOT:**
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./coreboot/default/util/cbfstool/cbfstool ${rom} add -f mrc/haswell/mrc.bin -n mrc.bin -t mrc -b 0x78fe00
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However, it was discovered that when inserting these blobs into the ROM images
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on release images, using Libreboot's `blobutil`, the resulting ROM would not
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boot when flashed, resulting in a brick.
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This command is *unnecessary* when building the ROM images yourself, from
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lbmk directly, because the same download script is used and then coreboot's
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build system inserts it, at the correct offset.
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**THEREFORE, if you downloaded Libreboot images that require `mrc.bin`, please
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do NOT use them, please instead compile from source using `lbmk`, or use the
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release images from 20230319 of target `t440p_12mb` or `w541_12mb`; these
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versions will work, but the blob MRC ones named `t440pmrc_12mb`
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and `w541mrc_12mb` are currently BROKEN, in the release.**
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However, Libreboot's build system scrubs `mrc.bin` when creating release
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archives, which means they must be re-added by the user when downloading
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such pre-compiled ROMs, using a script available in Libreboot; it is *this*
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script that was broken, in the Libreboot 20230319 release.
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For the time being, Libreboot will *not* provide Haswell images that
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use the *blob* `mrc.bin`. It will *only* provide the images that use libre MRC.
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The position of MRC is to be fixed, and it is hardcoded in coreboot master.
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Based on that, the MRC file is always added at the same location in CBFS, and
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the number above is based on that. The number is correct, on Haswell configs
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supported by Libreboot.
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If you want to use a setup with the blob `mrc.bin`, please compile Libreboot
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yourself.
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FIX AVAILABLE
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=============
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I apologise to anyone who flashed using `blobutil` to insert `mrc.bin`. This
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was reported online but I initially shrugged it off, until I tested it myself
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this evening.
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This bug described on this page has been fixed, in `lbmk.git`. See patch:
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At the time of publishing this post, some of the rsync/https mirrors still
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have the offending images, but some have already synced the deletion on my end.
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<https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=da6bf57a3f57f2625a4903cafb5cfd10ea4a1dae>
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Will not re-add images to rsync
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-------------------------------
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I **could** re-add the images, and add a note to the Libreboot documentation
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telling the user to patch their `blobutil` according to the commit linked
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above. However, such would be un-clean. As far as I'm concerned, the images
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are gone now and it's a testing release anyway.
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So there's little risk. If you want images using `mrc.bin`, you shall build
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Libreboot from source using these instructions:
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[How to build from lbmk.git](../docs/build/)
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All it costs you is a bit of extra time waiting for the build process to
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complete. Those wily enough to flash a T440p themselves for the first time,
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will surely not mind.
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That is all.
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PS:
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If any persons bricked their T440p due to this bug, I'm very sorry. This is
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precisely *why* I'm not re-adding the images, even though they're OK - a lot
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of people as I said, won't patch their blobutil even when told to, to correct
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that offset, but they can't brick their machine with such ROM images if they
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don't exist. So they no longer exist, on mirrors providing Libreboot releases.
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The irony would be if Angel finished the libre MRC code before the next
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Libreboot release, making this fix pointless (because in that situation, I
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would simply exclude images using `mrc.bin` at that point).
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Loading…
Reference in New Issue