diff --git a/site/news/MANIFEST b/site/news/MANIFEST index d8f0772..82c4d89 100644 --- a/site/news/MANIFEST +++ b/site/news/MANIFEST @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@ +hp8470p_and_dell_t1650.md hp2170p.md update202308.md gnuboot.md diff --git a/site/news/hp8470p_and_dell_t1650.md b/site/news/hp8470p_and_dell_t1650.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c7f78b4 --- /dev/null +++ b/site/news/hp8470p_and_dell_t1650.md @@ -0,0 +1,133 @@ +% HP EliteBook 8470p and Dell Precision T1650 support added to Libreboot +% Leah Rowe +% 14 August 2023 + +Introduction +============ + +I've ported and tested two new boards, and merged them into the `lbmk` master +branch. They will be available in the next regular release: + +HP EliteBook 8470p +------------------ + +HP EliteBook 8470p is another IvyBridge platform, similar to other EliteBooks +that Libreboot already supports, such as the HP EliteBook 9470m that Riku +added. + + + +It was added in this patch: + + +It should be noted: there are *two* variants of this machine. One variant has +Intel graphics, and this is what was tested. The other variant has discrete +AMD graphics, and is not supported, but could be added - if you have one of +these AMD variants, please [contact Leah Rowe](../docs/maintain/testing.html). + +Another quirk: SOIC16 flash IC, but it's 16MB in size (Winbond W25Q128). + +This will be available in the next Libreboot release. For now, you +can [download Libreboot from Git](../git.md) and [build from +source](../docs/build/) if you wish to use this board. Read those instructions +first; with build dependencies then installed, you can build the board like +so: + + ./build boot roms hp8470pintel_16mb + +There is currently no documentation on the coreboot website, but installation +instructions will be written for the Libreboot website. + +Dell Precision T1650 +-------------------- + +This machine is truly unique, among most desktop boards in coreboot. It's yet +another IvyBridge desktop, same platform as [HP 8300 +USDT](../docs/hardware/hp8300usdt.html), but it supports *ECC* memory, if you +use a Xeon E3 model CPU (ivybridge variant). + + + +My model had + +You can find a list of IvyBridge CPUs here: + + +*My* one, that I tested, has Intel *Xeon E3 1270v2* - this model does not have +an Intel graphics chip built in, so I could not test coreboot's libgfxinit for +this board, but it should work. I've since ordered a 1275v2 which does have +graphics, but I didn't have it at the time of this news post. + + + +Native video init for Intel graphics *is* enabled, in this Libreboot port, but +because I haven't tested it yet, I've done *this* in the port that was merged: +SeaBIOS-only at startup, but GRUB is available in the SeaBIOS menu. SeaBIOS +is relied upon to execute the VGA Option ROM on an add-on graphics card (the +one I had was Nvidia Quadro K420, tested with the `nouveau` driver under +Debian Linux). + + + +If you want GRUB-only setup, you could configure SeaBIOS bootorder to only +load the GRUB payload, and disable the SeaBIOS menu. This can be done by +only booting `img/grub2` from CBFS. More info available here: + - just insert the appropriate files +into CBFS, as per the instructions on that page. Make sure you have external +flashing equipment to recover in case you brick it! + + + +With ECC memory, this board is easily suitable for running a server of some kind, +in cases where data integrity matters (many userspace programs will use `read()` +and `write()` to manipulate data on the HDD/SSD, so it's best to ensure that the +memory is as reliable as possible) - the board also has *four* SATA slots, so +you could easily do RAID10 or RAID6 - a filesystem like ZFS running under FreeBSD +would be a boon. Stick 32GB of ECC RAM with RAID10 HDDs on FreeBSD and run +OpenBSD virtual servers in bhyve! + +Other works currently in progress +================================= + +A similar report was made in the [HP EliteBook 2170p news +page](hp2170p.md). Some of that is now done, so the list is updated (and more +work is also being done): + +More boards coming soon +----------------------- + +I'm *still* on a spree, adding more boards to Libreboot, especially HP +EliteBooks. These boards are of interest, to the Libreboot project, at this +present time: + +* Dell OptiPlex 9010 - similar to the T1650 (same platform, same vendor) +* HP ProBook 6360b - it has been added today to Libreboot, but it's not yet + tested. Patch (WIP): + + (further testing still needed) +* HP Revolve 810 G1 +* HP EliteBook Folio 9480m - it has been added already to Libreboot (WIP), but + currently does not boot (more testing needed - not sure what my problem is + yet, but it was added today). WIP patch: + +* HP EliteBook 820 G2 (broadwell generation) +* HP EliteBook *840* G2 - not supported in coreboot yet, but should be similar + to 820 G2 and I've ordered one for testing. It's probably an easy port. +* HP Z220 workstation +* Dell Precision T1650 +* Dell Optiplex 7020 and 9020 - not mentioned in the last post, but I also have + these. +* Dell Latitude E6320 - not supported in coreboot yet, but there's a patch + under review on gerrit for Latitude E6220, and the E6320 should be similar + enough for an easy port. This is the gerrit patch for E6220: + + +Another build system audit +-------------------------- + +I've also started another audit of the Libreboot build system; the [last +one](audit.md) was quite intense and a lot more work is going in for the +next release. + +The next Libreboot release is going to be an absolute banger. I can promise you +that. But I can't give you an ETA yet :)