coreboot March 2007

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[LinuxBIOS] Hope it'll help!
by Daniel Romar 22 Mar '07

22 Mar '07

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[LinuxBIOS] Getting Friendly with Flashrom
by David H. Barr 22 Mar '07

22 Mar '07

I'm trying to get Flashrom to flash a legacy BIOS image to the RD1 slot on a BIOS Savior PMC4 (thanks Eksidtata!), but I must be missing something... * I got flashrom checked out, compiled, and make installed. * I show that both the W39V040B (ORG) and Pm49FL004 (RD1) are supported * I've tested that a loose PMC Pm49FL004 is compatible with my mainboard * I've tried issuing a flashrom line three or four times in sequence However, I cannot get a successful write. Any suggestions? Excerpt follows. -dhbarr. dhbarr@ms7260:~/msi_orig$ sudo flashrom -vV -c Pm49FL004 A7260NMS.300 Calibrating delay loop... Setting up microsecond timing loop 401M loops per second ok No LinuxBIOS table found. Enabling flash write on NVIDIA MCP55...OK Trying Pm49FL004, 512 KB probe_jedec: id1 0x9d, id2 0x6e Pm49FL004 found at physical address: 0xfff80000 Flash part is Pm49FL004 (512 KB) Flash image seems to be a legacy BIOS. Disabling checks. Verifying flash address: 0x00015f58 - FAILED

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[LinuxBIOS] raminit.c
by joe＠smittys.pointclark.net 22 Mar '07

22 Mar '07

I hope someone can clarify this for me. The main purpose of the raminit.c file is to: a) setup the most minimal northbridge memory registry b) detect spd to find memory parimeters c) set the spd parimeters in the northbridge memory registry d) startup memory Is this correct?? The main question I have is how do I know which of the northbridge memory registers need to be setup on initially?? If they are to use their default values to I even need to include them?? Or should I just set them all up?? Please Help me out here. Thanks - Joe

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[LinuxBIOS] In Circuit Flash BIOS Emulator and Programmer
by Bari Ari 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

Here's what I am proposing to build: In Circuit Flash Emulator and Programmer This will use the Xilinx Spartan-3E Starter Kit (HW-SPAR3E-SK-US) Xilinx Development Boards: http://www.xilinx.com/xlnx/xebiz/designResources/ip_product_details.jsp?key… The Xilinx development boards are only $150 and are available worldwide. It will feature: 10/100 Ethernet JTAG USB 9-pin RS-232 Serial Port 64 MByte DDR SDRAM 128 Mbit Parallel Flash 16 Mbit SPI Flash 16 character - 2 Line LCD Board schematics may be fond here: http://www.xilinx.com/bvdocs/ipcenter/block_diagram/S3E_Starter_D_External_… It will interface to the mainboard via an adapter cable that will plug into a mainboard Flash ROM socket or onto the pins of a soldered in place Flash device. It may be used to program a Flash device or emulate a flash device in circuit. This device will replace the need for the out of production BiosSaver. The BIOS ROM emulator feature will also help speed development of a LinuxBIOS port since the developer will no longer have to wait for either swapping Flash devices or for lengthy Flash programming cycles. The design, specifications and BOM for the adapter cables will be posted on the LinuxBIOS site for all to freely use and build. Target devices will initially be SPI Flash. LPC and parallel Flash may also be supported if there is enough interest. The design will also allow for expansion into performing as a multi-channel logic analyzer with a JAVA client. -Bari

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[LinuxBIOS] state of Gigabyte GA-M57SLI-S4
by ST 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

Hi I bought an Gigabyte GA-M57SLI-S4 (rev 1.0) due to support in linuxbios. Since i am having a hard time getting the original bios running i would be happy to know if it is save to use the linuxbios for this board? I have pretty sound knowledge of computers and hardware, but haven't tried linuxbios yet. Since i don't have an modern flash programmer (and this version of the gigabyte doesn't have a dual bios) i am afraid to "brick" this mainboard. Since i can't use the gigabyte tools anymore once i have flashed linuxbios to this board. Is there a way back. Thanks ST

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Re: [LinuxBIOS] Question about Config file
by ccases＠navista.fr 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

> > I use the fallback and the normal mode, if my chip has a size 256*1024, >> what size of FALLBACK_SIZE and ROM_IMAGE_SIZE I can choose, I have some >> difficulty to define the role of the ROM_IMAGE_SIZE, the ROM_SIZE define >> the size of the chip, the FALLBACK_SIZE define the size of the fallback >> mode, but the ROM_IMAGE_SIZE ??? I don't understand the goal of >> ROM_IMAGE_SIZE, if you have an better explaination that on the Web site, >> I >> would appreciate much. >> > > Just to make sure first, after changing anything in the config'lb or > options.lb files, you have to re-run ./buildtarget to recreate the make > files with the new values. > > If I understand it right, this is pretty much how it works, and some > reasonable values for a 256k flash part: > > ROM_IMAGE_SIZE determines the amount of space for lb's fallback image to > take up, 64kb (64*1024, or 0x10000). The minimum size of this is > dependent on the code, I don't know how you'd find it out other than > trial-and-error, but there must be a way. > > FALLBACK_SIZE determines the space for the fallback lb image + the > payload for the "fallback.rom", 128kb (128*1024, or 0x20000). This means > 64kb for lb+64kb for the payload. This at minimum needs to be > (obviously) the size of your built code + the size of your payload. > Also, make sure your Options.lb contains "default HAVE_FALLBACK_BOOT=1". > > ROM_IMAGE_SIZE again determines the size for the normal image's code, 64kb > > ROM_SIZE determines the size of the whole chip, 256kb. LB then computes > ROM_SIZE - FALLBACK_SIZE to get the size for the "normal.rom", which is > the normal lb code + the payload again. > > At the end, lb merges the fallback.rom(128k) and normal.rom (128k) to > give you linuxbios.rom (256k). > > There are some other options, like PAYLOAD_SIZE and ROM_SECTION_SIZE, > these should be computed by your src/../Config.lb based on the other > values. If you still have problems, grab the config.lb's and options.lb > from the asus p2b and use the values in those, they build a 256k flash > part for me just fine. > > -Corey > Thank's for all of your explaination, now have a better vision of the things, thanks again ;) regards Ccases

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[LinuxBIOS] Questions and thoughts on documentation
by Yuning Feng 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

I have been following the list for some time. From many posts I see developers spend much time hacking bits. Lack of essential documentation takes developer lots of time and makes things difficult. I know that many manufacturers are unwilling to give that information. Why is it so? and what can people, who is concerned about this project, do on this documentation thing to help? When developers choose a board to work on, that board may be a mainstream one, but when work is done, the board may become matured. Then most people cannot benefit from developers' hard work. That might be a problem? Want to know what others think on this problem.

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Re: [LinuxBIOS] linuxbios Digest, Vol 25, Issue 79
by c-v.schmitt＠web.de 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

i dont get any point of that ? really nutzzz, is somebody searching the formular for point of humor ?! > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- > Von: Corey Osgood <corey_osgood(a)verizon.net> > Gesendet: 20.03.07 13:08:32 > An: "C.-Valentin Schmitt" <c-v.schmitt(a)web.de> > CC: linuxbios(a)linuxbios.org > Betreff: Re: [LinuxBIOS] linuxbios Digest, Vol 25, Issue 79 > C.-Valentin Schmitt wrote: > > > > looks like symbiotic bios - stuff . . . > > > > my recommendation: $hithappen$ > > > > Please, don't quote the whole digest. And as far as your mail from a > couple days ago goes, I don't even understand what your question was. > > -Corey > .·:·.·:·.·:·.________________.·:·.·:·.·:·. . · `·^._ Carl-Valentin Schmitt _.^·Ž·. .·-._-\°--- Schlossstr. 184 ---°/-_.-·. .·._____·Ž 54293 Trier `·____.·. ·········...______________...········· _______________________________________________________________ SMS schreiben mit WEB.DE FreeMail - einfach, schnell und kostenguenstig. Jetzt gleich testen! http://f.web.de/?mc=021192

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[LinuxBIOS] linuxbios + xf86-video-unichrome: no VGA BIOS needed.
by Luc Verhaegen 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

Yes, you read that correctly. You can run X on your CLE266 based EPIA without having to depend on any non-free software whatsoever. No non-free drivers. No non-free BIOS. And now no VGA BIOS :) If you have an EPIA-M, then things are very easy. Well, relatively easy. Well easier than trying to include a VGA ROM in linuxbios anyway :) X bit: ------ My X driver has been able to run as a non-Primary VGA device for years. All it needed was to become (bios-initialised) scratch register independant, which is something i did late last year, early this year. There was a single, highly trivial bug in the way, and it was something i broke late last year, but now it's just fine. So just get my driver from git: git-clone git://people.freedesktop.org/~libv/xf86-video-unichrome * Build it; there's a README in there for manual builds (it's backwards compatible all the way to debian sarge's xfree86-4.3.0), or if you're on debian or ubuntu (with a modular X) then you can just dpkg-buildpackage it. * Install it. * Test it. Caveats: * You do want to test X and verify that it's the latest version. The log echoes the git SHA-ID. grep for "SHA-ID" and match it with your git tree. * You do want X to start automatically, or you will have to have some other means of logging in (serial, network). * Don't depend on X as your only way in. The driver was written only with "bail out cleanly if something fails" in mind. If it fails, it will restore the console cleanly. But the snag there is that we didn't have a console to begin with (but hang on, i'll get you one ASAP). :) * The driver will complain when trying to parse the scratch registers. But all the necessary ones are handled properly now, and the rest are configurable. So the driver is just whining, nothing more. BIOS bit (for original 256kB rom): ---------------------------------- Linuxbios already had all the bits necessary to get this working. There's no more voodoo involved anywhere. * Just use whatever payload you require (normal use will probably be filo), but make sure that this is solid. * Just buildtarget via/epia-m with the standard config, which should only be adjusted for your payload. * flash your rom with the created linuxbios.rom, but do store the old image first, as that takes only a few seconds. Do not bother with any of the VGA things, as, for X only, they are not necessary, and most of the documentation out there is outdated anyway :) Caveats: * you do want serial (test this before rebooting), as you don't get a VGA console. If you, for instance, want to touch what filo is booting for you, then you do need serial. * you probably do want to be able to ssh in, this means that you pretty much need to get to the end of the booting process already. I have deliberately kept the above guide short. Read through the documentation of what you're doing, this will help ensure that you don't get an unbootable machine. But this is not rocket science, there is no voodoo involved. If you're careful, and spend a bit of time and thought on setting up the payload and linuxbios, then the chance of bricking your EPIA-M is small. But if you do brick it, you will have to find a way to flash your rom from another board (hotswapping) or with a prommer. Nothing lethal, but a rather major inconvenience if you're not prepared for it. For absolute peace of mind, you might just want to get a PLCC extractor (~5-10EUR) and a 5V PLCC rom (~5EUR) and keep the original rom as is. If you then bugger up, you can just insert the old rom again, edit your BIOS config (CMOS got incompatible changes now), and it'll boot up just fine. ---- Now, if both bits have been done, do some ritual of your own choosing and reboot. You do want to powercycle to get rid of the original VGA BIOS that's still loaded at 0x000C0000, which doesn't get run at all but just sits there. Also, if you don't powercycle, console will also just keep on existing as if nothing happened, as no registers from the unichrome will get touched in a significant way. After a short while, X should come up as if nothing's changed :) And that's it. You've rid yourself of all non-free software. Now you get to trump pretty much everybody who claims to be all free software :) There is of course no warranty that all of this will not brick your motherboard. If it does, then i'm sorry, but then you've probably done something wrong, as it's all pretty happy here. But it's nothing lethal anyway, just inconvenient :) The only time i did brick it here is when i did try to run a VGA BIOS (at a wrong, hardcoded offset), so don't worry too much, just be very careful :) Oh well, true free software geekdom is only for the brave. Luc Verhaegen. http://unichrome.sf.net/

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[LinuxBIOS] BIOS "Setup"?
by Samuel Thibault 21 Mar '07

21 Mar '07

Hi, That may be a FAQ, but I couldn't find a FAQ on the website. If I understand correctly, LinuxBIOS "just" initializes the mainboard and boots a payload, there is nothing like what people would usually call "BIOS Setup", right? Then, how can one configure the mainboard, for disabling the integrated serial uart or the PCI IRQs for instances? By setting parameters before building a ROM image? Samuel

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coreboot March 2007