How to choose my ‘‘mainboard vendor’’ for Sony laptops?

Laptop model: Sony VPCCB17FG
Cores: Intel i7-2620M
Coreboot release to be flashed: 4.12
RAM’s: 7.45GiB
Graphics: AMD Radeon
Old BIOS: By AMI, versioned R0242v2 (no longer receiving Sony’s BIOS upgrades since 2012)

Mainboard vendor
  1. 51NB (VENDOR_51NB) (NEW)
  2. ADLINK (VENDOR_ADLINK) (NEW)
  3. AMD (VENDOR_AMD) (NEW)
  4. AOpen (VENDOR_AOPEN) (NEW)
  5. Apple (VENDOR_APPLE) (NEW)
  6. ASROCK (VENDOR_ASROCK) (NEW)
  7. ASUS (VENDOR_ASUS) (NEW)
  8. BAP (VENDOR_BAP) (NEW)
  9. Biostar (VENDOR_BIOSTAR) (NEW)
  10. Cavium (VENDOR_CAVIUM) (NEW)
  11. CompuLab (VENDOR_COMPULAB) (NEW)
  12. ELMEX (VENDOR_ELMEX) (NEW)
> Emulation (VENDOR_EMULATION) (NEW)

14. Facebook (VENDOR_FACEBOOK) (NEW)
  15. Foxconn (VENDOR_FOXCONN) (NEW)
  16. Getac (VENDOR_GETAC) (NEW)
  17. GIGABYTE (VENDOR_GIGABYTE) (NEW)
  18. GizmoSphere (VENDOR_GIZMOSPHERE) (NEW)
  19. Google (VENDOR_GOOGLE) (NEW)
  20. HP (VENDOR_HP) (NEW)
  21. iBase (VENDOR_IBASE) (NEW)
  22. Intel (VENDOR_INTEL) (NEW)
  23. Jetway (VENDOR_JETWAY) (NEW)
  24. Kontron (VENDOR_KONTRON) (NEW)
  25. Lenovo (VENDOR_LENOVO) (NEW)
  26. Libretrend (VENDOR_LIBRETREND) (NEW)
  27. LiPPERT (VENDOR_LIPPERT) (NEW)
  28. MSI (VENDOR_MSI) (NEW)
  29. Open Compute Project (VENDOR_OCP) (NEW)
  30. OpenCellular (VENDOR_OPENCELLULAR) (NEW)
  31. Packard Bell (VENDOR_PACKARDBELL) (NEW)
  32. PC Engines (VENDOR_PCENGINES) (NEW)
  33. Portwell (VENDOR_PORTWELL) (NEW)
  34. Protectli (VENDOR_PROTECTLI) (NEW)
  35. Purism (VENDOR_PURISM) (NEW)
  36. RAZER (VENDOR_RAZER) (NEW)
  37. Roda (VENDOR_RODA) (NEW)
  38. SAMSUNG (VENDOR_SAMSUNG) (NEW)
  39. Sapphire (VENDOR_SAPPHIRE) (NEW)
  40. Scaleway (VENDOR_SCALEWAY) (NEW)
  41. Siemens (VENDOR_SIEMENS) (NEW)
  42. SiFive (VENDOR_SIFIVE) (NEW)
  43. Supermicro (VENDOR_SUPERMICRO) (NEW)
  44. System76 (VENDOR_SYSTEM76) (NEW)
  45. TI (VENDOR_TI) (NEW)
  46. UP (VENDOR_UP) (NEW)
choice[1-46]:

[Angel Pons]

Hi there,

Currently, no Sony laptops are supported. So, there isn't any option
to build coreboot for your laptop.

If you *really* want to have coreboot on it, you could try porting
(adding coreboot support for) this laptop. However, you *need* to be
able to flash externally (something to flash a known-good BIOS when
the laptop doesn't boot). I couldn't find schematics for this laptop,
so I don't know if there are problems that would make in-circuit
external flashing (using a clip) dangerous.

On Mon, Jul 20, 2020 at 4:39 AM  wrote:
> Laptop model: Sony VPCCB17FG
> Cores: Intel i7-2620M
> Coreboot release to be flashed: 4.12
> RAM’s: 7.45GiB

That must be 8 GiB, with some memory being unavailable because it was
reserved for something.
> Graphics: AMD Radeon
> Old BIOS: By AMI, versioned R0242v2 (no longer receiving Sony’s BIOS upgrades since 2012)
>
> Mainboard vendor

*snip*
> choice[1-46]:
> _______________________________________________
> coreboot mailing list -- [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [e-mail]

Best regards,
Angel

[HD Scania]

I already have my laptop’s blobs that are await for my pre-porting preparation
So _how_ to get Coreboot ported for my lapotp based on those blobs?
I have my original BIOS backups too, as against its boot failures
And then how to _flash_ Coreboot _externally_? I have an obsolete microSD (too small for myself),
that should likely help to externally _flash_ my Coreboot

[Jonathan Neuschäfer]

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 12:19:55PM -0000, HD Scania wrote:
> I already have my laptop’s blobs that are await for my pre-porting preparation
> So _how_ to get Coreboot ported for my lapotp based on those blobs?

In summary, it's a long process of writing and testing mainboard
specific code that enables coreboot to do exactly the right things to
initialize the hardware on your mainboard far enough that an operating
system or boot loader can run.
> I have my original BIOS backups too, as against its boot failures

Good, they're always good to have.
> And then how to _flash_ Coreboot _externally_?

External flashing means that you don't use the laptop's own southbridge
(flashrom -p internal ...) to interface with the flash chip, but rather
a flash programmer that is external to the laptop's own electronics,
for example a Bus Pirate or a CH341A-based programmer, that is connected
to the flash chip with a SOIC-8/SOIC-16 clip.
> I have an obsolete microSD (too small for myself), that should likely
> help to externally _flash_ my Coreboot

I don't see how. Please elaborate.

Note that in most cases the flash chip that holds the BIOS or coreboot
uses the SPI protocol and is not compatible SD or microSD cards.

Best regards,
Jonathan Neuschäfer

[HD Scania]

How _‘‘long’’_ it is? Over a year? Given i’ve got my laptop’s ALL the blobs using `flashrom`, but how to _‘‘write’’_ those code for those blobs?
> In summary, it's a long process of writing and testing mainboard

specific code that enables coreboot to do exactly the right things to
initialize the hardware on your mainboard far enough that an operating
system or boot loader can run.

Not all nations have their own stores selling SPI programmers, if unfortunately *none* are selling them, then i’m *unlikely* able to start committing Coreboot tasks
> External flashing means that you don't use the laptop's own southbridge

(flashrom -p internal ...) to interface with the flash chip, but rather
a flash programmer that is external to the laptop's own electronics,
for example a Bus Pirate or a CH341A-based programmer, that is connected
to the flash chip with a SOIC-8/SOIC-16 clip.
> Note that in most cases the flash chip that holds the BIOS or coreboot

uses the SPI protocol and is not compatible SD or microSD cards.

[HD Scania]

For example, in my nation i’m unable to buy any real SPI programmers, but just have USB flash storgaes instead, then are USB flash storages capable as alternative SPI programmers, with certain software packages on those USB flash storages?
And how to put those software on those USB flash storages?
And which of them (software) _might or might not_ be working and recommended to ‘‘externally’’ flash Coreboot on, and what are the minimal capacity requirements (or any other requirements) for those USB flash storages?
Finally, how to get the software files (those above mentioned) put on those USB flash storages?