M.Sc. thesis on x86 firmware alternatives

[Svante Ekholm]

Hello, community!

Over the last six months I've been working on my M.Sc. thesis: Controlling the Bootstrap Process: Firmware Alternatives for an x86 Embedded Platform. The thesis is now complete and is available from http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?searchId=1&pid=diva2:469328 . The text explores the feasibility of firmware engineering on a lower-tier OEM level with the aims of achieving control of the firmware and boot time optimization. It evaluates the current state of x86 firmware engineering and market, including the legacy BIOS, the UEFI standard, and most importantly: the coreboot project. It also looks (briefly) at commercial products such as the Intel Boot Loader Development Kit and the Congatec BIOS Utility. A prototype bootloader using coreboot+SeaBIOS is constructed and tested for a rugged, embedded, Core 2 Duo-based computer using a Kontron ETX module.

On another note: There has long been a lack of good introductory material into x86 firmware engineering. In the thesis there is a rather large theory section, covering PCI interrupt handling, ACPI, legacy BIOS, UEFI and coreboot. I've decided to release this portion under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa license to the community. I hope that this text can act as a ramp for introducing new people into the subject and you are welcome to help expand it. Peter Stuge will be setting up a git repository for the source of this introduction. The material is until then available at http://xerent.lokalen.org/files/firmware.pdf and http://xerent.lokalen.org/files/firmware-source.zip .

Best regards,

Svante Ekholm Lindahl
Embedded Software Developer

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CrossControl AB
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CrossControl - Humans in control

[Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli]

Thanks a lot!!!!

I'm comming from the embedded world( that means ARM devices running GNU/Linux 
or Android ) and I find this paper very usefull....
I've already started to read it but I didn't finish yet.

Denis.

[Paul Menzel]

Am Dienstag, den 10.01.2012, 19:50 +0100 schrieb Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli:
> Thanks a lot!!!!

I second that! Thank you very much and congrats for finishing your
thesis.
> I'm comming from the embedded world( that means ARM devices running GNU/Linux 
> or Android ) and I find this paper very usefull....
> I've already started to read it but I didn't finish yet.

Peter, have you had time to set up the Git repository yet? Denis could
then already correct some errors, if he finds them. Should it be hosted
by the coreboot infrastructure?

Thanks,

Paul

[Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli]

> Denis could
> then already correct some errors, if he finds them.

I've found an error:
Page 4 there is:
The standard [insert 'which' here] does not just cover a communications 
protocol, is a widely used untire I/O signaling bus and describes the various 
physical and electrical characteristics of the PCI hardware.

Denis.

[Russell Whitaker]

On Wed, 11 Jan 2012, Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli wrote:
> > Denis could
> > then already correct some errors, if he finds them.
>
> I've found an error:
> Page 4 there is:
> The standard [insert 'which' here] does not just cover a communications
> protocol, is a widely used untire I/O signaling bus and describes the various
> physical and electrical characteristics of the PCI hardware.

Sounds awkward. try:

The standard does not just cover a communications protocol, it is a widely
used entire ...
      ^                                                      ^^

Russ
> Denis.

[xdrudis]

On Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 10:41:49PM +0100, Paul Menzel wrote:
> Am Dienstag, den 10.01.2012, 19:50 +0100 schrieb Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli:
> > Thanks a lot!!!!
>
> I second that! Thank you very much and congrats for finishing your
> thesis.

+1