Re: [flashrom] DOS binary doesn't work?

[max]

--- On Sun, 10/10/10, max  wrote:
> Anyone want to speculate why flashram can set the BIOS
> write enable bit under Linux but not DOS? Is Linux taking
> over SMI somehow, or is there some BIOS call which permits
> BIOS writing? Something else?

Some more info: tried two flavors of linux CDs with flashrom,

SystemRescueCD: works
GRML: can't enable writing (same as DOS)

Thinking it must have something to do with ACPI, I tried disabling ACPI with SystemRescueCD (tried acpi=off, acpi-off, and noacpi), but it still worked. However, I don't know how to verify that ACPI support was really disabled.

By the way, the master SMI enable can't be disabled; the BIOS locks it. Unless there is a way to generate a PCI reset without rebooting the system...

Thanks,
Dan

DOS binary doesn't work?

[Carl-Daniel Hailfinger]

On 12.10.2010 00:04, max wrote:
> --- On Sun, 10/10/10, max  wrote:
> > Anyone want to speculate why flashram can set the BIOS
> > write enable bit under Linux but not DOS? Is Linux taking
> > over SMI somehow, or is there some BIOS call which permits
> > BIOS writing? Something else?
>
> Some more info: tried two flavors of linux CDs with flashrom,
>
> SystemRescueCD: works
> GRML: can't enable writing (same as DOS)

Could you please send "flashrom -V" output and "lspci -nnvvvxxx" from
SystemRescueCD and GRML to this list? Maybe a comparison will shed some
light on this. Please make sure to use exactly the same flashrom version
on both.

Regards,
Carl-Daniel

DOS binary doesn't work?

[max]

--- On Mon, 10/11/10, Carl-Daniel Hailfinger  wrote:
> Could you please send "flashrom -V" output and "lspci
> -nnvvvxxx" from
> SystemRescueCD and GRML to this list? Maybe a comparison
> will shed some
> light on this. Please make sure to use exactly the same
> flashrom version
> on both.

Thank you, lspci yielded some interesting information. On the linux that works, there are two kernel modules associated with device 8086/24C0 (where the write enable register is located): iTCO_wdt and intel-rng. Those modules are not present on the linux that doesn't work.

intel-rng is particularly interesting since the random number generator is located in the firmware hub. I think we're close to the answer, but still have to figure out what this code is doing.

Thanks,
Dan