[coreboot] Automated test system: Nominations wanted

[Kevin O'Connor]

On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 12:35:11PM +0100, Patrick Georgi via coreboot wrote:
> 2015-02-19 0:14 GMT+01:00 Carl-Daniel Hailfinger
> <c-d.hailfinger.devel.2006 at gmx.net>:
> > I am currently planning to set up a test system with 5 (later up to 10)
> > machines boot testing each new coreboot commit. This test system will be
> > serviced (i.e. recovery from bricking) Mo-Fr during CET/CEST office hours.
> >
> > Current goals for every commit:
> > - Check if coreboot + SeaBIOS are able to boot Linux to a point where
> > network is up and running
> >
> > Current goals for every work day:
> > - Check if screen, keyboard and touchpad/mouse work
> > - Check if USB works and has the expected transfer speed (i.e. if USB
> > High and Super Speed both work)
> http://blogs.coreboot.org/blog/author/ayushsagar/ documents last
> year's GSoC project to implement some of those - incl. a screen test
> using the display present signals.
> 
> Through external flashing, there's also no need to handle unbricking manually.

This is a bit off topic, but I've been thinking that a neat project
would be to package up an automated test and recovery system using the
Beagle Bone Black board.

The Beagle Bone Black isn't too expensive ($55), it is widely
available, it has an SPI interface (for emergency flashing), has GPIOs
(which, with a level shifter, could be used to turn on/off the board
and report LED status), and can emulate a USB client.  The emulated
USB client could (in theory) be used to emulate a USB boot drive, a
USB networking adapter, a USB keyboard, a USB serial port, and/or a
USB debug device.  In theory, one could wrap many of the target
board's standard interfaces so that automated testing and remote
development could be done.

It would be a bit of work to get the software working and packaged
nicely - but if it was, I think it could enable many more users to
participate in automated tests and remote development.

-Kevin