[flashrom] Terminology to help distinguish different ways of using Flashrom

[Patrick 'P. J.' McDermott]

On 2017-03-18 at 18:47, Sam Kuper wrote:
> My understanding is that there are, broadly speaking, two distinct
> methods for using Flashrom:
> 
> 1. The chip being read or flashed is part of the circuitry on the
> motherboard that is hosting the OS that is running the Flashrom
> instance.
> 
> 2. The chip being read or flashed is *not* part of the circuitry on
> the motherboard that is hosting the OS that is running the Flashrom
> instance. Instead, that chip is being accessed via a programmer of
> some kind (e.g. a Bus Pirate, or BeagleBone Black, or suchlike).
> 
> This second method can be further subdivided:
> 
> 2(a). The chip being read or flashed is connected to a circuit other
> than the one being used to program it. For example, it might be a BIOS
> EEPROM chip that was soldered to a motherboard by a PC manufacturer,
> and which has not been removed from that motherboard.
> 
> 2(b). The chip being read or flashed is *not* connected to a circuit
> other than the one being used to program it. For example, it might be
> a brand new chip that has been inserted into a programmer's ZIF socket
> so that it can be programmed.
> 
> 
> I would be grateful to know if terminology exists that would
> unambiguously identify which method is being referred to, out of 1,
> 2(a), and 2(b).
> 
> The closest I have come to finding such a vocabulary is the page at
> https://www.flashrom.org/ISP . This doesn't go very far, though. It
> implies that, at least within the Flashrom project, the phrase
> "in-system programming" *usually* refers to 2(a), but it might also
> refer to 1.

ISP (or sometimes ICSP) refers to 2(a).

Method 1 would be internal programming (cf. flashrom's "internal"
programmer), software programming, or specifically programming from the
host CPU (vs. programming from another in-circuit flash master like the
Intel Management Engine).  Any of these terms are likely to be
understood, though flashrom typically goes with "internal" programming.

In any case, these flashing methods and terms also aren't specific to
flashrom and can apply in other flash memory programming contexts.

-- 
Patrick "P. J." McDermott:  http://www.pehjota.net/
Lead Developer, ProteanOS:  http://www.proteanos.com/
Founder and CEO, Libiquity: http://www.libiquity.com/