Hi all,
I've like to open the discussion about barebox
What is Barebox?
Barebox is a fork of U-Boot which was named before the elce 2009
U-Boot-V2 with the target to have a modern internal Implememtation
derived from the Linux kernel and user friendly interface
The current design of barebox is very near from the kernel as example
on AT91 I've update the current API to be as near as possible as the
one in the kernel so it's now really easy to port a new board and on
contrary of U-Boot we can have the multy instance of the drivers.
I'm start to push the SH with the same idea
As example have the prompt on all uart at the same time or be able to use
them independently.
We also support FastBoot, Framebuffer, USB ohci & Ehci, network, nor,
nandflash, dfu, usb ethernet (very usefull for soc without net
device), Menu Framework, etc...
inprogress mmc, spi flash
DFU for Device Firmware Upgrade is very use full to update device from
usb device from a PC so you will have an generic updater from the
bootloader
The Menu Framework will help you to create friendly interface to manage
the booloader via key specially on device without keyboard as cellphone,
STB etc...
We have also a true shell support with scripting so it's very easy to
create complex command via sheel script and also complex boot sequence
We have modules support as the kernel which allow to load code based
on the need and speed up the boot but also allow to update the
bootloader functionnality in the feature
etc...
Best Regards,
J.
Follow up to the initial poll for interest on an ARM Boot Architecture
working group (You can read the initial posting below for those people
I've just added to the to: list).
Linaro has graciously offered to host a mailing list and provide a
conference bridge for meetings. You can subscribe to the mailing list
here:
http://lists.linaro.org/mailman/listinfo/boot-architecture
I'm ready to kick off the first phase of the working group, which is
to start collecting requirements and to define the boot use-cases that
the working group will focus on solving (for example, one use-case is
supporting a generic ARM distro on netbooks and tablets). There is a
start to capturing requirements on the wiki page[1] and some
discussion on the associated talk page[2].
[1] http://devicetree.org/Boot_Architecture
[2] http://devicetree.org/Talk:Boot_Architecture
I propose having a kick-off conference call in about 2 weeks (week of
September 13th). Goal of the first call will be settle on a
first-draft for the requirements, and to figure out if there are
additional people or companies that we should be soliciting feedback
from. Then we can begin drafting the interface and recommended
practices document.
If you're interested in being in on the call, let me know and I'll
send you an invite and if you've got a preference on a day of the
week. Regardless of the day, It will probably have to be at about
9:00MDT/16:00GMT to handle everyone's timezones.
Cheers,
g.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Grant Likely <grant.likely(a)secretlab.ca>
Date: Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 1:31 PM
Subject: ARM Boot Architecture working group idea
Following up on a discussion from UDS-M in Brussels this year, the
idea was raised to put together a working group to define a
recommended firmware architecture for ARM systems. The goal being to
have something usable by both the hardware and operating system
vendors (notably Android and Linaro) to reduce the cost associated
with board ports, and to have a common method for operating system
installation across a wide range of devices.
The goal of this working group would be to produce a specification
including the following 3 things:
1) A set of requirements that meets the needs of hardware vendors,
operating systems vendors, and software engineers
2) A recommended architecture for boot firmware.
3) A reference design implementing the first two items in a form
usable by hardware vendors.
I'm in the early planning stages now, and I'm looking for volunteers
and interested parties to join the working group. To get things
rolling, I've set up a wiki page[1] with a very early draft of
requirements which captures some of the issues brought up at UDS-M.
[1] http://devicetree.org/Boot_Architecture
I've not yet set up any kind of charter or procedures for the working
group. Nor have I done an exhaustive search for people who should be
involved, so if there is anybody you can think of who I should
contact, then please let me know.
If you (or your company) is interested and would like to be involved,
then please let me know. Once we've got a few people to kick things
off, I'll set up a mailing list, try to pull together something about
how this working group will be organized, and probably make an lwn or
linux-embedded announcement.
Cheers,
g.
--
Grant Likely, B.Sc., P.Eng.
Secret Lab Technologies Ltd.
--
Grant Likely, B.Sc., P.Eng.
Secret Lab Technologies Ltd.
