Subject: Re: [PATCH] powerpc/bootwrapper: Add documentation of boot wrapper targets

From: Peter Mendham <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:21:17 +0100

Thanks for this documentation - I found it very illuminating.  My 
question was going to be similar to Stephen's in that I don't find it 
clear which of the images with an embedded device tree I should be 
using.  This is all in contrast to the Xilinx git tree where I just use 
zImage with a config option for embedding the device tree...

-- Peter

Stephen Neuendorffer wrote:
> My unanswered questions:
>
> 1) Why are there 4 different types of targets that embed a device tree?
> I assume they differ in how they are started loaded, but (unfortunately)
> the names are meaningless (With the exception of cuImage, which is only
> cryptic.. :)  If I'm adding support for a new board, which should I use?
>
> 2) The simpleImage target is capable of selecting a head.s file to link
> based on the target name.  This needs to be documented.
>
>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Grant Likely [mailto:[email-masked]]
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 1:21 PM
>> To: John Linn; Stephen Neuendorffer; [email-masked];
>>     
> [email-masked]
>   
>> Cc: [email-masked]
>> Subject: [PATCH] powerpc/bootwrapper: Add documentation of boot
>>     
> wrapper targets
>   
>> From: Grant Likely <[email-masked]>
>>
>> There have been many questions on and off the mailing list about how
>> exactly the bootwrapper is used for embedded targets.  Add some
>> documentation and help text to try and clarify the system.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Grant Likely <[email-masked]>
>> ---
>>
>>  Documentation/powerpc/bootwrapper.txt |   78
>>     
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>   
>>  arch/powerpc/Makefile                 |   15 ++++++
>>  arch/powerpc/boot/wrapper             |    4 ++
>>  3 files changed, 96 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/Documentation/powerpc/bootwrapper.txt
>>     
> b/Documentation/powerpc/bootwrapper.txt
>   
>> new file mode 100644
>> index 0000000..8dcb560
>> --- /dev/null
>> +++ b/Documentation/powerpc/bootwrapper.txt
>> @@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
>> +The PowerPC boot wrapper
>> +------------------------
>> +Copyright (C) Secret Lab Technologies Ltd.
>> +
>> +PowerPC image targets compresses and wraps the kernel image (vmlinux)
>>     
> with
>   
>> +a boot wrapper to make it usable by the system firmware.  There is no
>> +standard PowerPC firmware interface, so the boot wrapper is designed
>>     
> to
>   
>> +be adaptable for each kind of image that needs to be built.
>> +
>> +The boot wrapper can be found in the arch/powerpc/boot/ directory.
>>     
> The
>   
>> +Makefile in that directory has targets for all the available image
>>     
> types.
>   
>> +Currently, the following image targets exist:
>> +
>> +   cuImage.%:		Backwards compatible uImage for older
>>     
> version of
>   
>> +			U-Boot (for versions that don't understand the
>>     
> device
>   
>> +			tree).  This image embeds a device tree blob
>>     
> inside
>   
>> +			the image.
>> +   dtbImage.%:		Similar to zImage, except device tree
>>     
> blob is embedded
>   
>> +			inside the image.
>> +   simpleImage.%:	Firmware independent compressed image that does
>>     
> not
>   
>> +			depend on any particular firmware interface and
>>     
> embeds
>   
>> +			a device tree blob.  This image can be loaded to
>>     
> any
>   
>> +			location in RAM and jumped to.  Firmware cannot
>>     
> pass
>   
>> +			any configuration data to the kernel with this
>>     
> image
>   
>> +			type and the kernel depends on the device tree
>>     
> to
>   
>> +			determine its console device.
>> +   treeImage.%;		Image format for some versions of ppc4xx
>>     
> firmware (non
>   
>> +			U-Boot firmware).  This image embeds a device
>>     
> tree
>   
>> +			blob inside the image.
>> +   uImage:		Native image format used by U-Boot.  The uImage
>>     
> target
>   
>> +			does not add any boot code.  It just wraps a
>>     
> compressed
>   
>> +			vmlinux in the uImage data structure.
>> +   zImage.%:		Image usable by OpenFirmware.  Image expects
>>     
> firmware
>   
>> +			to provide the device tree using OpenFirmware
>> +			interfaces.  Typically general purpose hardware
>>     
> uses
>   
>> +			this image format.
>> +
>> +Image types which embed a device tree blob (simpleImage, dtbImage,
>>     
> treeImage,
>   
>> +and cuImage) all generate the device tree blob from a file in the
>> +arch/powerpc/boot/dts/ directory.  The Makefile selects the correct
>>     
> device
>   
>> +tree source based on the name of the target.  Therefore, if the
>>     
> kernel is
>   
>> +built with 'make treeImage.walnut simpleImage.virtex405-ml403', then
>>     
> the
>   
>> +build system will use arch/powerpc/boot/dts/walnut.dts to build
>> +treeImage.walnut and arch/powerpc/boot/dts/virtex405-ml403.dts to
>>     
> build
>   
>> +the simpleImage.virtex405-ml403.
>> +
>> +Two special targets called 'zImage' and 'zImage.initrd' also exist.
>>     
> These
>   
>> +targets build all the default images as selected by the kernel
>>     
> configuration.
>   
>> +Default images are selected by the boot wrapper Makefile
>> +(arch/powerpc/boot/Makefile) by adding targets to the $image-y
>>     
> variable.  Look
>   
>> +at the Makefile to see which default image targets are available.
>> +
>> +How it is built
>> +---------------
>> +arch/powerpc is designed to support multiplatform kernels, which
>>     
> means
>   
>> +that a single vmlinux image can be booted on many different target
>>     
> boards.
>   
>> +It also means that the boot wrapper must be able to wrap for many
>>     
> kinds of
>   
>> +images on a single build.  The design decision was made to not use
>>     
> any
>   
>> +conditional compilation code (#ifdef, etc) in the boot wrapper source
>>     
> code.
>   
>> +All of the boot wrapper pieces are buildable at any time regardless
>>     
> of the
>   
>> +kernel configuration.  Building all the wrapper bits on every kernel
>>     
> build
>   
>> +also ensures that obscure parts of the wrapper are at the very least
>>     
> compile
>   
>> +tested in a large variety of environments.
>> +
>> +The wrapper is adapted for different image types at link time by
>>     
> linking in
>   
>> +just the wrapper bits that are appropriate for the image type.  The
>>     
> 'wrapper'
>   
>> +script (found in arch/powerpc/boot/wrapper) is called by the Makefile
>>     
> and
>   
>> +is responsible for selecting the correct wrapper bits for the image
>>     
> type.
>   
>> +The arguments are well documented in the script's comment block, so
>>     
> they
>   
>> +are not repeated here.  However, it is worth mentioning that the
>>     
> script
>   
>> +uses the -p (platform) argument as the main method of deciding which
>>     
> wrapper
>   
>> +bits to compile in.  Look for the large 'case "$platform" in' block
>>     
> in the
>   
>> +middle of the script.  This is also the place where platform specific
>>     
> fixups
>   
>> +can be selected by changing the link order.
>> +
>> +In particular, care should be taken when working with cuImages.
>>     
> cuImage
>   
>> +wrapper bits are very board specific and care should be taken to make
>>     
> sure
>   
>> +the target you are trying to build is supported by the wrapper bits.
>> diff --git a/arch/powerpc/Makefile b/arch/powerpc/Makefile
>> index b7d4c4c..754c7eb 100644
>> --- a/arch/powerpc/Makefile
>> +++ b/arch/powerpc/Makefile
>> @@ -169,12 +169,25 @@ bootwrapper_install %.dtb:
>>  	$(Q)$(MAKE) ARCH=ppc64 $(build)=$(boot) $(patsubst
>>     
> %,$(boot)/%,$@)
>   
>>  define archhelp
>> -  @echo '* zImage          - Compressed kernel image
>>     
> (arch/$(ARCH)/boot/zImage.*)'
>   
>> +  @echo '* zImage          - Build default images selected by kernel
>>     
> config'
>   
>> +  @echo '  zImage.*        - Compressed kernel image
>>     
> (arch/$(ARCH)/boot/zImage.*)'
>   
>> +  @echo '  uImage          - U-Book native image format'
>> +  @echo '  cuImage.<dt>    - Backwards compatible U-Boot image for
>>     
> older'
>   
>> +  @echo '                    versions which do not support device
>>     
> trees'
>   
>> +  @echo '  dtbImage.<dt>   - zImage with an embedded device tree
>>     
> blob'
>   
>> +  @echo '  simpleImage.<dt> - Firmware independant image.'
>> +  @echo '  treeImage.<dt>  - Support for older IBM 4xx firmware (not
>>     
> U-Boot)'
>   
>>    @echo '  install         - Install kernel using'
>>    @echo '                    (your) ~/bin/installkernel or'
>>    @echo '                    (distribution) /sbin/installkernel or'
>>    @echo '                    install to $$(INSTALL_PATH) and run
>>     
> lilo'
>   
>>    @echo '  *_defconfig     - Select default config from
>>     
> arch/$(ARCH)/configs'
>   
>> +  @echo ''
>> +  @echo '  Targets with <dt> embed a device tree blob inside the
>>     
> image'
>   
>> +  @echo '  These targets support board with firmware that does not'
>> +  @echo '  support passing a device tree directly.  Replace <dt> with
>>     
> the'
>   
>> +  @echo '  name of a dts file from the arch/$(ARCH)/boot/dts/
>>     
> directory'
>   
>> +  @echo '  (minus the .dts extension).'
>>  endef
>>
>>  install:
>> diff --git a/arch/powerpc/boot/wrapper b/arch/powerpc/boot/wrapper
>> index d6c96d9..7cd4182 100755
>> --- a/arch/powerpc/boot/wrapper
>> +++ b/arch/powerpc/boot/wrapper
>> @@ -203,6 +203,10 @@ simpleboot-virtex405-*)
>>      platformo="$object/virtex405-head.o $object/simpleboot.o"
>>      binary=y
>>      ;;
>> +simpleboot-*)
>> +    platformo="$object/simpleboot.o"
>> +    binary=y
>> +    ;;
>>  esac
>>
>>  vmz="$tmpdir/`basename \"$kernel\"`.$ext"
>>
>>     
>
>
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