tree: cc22aa657a6bc1dcc5cb9256eb689f90a1e8df6b [path history] [tgz]
  1. build/
  2. host/
  3. include/
  4. lib/
  5. scripts/
  6. src/
  7. BUILD.gn
  8. LICENSE
  9. NOTES.txt
  10. OWNERS
  11. README.md
src/firmware/gigaboot/README.md

The Gigaboot boot loader

The Gigaboot boot loader is a UEFI boot shim for Zircon that can load images via chaining from iPXE, from a UEFI-accessible filesystem, or from local disk partitions.

Usage

Arguments are taken from the kernel command line, or additionally from the EFI command line for Gigaboot itself.

  • bootloader.zircon-a: Sets the fallback filename to use for loading the Zircon-A image (default: zircon.bin).
  • bootloader.zircon-b: Sets the fallback filename to use for loading the Zircon-B image (default: zedboot.bin).
  • bootloader.zircon-r: Sets the fallback filename to use for loading the Zircon-R (recovery) image (default: none).
  • bootloader.fbres: Sets the framebuffer resolution (e.g. 1024x768; default: automatic).
  • bootloader.default: Sets the default boot choice in the boot menu; default is the first in the list. Possible values are network, local or zedboot.

Fastboot support

Gigaboot supports fastboot over UDP. You can enter fastboot mode by pressing f during boot, or by invoking dm reboot-bootloader from Fuchsia.

Protocol Information

Gigaboot implements the fastboot over UDP protocol described here.

Example usage:

# Replace the IP with your device's IP, which is printed to serial and the
# display on boot.
fastboot -s udp:fe80::aaaa:bbbb:cccc:dddd getvar all

# Depending on your host network setup, you may need to specify a particular
# network interface as well.
fastboot -s udp:fe80::aaaa:bbbb:cccc:dddd%enx123 getvar all

Supported Commands

CommandDescription
rebootReboots the device into the current active partition, as determined by ABR.
reboot-recoveryReboots the device into R.
reboot-bootloaderReboots the device into Fastboot mode.
flash [partition] [image]Flashes the given image onto the given partition.
erase [partition]Erases a partition by writing 0xff to it.
getvar [varname]Gets the value of the given variable.
`set_active [ab]`

The partitions available for flashing/erasing are listed here.

Supported Variables

VariableDescription
allA meta-variable that lists all variables stored in the bootloader.
max-download-sizeThe maximum image size that can be sent over
slot-countThe number of slots that can be set active on the device.
bootloader-min-versionsThe minimum required version of the bootloader.
current-slotThe slot currently marked active by ABR.
`slot-retry-count:[ab]`
`slot-successful:[ab]`
`slot-unbootable:[ab]`
versionThe fastboot protocol version.

Chaining with iPXE

Here is an example iPXE script showing how to chain Gigaboot. In this example, the files are loaded from a web server running on 192.168.42.128; we chain from Gigaboot into Zedboot.

#!ipxe

echo Chain loader

:loop2
prompt --key 0x02 --timeout 3000 Chain Loader: Press Ctrl-B for the iPXE command line... && shell ||
kernel http://192.168.42.128/gigaboot.efi bootloader.default=local bootloader.zircon-a=zedboot.zbi || goto loop2

:zedboot
initrd http://192.168.42.128/zedboot.zbi || goto loop2

:boot
boot || goto loop2

Build notes

Since UEFI images are in PE32+ file format, we require that our binaries be position independent executables with no relocations. For the most part this does not require any extra effort on x86-64, but it does mean that you cannot statically initialize any variables that hold an address. (These addresses may be assigned at runtime however.)

External Dependencies

qemu-system-x86_64 is needed to test in emulation; gnu parted and mtools are needed to generate the disk.img for Qemu.

Useful Resources & Documentation

ACPI & UEFI Specifications: http://www.uefi.org/specifications

Intel 64 and IA-32 Architecture Manuals: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/architectures-software-developer-manuals.html

Tianocore UEFI Open Source Community (Source for OVMF, EDK II Dev Environment, etc): http://www.tianocore.org/ https://github.com/tianocore

iPXE: http://ipxe.org