This section relates to building libreboot from source, and working with the git repository.
Before doing anything, you need the dependencies first.
For all other GNU/Linux distributions, you may have to adapt these scripts. By all means send patches!
If you downloaded libreboot from git, then there are some steps to download and patch the source code for all relevant dependencies. The archive in the git repository used to be available as a tarball called 'libreboot_meta.tar.gz'. It contains 'metadata' (scripts) which define how the source was created (where it came from).
You can use the scripts included to download everything.
First, install the build dependencies.
After that, run the get script:
$ ./getall
What this did was download everything (grub, coreboot, memtest86+, bucts, flashrom) at the versions last tested for this release, and patch them. Read the script in a text editor to learn more.
To build the ROM's, see #build.
This is for Lenovo BIOS users on the ThinkPad X60/X60S, X60 Tablet and T60. If you have coreboot or libreboot running already, ignore this.
Bucts is needed when flashing in software the X60/X60S/X60T/T60 ROM while Lenovo BIOS is running; external flashing will be safe regardless. Each ROM contains identical data inside the two final 64K region in the file. This corresponds to the final two 64K regions in the flash chip. Lenovo BIOS will prevent you from writing the final one, so running "bucts 1" will set the machine to boot from the other block instead (which is writeable along with everything beneath it when using a patched flashrom. see #build_flashrom). After shutting down and booting up after the first flash, the final 64K block is writeable so you flash the ROM again with an unpatched flashrom and run "bucts 0" to make the machine boot from the normal (highest) block again.
BUC.TS utility is included in libreboot_src.tar.xz and libreboot_bin.tar.xz.
If you downloaded from git, follow #build_meta before you proceed.
"BUC" means "Backup Control" (it's a register) and "TS" means "Top Swap" (it's a status bit). Hence "bucts" (BUC.TS). TS 1 and TS 0 corresponds to bucts 1 and bucts 0.
If you have the binary release archive, you'll find executables under ./bucts/. Otherwise if you need to build from source, continue reading.
First, install the build dependencies.
To build bucts, do this in the main directory:
$ ./builddeps-bucts
The "builddeps" script in libreboot_src also makes use of builddeps-bucts.
Flashrom is the utility for flashing/dumping ROM's. This is what you will use to install libreboot.
Flashrom source code is included in libreboot_src.tar.gz and libreboot_bin.tar.gz.
If you downloaded from git, follow #build_meta before you proceed.
If you are using the binary release archive, then there are already binaries included under ./flashrom/. The flashing scripts will try to choose the correct one for you. Otherwise if you wish to re-build flashrom from source, continue reading.
First, install the build dependencies.
To build it, do that in the main directory:
$ ./builddeps-flashrom
After you've done that, under ./flashrom/ you will find the following executables:
The "builddeps" script in libreboot_src also makes use of builddeps-flashrom.
Before building a ROM in libreboot (or coreboot, for that matter), you need to configure it.
This is done using the following inside the source tree:
$ make menuconfig
If you've already built a kernel before, you know how to use this interface.
Configurations are then saved as files called ".config". Copies of each configuration used for each machine type by the libreboot build scripts are stored in resources/libreboot/config/
There is certain information that can be useful to enter in particular:
This information can be obtained using:
$ sudo dmidecode
# dmidecode
Specifically, it's good practise to enter the same information for libreboot that you found when running this with the original BIOS or firmware. libreboot has already done this for you. This information is for reference, in the hope that it will be useful.
Now go back into Devices:
The resulting .config file was saved as resources/libreboot/config/x60/config and is used by the build scripts for this machine.
This is based on an X60S with the Core 2 Duo L7400 processor.
SMBIOS Version Number is ThinkPad X60 on the X60, but it is believed that the X60 and X60s both have identical motherboards where the only difference is the CPU. This same configuration is used on the X60 and X60s.
Now go back into Devices:
The resulting .config file was saved as resources/libreboot/config/x60t/config and is used by the build scripts for this machine.
This is based on an X60T with the Core 2 Duo L7400 processor.
Go back into Devices:
The resulting .config file was saved as resources/libreboot/config/t60/config and is used by the build scripts for this machine.
It is believed that the motherboards on 14.1" and 15.1" T60's are the same, so the same configuration is used on both the 14.1" and 15.1" T60's.
Go back and disable option ROM's:
The resulting .config file was saved as resources/libreboot/config/macbook21/config and is used by the build scripts for this machine. This config is also used for the MacBook1,1.
You don't need to do much, as there are scripts already written for you that can build everything automatically.
You can build libreboot from source on a 32-bit (i686) or 64-bit (x86_64) system. Recommended (if possible): x86_64. On a ThinkPad T60, you can replace the CPU (Core 2 Duo T5600, T7200 or T7600. T5600 recommended) for 64-bit support. On an X60s, you can replace the board with one that has a Core 2 Duo L7400 (you could also use an X60 Tablet board with the same CPU). On an X60, you can replace the board with one that has a Core 2 Duo T5600 or T7200 (T5600 is recommended).
First, install the build dependencies.
If you downloaded libreboot from git, refer to #build_meta.
If running for the first time, run this:
$ ./buildall (also performs the "./build" step below)
Or if you only want to build dependencies (crossgcc, grub and so on):
$ ./builddeps
If you've already run ./builddeps and/or ./buildall before, you don't need to run them again.
Just run that from now on to build your ROM's:
$ ./build
To un-build (clean) the build dependencies that you built before, do the following:
This also deletes the ROM images under ./bin/:
$ ./cleandeps
Note: after running 'cleandeps', you will need to run 'builddeps' or 'buildall' again before you can use 'build'.
After 'build' or 'buildall' has finished, you'll find the ROM images for each machine under ./bin/
Run that script:
$ ./build-release
If you are building on an i686 host, this will include statically linked 32-bit binaries in the binary release archive that you created, for: nvramtool, cbfstool, bucts, flashrom.
If you are building on an x86_64 host, this will include statically linked 32- and 64-bit binaries for cbfstool and nvramtool, while flashrom and bucts will be included only as 64-bit statically linked binaries. To include a statically linked flashrom and bucts for i686, you will need to build them on a chroot, a virtual machine or a real 32-bit system. You can find the build dependencies for these packages listed in deps-*
If you are building 32-bit binaries on a live system or chroot (for flashrom/bucts), you can use the following to statically link them:
$ make SHARED=0 CC='gcc -static'
You'll find that the files libreboot_bin.tar.xz and libreboot_src.tar.xz have been created.
SeaBIOS isn't really needed since libreboot uses the GRUB payload which is much better (for several reasons), so it is no longer included in the ROM images by default. Instead, you can add it afterwards.
In the supplied binary archives, or in your own (if you did 'build-release') you can add SeaBIOS to the ROM images, along with SeaVGABIOS which is a free/libre Video BIOS implementation that wraps around the 'native graphics initializitation' code in coreboot, for boards that have support for it.
First, install the build dependencies.
Binaries for cbfstool are provided (built from libreboot_src) statically linked under cbfstool/ and the addseabios script (see below) will try to automatically select the right one to use.
Now:
$ ./addseabios
SeaBIOS and SeaVGABIOS (which the build scripts created, and the build-release script put - compiled - inside the binary archive) have now been added to all of the ROM images under ./bin/. A GRUB menuentry will show up when you boot your machine, allowing you to use SeaBIOS.
Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions.
A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt.
This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information.