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176 lines
7.5 KiB
176 lines
7.5 KiB
Image Terminology
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=================
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This page contains the current name, abbreviated name and purpose of the various
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images referred to in the Trusted Firmware project.
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General Notes
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-------------
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- Some of the names and abbreviated names have changed to accommodate new
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requirements. The changed names are as backward compatible as possible to
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minimize confusion. Where applicable, the previous names are indicated. Some
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code, documentation and build artefacts may still refer to the previous names;
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these will inevitably take time to catch up.
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- The main name change is to prefix each image with the processor it corresponds
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to (for example ``AP_``, ``SCP_``, ...). In situations where there is no
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ambiguity (for example, within AP specific code/documentation), it is
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permitted to omit the processor prefix (for example, just BL1 instead of
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``AP_BL1``).
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- Previously, the format for 3rd level images had 2 forms; ``BL3`` was either
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suffixed with a dash ("-") followed by a number (for example, ``BL3-1``) or a
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subscript number, depending on whether rich text formatting was available.
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This was confusing and often the dash gets omitted in practice. Therefore the
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new form is to just omit the dash and not use subscript formatting.
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- The names no longer contain dash ("-") characters at all. In some places (for
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example, function names) it's not possible to use this character. All dashes
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are either removed or replaced by underscores ("_").
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- The abbreviation BL stands for BootLoader. This is a historical anomaly.
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Clearly, many of these images are not BootLoaders, they are simply firmware
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images. However, the BL abbreviation is now widely used and is retained for
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backwards compatibility.
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- The image names are not case sensitive. For example, ``bl1`` is
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interchangeable with ``BL1``, although mixed case should be avoided.
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Trusted Firmware Images
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-----------------------
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AP Boot ROM: ``AP_BL1``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Typically, this is the first code to execute on the AP and cannot be modified.
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Its primary purpose is to perform the minimum initialization necessary to load
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and authenticate an updateable AP firmware image into an executable RAM
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location, then hand-off control to that image.
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AP RAM Firmware: ``AP_BL2``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This is the 2nd stage AP firmware. It is currently also known as the "Trusted
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Boot Firmware". Its primary purpose is to perform any additional initialization
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required to load and authenticate all 3rd level firmware images into their
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executable RAM locations, then hand-off control to the EL3 Runtime Firmware.
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EL3 Runtime Firmware: ``AP_BL31``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Also known as "SoC AP firmware" or "EL3 monitor firmware". Its primary purpose
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is to handle transitions between the normal and secure world.
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Secure-EL1 Payload (SP): ``AP_BL32``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Typically this is a TEE or Trusted OS, providing runtime secure services to the
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normal world. However, it may refer to a more abstract Secure-EL1 Payload (SP).
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Note that this abbreviation should only be used in systems where there is a
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single or primary image executing at Secure-EL1. In systems where there are
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potentially multiple SPs and there is no concept of a primary SP, this
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abbreviation should be avoided; use the recommended **Other AP 3rd level
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images** abbreviation instead.
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AP Normal World Firmware: ``AP_BL33``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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For example, UEFI or uboot. Its primary purpose is to boot a normal world OS.
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Other AP 3rd level images: ``AP_BL3_XXX``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The abbreviated names of the existing 3rd level images imply a load/execution
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ordering (for example, ``AP_BL31 -> AP_BL32 -> AP_BL33``). Some systems may
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have additional images and/or a different load/execution ordering. The
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abbreviated names of the existing images are retained for backward compatibility
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but new 3rd level images should be suffixed with an underscore followed by text
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identifier, not a number.
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In systems where 3rd level images are provided by different vendors, the
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abbreviated name should identify the vendor as well as the image
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function. For example, ``AP_BL3_ARM_RAS``.
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SCP Boot ROM: ``SCP_BL1`` (previously ``BL0``)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Typically, this is the first code to execute on the SCP and cannot be modified.
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Its primary purpose is to perform the minimum initialization necessary to load
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and authenticate an updateable SCP firmware image into an executable RAM
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location, then hand-off control to that image. This may be performed in
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conjunction with other processor firmware (for example, ``AP_BL1`` and
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``AP_BL2``).
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This image was previously abbreviated as ``BL0`` but in some systems, the SCP
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may directly load/authenticate its own firmware. In these systems, it doesn't
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make sense to interleave the image terminology for AP and SCP; both AP and SCP
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Boot ROMs are ``BL1`` from their own point of view.
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SCP RAM Firmware: ``SCP_BL2`` (previously ``BL3-0``)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This is the 2nd stage SCP firmware. It is currently also known as the "SCP
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runtime firmware" but it could potentially be an intermediate firmware if the
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SCP needs to load/authenticate multiple 3rd level images in future.
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This image was previously abbreviated as BL3-0 but from the SCP's point of view,
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this has always been the 2nd stage firmware. The previous name is too
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AP-centric.
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Firmware Update (FWU) Images
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----------------------------
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The terminology for these images has not been widely adopted yet but they have
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to be considered in a production Trusted Board Boot solution.
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AP Firmware Update Boot ROM: ``AP_NS_BL1U``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Typically, this is the first normal world code to execute on the AP during a
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firmware update operation, and cannot be modified. Its primary purpose is to
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load subsequent firmware update images from an external interface and communicate
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with ``AP_BL1`` to authenticate those images.
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During firmware update, there are (potentially) multiple transitions between the
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secure and normal world. The "level" of the BL image is relative to the world
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it's in so it makes sense to encode "NS" in the normal world images. The absence
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of "NS" implies a secure world image.
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AP Firmware Update Config: ``AP_BL2U``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This image does the minimum necessary AP secure world configuration required to
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complete the firmware update operation. It is potentially a subset of ``AP_BL2``
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functionality.
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SCP Firmware Update Config: ``SCP_BL2U`` (previously ``BL2-U0``)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This image does the minimum necessary SCP secure world configuration required to
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complete the firmware update operation. It is potentially a subset of
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``SCP_BL2`` functionality.
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AP Firmware Updater: ``AP_NS_BL2U`` (previously ``BL3-U``)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This is the 2nd stage AP normal world firmware updater. Its primary purpose is
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to load a new set of firmware images from an external interface and write them
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into non-volatile storage.
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Other Processor Firmware Images
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-------------------------------
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Some systems may have additional processors to the AP and SCP. For example, a
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Management Control Processor (MCP). Images for these processors should follow
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the same terminology, with the processor abbreviation prefix, followed by
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underscore and the level of the firmware image.
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For example,
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MCP Boot ROM: ``MCP_BL1``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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MCP RAM Firmware: ``MCP_BL2``
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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