The release of the CoreBoot project on June 25 has been published, developing a free alternative to proprietary firmware and BIOS. The project code is distributed under the GPLv2 license. The new version includes 879 changes made with the participation of 128 developers.
Key Changes:
- Support for motherboards has been implemented:
- ASUS H61M-A/USB3;
- CWWK CW-ADL-4L-V1.0 and CW-ADLNTB-1C2L-V3.0;
- Intel Google Chrome EC;
- MiTAC Computing R520G6SB and SC513G6;
- NovaCustom V540TNx (14") and V560TNx (16");
- Siemens MC RPL1;
- Star Labs Byte Mk III (N355);
- System76 darp11 and lemp13;
- 21 boards used in various devices with Chrome OS or on servers Google.
- Support has been added for the fifth generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors — "Emerald Rapids," allowing CoreBoot to be used on the latest Intel platforms for servers and workstations. Among other things, the new power management capabilities introduced by "Emerald Rapids" have been implemented. Work continues on supporting the future generation Intel "Panther Lake."
- Support has been added for the SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 and enhanced support for MediaTek MT8189 and MT8196 platforms.
- The infrastructure for displaying the splash screen during boot has been completely redesigned. The new implementation improves information rendering, adds support for various types of logos, provides the option to place additional information at the bottom of the screen, offers tools for managing horizontal logo alignment, improves tracking of rendering completion, and integrates the ability to handle low battery states separately.
- The cbfstool utility, used for managing the CBFS (CoreBoot File System), has added a multi-ELF mode, allowing firmware developers to embed multiple ELF-formatted binary files into a single CBFS entry. This can be used in scenarios requiring concurrent loading of several components or where TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) components are utilized.
- Support for DSM functions PRR (Power Reduction Request) has been implemented for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, significantly expanding energy consumption management capabilities in wireless device subsystems. For example, the implemented ACPI methods allow operating systems to request activation of aggressive power-saving modes during idle periods or when wireless functions are not in use. This implementation is compatible with Microsoft’s Standby mode specifications, enabling synchronization of wireless device power consumption with sleep states in the operating system.
- The vboot subsystem, used for verified boot, now allows creating backups of CMOS data at later stages of the boot process. This change provides additional protection against data corruption during firmware boot failures and ensures the integrity of critical configuration parameters in cases of sudden power loss during complex initialization procedures.
- The VBOOT_EC_SYNC_ESOL option has been added to Kconfig to manage the synchronization behavior of embedded controllers.
- The build system has been made compatible with GCC 15. Support for specifications pertaining to the RISC-V instruction set architecture has been implemented in crossgcc. Submodule management has been significantly improved, and tracking updates for third-party components has been simplified.
- Documentation now includes clarifications on the project policy regarding the use of AI tools in code writing. It specifies that developers must hold rights to the code and are responsible for ensuring the code conforms to CoreBoot quality standards and licensing compliance. Infringements of third-party rights will result in the removal or replacement of the code.
Additionally, the release of the Libreboot 25.06 open-source boot firmware has achieved stable release status, focusing on refining the functionality added in experimental releases (stable releases primarily contain fixes and are published approximately once a year; the previous stable release was in December). The project develops a ready-made build of the Coreboot project, providing a replacement for proprietary UEFI and BIOS firmware responsible for initializing the CPU, memory, peripherals, and other hardware components, while minimizing binary inserts.
Libreboot aims to create a system environment that can operate without proprietary software as much as possible, not only at the operating system level but also in the firmware that handles booting. Libreboot complements Coreboot with tools that simplify the process for end-users, forming a ready-to-use distribution that any user without special skills can utilize.
Compared to the previous stable release, support for the Acer Q45T-AM motherboard, as well as the Dell Precision T1700 SFF and MT mini-PCs, has been added. The build system has been improved. Support for building with GCC 15 has been introduced. CoreBoot is synchronized with the repository as of April 20. Components such as GRUB2, U-Boot, SeaBIOS, flashprog, uefitool, and NASM are synchronized with the current code bases.
Hardware supported by Libreboot:
- Server motherboards:
- ASUS KFSN4-DRE
- ASUS KGPE-D16
- Desktop systems:
- Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L;
- Acer G43T-AM3, Q45T-AM;
- Intel D510MO / D410PT;
- Apple iMac 5,2;
- HP Elite 8200 SFF/MT;
- HP Elite 8300 USDT;
- ASUS KCMA-D8;
- Dell Precision T1650, T1700 SFF/MT;
- Intel D945GCLF
- Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro, 7010, 7020, 9010, and 9020 series SFF, XE2 SFF, MT, and XE2 MT, 780 USFF/MT;
- Laptops:
- ThinkPad X60 / X60S / X60 Tablet;
- ThinkPad T60;
- Lenovo ThinkPad X200 / X200S / X200 / X220 / X220 eDP / X230 Tablet;
- Lenovo ThinkPad X301;
- Lenovo ThinkPad R400;
- Lenovo ThinkPad T400 / T400S / T420 / T420S / T430 / T440 / T480 / T480S.
- Lenovo ThinkPad T500 / T530;
- Lenovo ThinkPad W530 / W541;
- Lenovo ThinkPad R500;
- HP EliteBook 2560p / 2570p / 2170p / 8470p / Folio 9470m;
- HP EliteBook 820 G2;
- HP Compaq Elite 8300 CMT;
- HP EliteBook 8460p;
- HP EliteBook 8560w;
- Dell Latitude E6400 / E6430;
- Dell Latitude E5420 / E5520 / E5530 / E6520 / E6530 / E6420 / E6220 / E6320 / E6330 / E6230 / E4300;
- Apple MacBook1 and MacBook2;
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 (ARM);
- Samsung Chromebook Plus (ARM).
- Gaming Consoles:
- Sony PlayStation 1.
In addition to Libreboot, the Canoeboot 25.06 project release has been formed, positioned as a fully free build of Libreboot, meeting the Free Software Foundation's requirements for free distributions. The Canoeboot release is based on Libreboot 25.06, from which components and changes not complying with the Free Software Foundation criteria have been removed.
The need to create a separate build of Libreboot arises from the Free Software Foundation's established requirements for free distributions, which do not allow the delivery of binary firmware or any binary driver components. Starting from 2022, the Libreboot project has adopted more pragmatic rules for the usage of binary components, significantly expanding the range of supported hardware. The new goal of the Libreboot project is to support all hardware supported in coreboot, excluding binary components that impact security and reliability (for instance, Libreboot uses me_cleaner to disable Intel ME). With this approach, Libreboot lost its status as a fully free distribution from the perspective of the Free Software Foundation.
The new version of Canoeboot implements support for the Acer Q45T-AM motherboard, desktop systems Dell Precision T1650, Dell OptiPlex 7010 SFF, 9020 SFF, 9020 MT, HP Elite 8200 SFF, 8300 CMT, 8300 USDT, and laptops Dell Latitude E5420, E5520, E5530, E6220, E6230, E6320, E6330, E6420, E6430, E6520, E6530, Lenovo ThinkPad T420, T420s, T430, T440p, T520, T530, W530, W541, X220, X230, and X230T.
Devices supported in Canoeboot:
- Game Consoles:
- Sony Playstation (PS1/PSX)
- Server motherboards:
- ASUS KFSN4-DRE motherboard
- ASUS KGPE-D16 motherboard
- Desktop systems:
- Acer G43T-AM3
- Apple iMac 5,2
- ASUS KCMA-D8
- Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L
- Intel D510MO and D410PT motherboards
- Intel D945GCLF
- Dell Precision T1650
- Dell OptiPlex 780, 7010 SFF, 9020 SFF, and 9020 MT
- HP Elite 8200 SFF, 8300 CMT, and 8300 USDT
- Laptops (x86):
- Apple MacBook1,1 and MacBook2,1
- Dell Latitude E4300, E6400, E6400 XFR, E6400 ATG, E5420, E5520, E5530, E6220, E6230, E6320, E6330, E6420, E6430, E6520, and E6530
- Lenovo ThinkPad R500, T400, T400S, T500, W500, X200, X200S, X200 Tablet, T60, X60, X60S, X60 Tablet (Intel GPU), T420, T420s, T430, T440p, T520, T530, W530, W541, X220, X230, and X230T
- Laptops (ARM):
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C101
- Samsung Chromebook Plus (v1)
- Emulators:
- QEMU x86 and arm64
Source: opennet.ru
