[U-Boot] MIPS: 1Mb U-Boot?
Hello U-Boot community,
I'm David Downey, a software engineer at MIPS Technologies.
Currently, our Malta and SEAD-3 dev boards use YAMON, MIPS' in-house open source PROM monitor, as a boot loader. We are looking to migrate YAMON's functionality to U-Boot.
YAMON contains many features beyond the scope of a boot loader (e.g. bi-endianess, a EJTAG/GDB interface, a disassembler, etc.) that we would still like to make available to our customers. As you might expect, these features result in a large image size. (YAMON is 1 Mb, which is significantly larger than U-Boot's stated design max. of 256 Kb.)
Would there be any objection (legal or otherwise) to offering a "lean" (> 256 Kb) version of U-Boot for Malta/SEAD-3 through denx.de and a "deluxe" (~1 Mb) version of U-Boot (open source, of course) through developer.mips.com? If there are objections, do you have any suggestions on how we can still offer these features to our customers while not breaking U-Boot's 256 Kb design rule?
Thanks in advance!
Looking forward to working with you, David davidd@mips.commailto:davidd@mips.com
Hi David,
On 09/07/2012 12:31 AM, Downey, David (c) wrote:
I'm David Downey, a software engineer at MIPS Technologies.
Currently, our Malta and SEAD-3 dev boards use YAMON, MIPS' in-house open source PROM monitor, as a boot loader. We are looking to migrate YAMON's functionality to U-Boot.
Welcome. :)
YAMON contains many features beyond the scope of a boot loader (e.g. bi-endianess, a EJTAG/GDB interface, a disassembler, etc.) that we would still like to make available to our customers. As you might expect, these features result in a large image size. (YAMON is 1 Mb, which is significantly larger than U-Boot's stated design max. of 256 Kb.)
Would there be any objection (legal or otherwise) to offering a "lean" (> 256 Kb) version of U-Boot for Malta/SEAD-3 through denx.de and a "deluxe" (~1 Mb) version of U-Boot (open source, of course) through developer.mips.com? If there are objections, do you have any suggestions on how we can still offer these features to our customers while not breaking U-Boot's 256 Kb design rule?
AFAIK, there is no 256KiB design rule in U-Boot. At least none that is strict. I maintain many U-Boot board ports. Some of them are even bigger than 512KiB (enabling features like USB, UBI, UBIFS are quite "expensive").
And I don't see a problem with supporting your "deluxe" features in the mainline U-Boot git repository at denx.de. As far as the code is in good shape (see [1] and [2]). But you are of course entitled to host your own git repository, if this is the way you prefer to handle it. Even though such out-of-tree ports/features are a maintenance nightmare.
Best regards, Stefan
[1] http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot/CodingStyle [2] http://www.denx.de/wiki/view/U-Boot/Patches
-- DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-0 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: office@denx.de
Hi Stefan,
Thank you for your quick and thorough reply!
On Fri, 2012-09-07 at 08:33 +0200, Stefan Roese wrote:
Hi David,
On 09/07/2012 12:31 AM, Downey, David (c) wrote:
I'm David Downey, a software engineer at MIPS Technologies.
Currently, our Malta and SEAD-3 dev boards use YAMON, MIPS' in-house open source PROM monitor, as a boot loader. We are looking to migrate YAMON's functionality to U-Boot.
Welcome. :)
Thanks! :-)
YAMON contains many features beyond the scope of a boot loader (e.g. bi-endianess, a EJTAG/GDB interface, a disassembler, etc.) that we would still like to make available to our customers. As you might expect, these features result in a large image size. (YAMON is 1 Mb, which is significantly larger than U-Boot's stated design max. of 256 Kb.)
Would there be any objection (legal or otherwise) to offering a "lean" (> 256 Kb) version of U-Boot for Malta/SEAD-3 through denx.de and a "deluxe" (~1 Mb) version of U-Boot (open source, of course) through developer.mips.com? If there are objections, do you have any suggestions on how we can still offer these features to our customers while not breaking U-Boot's 256 Kb design rule?
AFAIK, there is no 256KiB design rule in U-Boot. At least none that is strict. I maintain many U-Boot board ports. Some of them are even bigger than 512KiB (enabling features like USB, UBI, UBIFS are quite "expensive").
And I don't see a problem with supporting your "deluxe" features in the mainline U-Boot git repository at denx.de. As far as the code is in good shape (see [1] and [2]). But you are of course entitled to host your own git repository, if this is the way you prefer to handle it. Even though such out-of-tree ports/features are a maintenance nightmare.
Agreed it would be a nightmare to keep the MIPS repo in sync with the denx.de mainline. And relieved to e-hear that there is no strict 256KiB image size rule. So yes, I plan to contribute all the "deluxe" features (as build time options) to denx.de's git repo. Thanks for helping me keep it simple...
Best regards, Stefan
[1] http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot/CodingStyle [2] http://www.denx.de/wiki/view/U-Boot/Patches
-- DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-0 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: office@denx.de
participants (3)
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David Downey -
Downey, David (c)
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Stefan Roese