The Less Than Ideal State Of AMD Open-Source Firmware Support In 2022

[phoronix]

Phoronix: The Less Than Ideal State Of AMD Open-Source Firmware Support In 2022

There's been some activity on AMD open-source firmware support for newer hardware platforms but for those wanting a fully open-source firmware stack, there remains work on older generations of AMD server platforms. Michał Żygowski of firmware consulting firm 3mdeb presented today at FOSDEM 2022 as to the current state AMD open-source firmware efforts around Coreboot...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=AMD-OSF-2022

[ezst036]

We really need to score a major motherboard manufacturer that will make it the default and jettison their old proprietary BIOS/Firmware stack. Asrock, Biostar, MSI, where are you?

[OneTimeShot]

Open firmware is nice, but not exactly critical. In the longer term, Core Boot will be successful because it is the easiest way to distribute firmware to manufacturers...

[skeevy420]

We really need to score a major motherboard manufacturer that will make it the default and jettison their old proprietary BIOS/Firmware stack. Asrock, Biostar, MSI, where are you?

Or even someone like Dell or Lenovo forcing their parts suppliers to switch to Coreboot so they can reduce fragmentation by using the same hardware for laptops, Chromebooks, and more.

Hardware donated by Vikings.

I bet the extreme left among us will have a problem with hardware donated by people known for rape and pillage. Where did they really get that hardware?

[Quackdoc]

It would be really nice to have coreboot, but I hold no high hopes for the near future

[jochendemuth]

I bet the extreme left among us will have a problem with hardware donated by people known for rape and pillage. Where did they really get that hardware?

ROFL. Nice catch!

[brad0]

More like..

"The Less Than Ideal State Of Open-Source Firmware"

Fixed that for you.

[Developer12]

I've seen some movement on the coreboot gerrit, but it's looks like there's a good chance all the AMD fam15h boards/laptops/etc will be dropped. I'm hoping that they can leverage some of the work done for the D16, but I'm not holding my breath.

The message from coreboot is clear: "we're here to provide firmware for google's servers and chromebooks. if you're one of our 'users' we'll drop you flat on your ass at any time." It may not be their intended message, and it may the "reasonable" course of action when one provides funding+manpower and other other doesn't, but that's the way it is.

[linuxgeex]

Besides this feature blocking use of select AMD CPUs from use in other vendor motherboards, it would prevent complications around being able to load open-source firmware on said platforms/processors.

You are right, Michael, preventing OSS firmware equates to preventing complications. Impossible is, after all, very simple.

However I think the word you were reaching for was "present". Having the CPU hard wired to a firmware key presents a complication in that any OSS firmware will need to be keysigned by AMD before it will be usable with a PSB-fused AMD CPU.

You didn't cover the benefits of PSB:

1) In order for a hacker to replace the firmware with one containing a persistent backdoor, they would also need to replace the CPU, and that can't be done remotely, so that eliminates remote firmware backdooring.

2) It also somewhat mitigates the risk of employees taking a $10,000 CPU out, slapping a $2000 one in its place, and flogging the stolen CPU online, since it devalues the CPU significantly for resale.

[Danny3]

"Less than ideal" is to nice.
I was say awful is a better fit!