38c99b5659
coreboot uses TianoCore interchangeably with EDK II, and whilst the meaning is generally clear, it's not the payload it uses. EDK II is commonly written as edk2. coreboot builds edk2 directly from the edk2 repository. Whilst it can build some components from edk2-platforms, the target is still edk2. [1] tianocore.org - "Welcome to TianoCore, the community supporting" [2] tianocore.org - "EDK II is a modern, feature-rich, cross-platform firmware development environment for the UEFI and UEFI Platform Initialization (PI) specifications." Signed-off-by: Sean Rhodes <sean@starlabs.systems> Change-Id: I4de125d92ae38ff8dfd0c4c06806c2d2921945ab Reviewed-on: https://review.coreboot.org/c/coreboot/+/65820 Reviewed-by: Lean Sheng Tan <sheng.tan@9elements.com> Tested-by: build bot (Jenkins) <no-reply@coreboot.org> Reviewed-by: Angel Pons <th3fanbus@gmail.com>
107 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
107 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# Distributions
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coreboot doesn't provide binaries but provides a toolbox that others can use
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to build boot firmware for all kinds of purposes. These third-parties can be
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broadly separated in two groups: Those shipping coreboot on their hardware,
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and those providing after-market firmware to extend the usefulness of devices.
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## Hardware shipping with coreboot
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### NovaCustom laptops
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[NovaCustom](https://configurelaptop.eu/) sells configurable laptops with
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[Dasharo](https://dasharo.com/) coreboot based firmware on board, maintained by
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[3mdeb](https://3mdeb.com/). NovaCustom offers full GNU/Linux and Microsoft
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Windows compatibility. NovaCustom ensures security updates via fwupd for 5 years
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and the firmware is equipped with important security features such as measured
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boot, verified boot, TPM integration and UEFI Secure Boot.
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### ChromeOS Devices
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All ChromeOS devices ([Chromebooks](https://chromebookdb.com/), Chromeboxes,
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Chromebit, etc) released from 2012 onward use coreboot for their main system
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firmware. Additionally, starting with the 2013 Chromebook Pixel, the firmware
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running on the Embedded Controller (EC) – a small microcontroller which provides
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functions like battery management, keyboard support, and sensor interfacing –
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is open source as well.
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### PC Engines APUs
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[PC Engines](https://pcengines.ch) designs and sells embedded PC hardware that
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ships with coreboot and support upstream maintenance for the devices through a
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third party, [3mdeb](https://3mdeb.com). They provide current and tested
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firmware binaries on [GitHub](https://pcengines.github.io).
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### Star Labs
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[Star Labs](https://starlabs.systems/) offers a range of laptops designed and
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built specifically for Linux that are available with coreboot firmware. They
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use edk2 as the payload and include an NVRAM option to disable the Intel
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Management Engine.
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### System76
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[System76](https://system76.com/) manufactures Linux laptops, desktops, and
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servers. Some models are sold with [System76 Open
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Firmware](https://github.com/system76/firmware-open), an open source
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distribution of coreboot, edk2, and System76 firmware applications.
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### Purism
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[Purism](https://www.puri.sm) sells laptops with a focus on user privacy and
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security; part of that effort is to minimize the amount of proprietary and/or
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binary code. Their laptops ship with a blob-free OS and coreboot firmware
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with a neutralized Intel Management Engine (ME) and SeaBIOS as the payload.
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## After-market firmware
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### Libreboot
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[Libreboot](https://libreboot.org) is a downstream coreboot distribution that
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provides ready-made firmware images for supported devices: those which can be
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built entirely from source code. Their copy of the coreboot repository is
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therefore stripped of all devices that require binary components to boot.
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### Dasharo
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[Dasharo](https://dasharo.com/) is an open-source based firmware distribution
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focusing on clean and simple code, long-term maintenance, transparent
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validation, privacy-respecting implementation, liberty for the owners, and
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trustworthiness for all.
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### MrChromebox
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[MrChromebox](https://mrchromebox.tech/) provides upstream coreboot firmware
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images for the vast majority of x86-based Chromebooks and Chromeboxes, using
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edk2 as the payload to provide a modern UEFI bootloader. Why replace
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coreboot with coreboot? Mr Chromebox's images are built using upstream
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coreboot (vs Google's older, static tree/branch), include many features and
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fixes not found in the stock firmware, and offer much broader OS compatibility
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(i.e., they run Windows as well as Linux). They also offer updated CPU
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microcode, as well as firmware updates for the device's embedded controller
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(EC). This firmware "takes the training wheels off" your ChromeOS device :)
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### Heads
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[Heads](http://osresearch.net) is an open source custom firmware and OS
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configuration for laptops and servers that aims to provide slightly better
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physical security and protection for data on the system. Unlike
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[Tails](https://tails.boum.org/), which aims to be a stateless OS that leaves
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no trace on the computer of its presence, Heads is intended for the case where
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you need to store data and state on the computer.
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Heads is not just another Linux distribution – it combines physical hardening
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of specific hardware platforms and flash security features with custom coreboot
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firmware and a Linux boot loader in ROM.
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### Skulls
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[Skulls](https://github.com/merge/skulls) provides firmware images for
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laptops like the Lenovo Thinkpad X230. It uses upstream coreboot, an easy
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to use payload like SeaBIOS and Intel's latest microcode update.
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It simplifies installation and includes compact documentation. Skulls also
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enables easy switching to [Heads](#heads) and back.
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