92 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
92 lines
4.0 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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### 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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### 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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### Libretrend
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[Libretrend](https://libretrend.com) sells the Librebox, a NUC-like PC which
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ships with coreboot firmware.
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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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## 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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### 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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Tianocore 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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### John Lewis
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[John Lewis](https://johnlewis.ie/custom-chromebook-firmware) also provides
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replacement firmware for ChromeOS devices, for the express purpose of
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running Linux on Chromebooks. John Lewis' firmware supports a much smaller
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set of devices, and uses SeaBIOS as the payload to support Legacy BIOS booting.
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His firmware images are significantly older, and not actively maintained or
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supported, but worth a look if you need Legacy Boot support and is not
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available via Mr Chromebox's firmware.
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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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