[coreboot] New board with unsupported cpu, chipset, and superIO

[Todd Weaver]

> Am 2014-08-28 23:38, schrieb Todd Weaver:
>> Comparing the blob-free versions from Intel (which are apparently
>> signed, so according to http://www.coreboot.org/Binary_situation are
>> at a 9000+ panic level), would it be possible to have blob-free
>> (probably through RE) that would work (meaning does not require signed
>> binaries) on an AMD board?
> Newer chipsets (as in yet to be released) come with signed parts, but it 
> seems the scope of the signature is configurable somehow by AMD. There 
> were some mails about that a couple of days ago ("AMD PSP”).

Thank you I will research that.

>> We will do what we can here. The issue is even with immense leverage,
>> having the source released (from AMI, or AMD, (or Intel for that
>> matter)) would undermine tremendous profit that these companies make
>> by keeping this proprietary.
> AMD claims that they stopped working on open sourcing their 
> initialization code because it's lots of work (ie. money) with limited 
> return on investment. How much work that is isn't here or there (most of 
> that is because their internal development process is less than optimal 
> and, like most processes in most organizations, hard to change).
> But it means that someone could make it worth their while given the 
> right kind of project.

Very helpful, thank you!

> What they don't provide sources for is CPU microcode updates (no one 
> does since it's of limited value without the microcode development 
> toolchain and the microcode itself that is getting updated) and various 
> smaller firmware (USB3 which is a licensed core, IMC, an embedded 
> controller, and the SMU).
> For IMC and SMU there's some reverse engineering effort, partially 
> documented in the wiki, so by asking the right questions to the right 
> people in this community, plus some development, it might be possible to 
> get them opened up even without AMD's help.

This is extremely helpful in making the case against Intel (which was better received than I had thought) we are at least working with the board manufacturer about AMD instead of Intel… Here’s hoping.

Thank you all!

Todd.