1 README on how boot images are created for secure TI devices
3 CONFIG_TI_SECURE_DEVICE:
4 Secure TI devices require a boot image that is authenticated by ROM
5 code to function. Without this, even JTAG remains locked and the
6 device is essentially useless. In order to create a valid boot image for
7 a secure device from TI, the initial public software image must be signed
8 and combined with various headers, certificates, and other binary images.
10 Information on the details on the complete boot image format can be obtained
11 from Texas Instruments. The tools used to generate boot images for secure
12 devices are part of a secure development package (SECDEV) that can be
15 http://www.ti.com/mysecuresoftware (login required)
17 The secure development package is access controlled due to NDA and export
18 control restrictions. Access must be requested and granted by TI before the
19 package is viewable and downloadable. Contact TI, either online or by way
20 of a local TI representative, to request access.
25 When CONFIG_TI_SECURE_DEVICE is set, the U-Boot SPL build process
26 requires the presence and use of these tools in order to create a
27 viable boot image. The build process will look for the environment
28 variable TI_SECURE_DEV_PKG, which should be the path of the installed
29 SECDEV package. If the TI_SECURE_DEV_PKG variable is not defined or
30 if it is defined but doesn't point to a valid SECDEV package, a
31 warning is issued during the build to indicate that a final secure
32 bootable image was not created.
34 Within the SECDEV package exists an image creation script:
36 ${TI_SECURE_DEV_PKG}/scripts/create-boot-image.sh
38 This is called as part of the SPL/u-boot build process. As the secure
39 boot image formats and requirements differ between secure SOC from TI,
40 the purpose of this script is to abstract these details as much as
43 The script is basically the only required interface to the TI SECDEV
44 package for creating a bootable SPL image for secure TI devices.
46 Invoking the script for AM33xx Secure Devices
47 =============================================
49 create-boot-image.sh \
50 <IMAGE_FLAG> <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE> <SPL_LOAD_ADDR>
52 <IMAGE_FLAG> is a value that specifies the type of the image to
53 generate OR the action the image generation tool will take. Valid
55 SPI_X-LOADER - Generates an image for SPI flash (byte swapped)
56 X-LOADER - Generates an image for non-XIP flash
57 MLO - Generates an image for SD/MMC/eMMC media
58 2ND - Generates an image for USB, UART and Ethernet
59 XIP_X-LOADER - Generates a single stage u-boot for NOR/QSPI XiP
61 <INPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the public world boot
62 loaderbinary file (depending on the boot media, this is usually
63 either u-boot-spl.bin or u-boot.bin).
65 <OUTPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the final secure
66 image. The output binary images should be used in place of the standard
67 non-secure binary images (see the platform-specific user's guides and
68 releases notes for how the non-secure images are typically used)
69 u-boot-spl_HS_SPI_X-LOADER - byte swapped boot image for SPI flash
70 u-boot-spl_HS_X-LOADER - boot image for NAND or SD/MMC/eMMC rawmode
71 u-boot-spl_HS_MLO - boot image for SD/MMC/eMMC media
72 u-boot-spl_HS_2ND - boot image for USB, UART and Ethernet
73 u-boot_HS_XIP_X-LOADER - boot image for NOR or QSPI Xip flash
75 <SPL_LOAD_ADDR> is the address at which SOC ROM should load the
78 Invoking the script for AM43xx Secure Devices
79 =============================================
81 create-boot-image.sh \
82 <IMAGE_FLAG> <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE> <SPL_LOAD_ADDR>
84 <IMAGE_FLAG> is a value that specifies the type of the image to
85 generate OR the action the image generation tool will take. Valid
87 SPI_X-LOADER - Generates an image for SPI flash (byte
89 XIP_X-LOADER - Generates a single stage u-boot for
91 ISSW - Generates an image for all other boot modes
93 <INPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the public world boot
94 loaderbinary file (depending on the boot media, this is usually
95 either u-boot-spl.bin or u-boot.bin).
97 <OUTPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the final secure
98 image. The output binary images should be used in place of the standard
99 non-secure binary images (see the platform-specific user's guides and
100 releases notes for how the non-secure images are typically used)
101 u-boot-spl_HS_SPI_X-LOADER - byte swapped boot image for SPI flash
102 u-boot_HS_XIP_X-LOADER - boot image for NOR or QSPI flash
103 u-boot-spl_HS_ISSW - boot image for all other boot media
105 <SPL_LOAD_ADDR> is the address at which SOC ROM should load the
108 Invoking the script for DRA7xx/AM57xx Secure Devices
109 ====================================================
111 create-boot-image.sh \
112 <IMAGE_TYPE> <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE> <SPL_LOAD_ADDR>
114 <IMAGE_TYPE> is a value that specifies the type of the image to
115 generate OR the action the image generation tool will take. Valid
117 X-LOADER - Generates an image for NOR or QSPI boot modes
118 MLO - Generates an image for SD/MMC/eMMC boot modes
119 ULO - Generates an image for USB/UART peripheral boot modes
121 <INPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the public world boot
122 loader binary file (for this platform, this is always u-boot-spl.bin).
124 <OUTPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the final secure image.
125 The output binary images should be used in place of the standard
126 non-secure binary images (see the platform-specific user's guides
127 and releases notes for how the non-secure images are typically used)
128 u-boot-spl_HS_MLO - boot image for SD/MMC/eMMC. This image is
129 copied to a file named MLO, which is the name that
130 the device ROM bootloader requires for loading from
131 the FAT partition of an SD card (same as on
133 u-boot-spl_HS_ULO - boot image for USB/UART peripheral boot modes
134 u-boot-spl_HS_X-LOADER - boot image for all other flash memories
135 including QSPI and NOR flash
137 <SPL_LOAD_ADDR> is the address at which SOC ROM should load the
140 Invoking the script for Keystone2 Secure Devices
141 =============================================
143 create-boot-image.sh \
144 <UNUSED> <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE> <UNUSED>
146 <UNUSED> is currently ignored and reserved for future use.
148 <INPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the public world boot
149 loader binary file (only u-boot.bin is currently supported on
150 Keystone2 devices, u-boot-spl.bin is not currently supported).
152 <OUTPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the final secure image.
153 The output binary images should be used in place of the standard
154 non-secure binary images (see the platform-specific user's guides
155 and releases notes for how the non-secure images are typically used)
156 u-boot_HS_MLO - signed and encrypted boot image that can be used to
157 boot from all media. Secure boot from SPI NOR flash is not
160 Booting of Primary U-Boot (u-boot.img)
161 ======================================
163 The SPL image is responsible for loading the next stage boot loader,
164 which is the main u-boot image. For secure TI devices, the SPL will
165 be authenticated, as described above, as part of the particular
166 device's ROM boot process. In order to continue the secure boot
167 process, the authenticated SPL must authenticate the main u-boot
170 The configurations for secure TI platforms are written to make the boot
171 process use the FIT image format for the u-boot.img (CONFIG_SPL_FRAMEWORK
172 and CONFIG_SPL_LOAD_FIT). With these configurations the binary
173 components that the SPL loads include a specific DTB image and u-boot
174 image. These DTB image may be one of many available to the boot
175 process. In order to secure these components so that they can be
176 authenticated by the SPL as they are loaded from the FIT image, the
177 build procedure for secure TI devices will secure these images before
178 they are integrated into the FIT image. When those images are extracted
179 from the FIT image at boot time, they are post-processed to verify that
180 they are still secure. The outlined security-related SPL post-processing
181 is enabled through the CONFIG_SPL_FIT_IMAGE_POST_PROCESS option which
182 must be enabled for the secure boot scheme to work. In order to allow
183 verifying proper operation of the secure boot chain in case of successful
184 authentication messages like "Authentication passed: CERT_U-BOOT-NOD" are
185 output by the SPL to the console for each blob that got extracted from the
186 FIT image. Note that the last part of this log message is the (truncated)
187 name of the signing certificate embedded into the blob that got processed.
189 The exact details of the how the images are secured is handled by the
190 SECDEV package. Within the SECDEV package exists a script to process
191 an input binary image:
193 ${TI_SECURE_DEV_PKG}/scripts/secure-binary-image.sh
195 This is called as part of the u-boot build process. As the secure
196 image formats and requirements can differ between the various secure
197 SOCs from TI, this script in the SECDEV package abstracts these
198 details. This script is essentially the only required interface to the
199 TI SECDEV package for creating a u-boot.img image for secure TI
202 The SPL/u-boot code contains calls to dedicated secure ROM functions
203 to perform the validation on the secured images. The details of the
204 interface to those functions is shown in the code. The summary
205 is that they are accessed by invoking an ARM secure monitor call to
206 the device's secure ROM (fixed read-only-memory that is secure and
207 only accessible when the ARM core is operating in the secure mode).
209 Invoking the secure-binary-image script for Secure Devices
210 ==========================================================
212 secure-binary-image.sh <INPUT_FILE> <OUTPUT_FILE>
214 <INPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the input binary image
216 <OUTPUT_FILE> is the full path and filename of the output secure image.