[U-Boot] u-boot command for standalone application

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear swami91,

In message <1406164120148-184818.post at n7.nabble.com> you wrote:
> 
> 1. Is it ok if we implement uboot commands that would call into the
> standalone application API without violating GPL terms of u-boot? The
> command returns to the command line after execution. The arguments are
> passed from the uboot command line. 

No.  A standalone application can use U-Boot services only through the
exported interface (call table), which is intentionally limited.

> 2. How to pass the authentication key from the standalone application to
> u-boot without violating the GPL license other than hard coding the address
> of the key location in the u-boot? Does this hardcoding violate the GPL
> terms of u-boot?

Even if you hard-code addresses in the U-Boot image you would be
violating the GPL. A non-GPL standalone application must be really
what the name suggests: standalone.  It gets only a very narrow,
stricltly limited set of services - just enough to ger some early
initialization and debugging done.  All the rest, including drivers
and services, mut be re-implemented in your own proprietary image.

> 3. Is it ok to load the application from within the uboot into RAM and then
> let the u-boot commands executed on it?

U-Boot can start your application using the "go" command. But your
non-GPL standalone program cannot call any commands from U-Boot.
That would be a violation of the GPL.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

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