[U-Boot] [PATCH v2 0/4] sunxi: Ease eMMC usage and flashing

[Maxime Ripard]

On Tue, Dec 05, 2017 at 04:56:37PM +0100, Maxime Ripard wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Here is a set of patches that have been sitting in some variations for
> quite some time now.
> 
> This is mostly to ease the eMMC (and MMC, to some extent) flashing
> using fastboot that in turn rely on GPT.
> 
> The Allwinner SoCs need to have the SPL located right in the middle of
> a traditional GPT, at 8kB.
> 
> To deal with this, we would basically have two options:
>   - Use the already in-tree solution to move the partition entries to
>     another arbitrary offset in the MMC.
>   - Use a smaller number of partitions entries
> 
> Both are non-standards, but are dealt with nicely by the regular tools
> and users (at least on a Linux system). However, the first solution is
> quite confusing for users (that needs to be aware where the partitions
> will be), might be less flexible because not all tools will allow to
> create partitions for things between the GPT main entry and the
> partition entries, and might confuse tools if such a setup is
> available.
> 
> In our case, using the first solution, gdisk will for example refuse
> to create a partition for the SPL.
> 
> The second solution though seems to be well handled by all the tools,
> and just feels the same, except that you end up with a smaller number
> of partitions. In our case, that number is 56 partitions (16 sectors
> before the SPL, 1 sector for the protective MBR, 1 sector for the GPT
> header, and 4 partition entries per sector) instead of 128, which
> doesn't sound very impractical either.
> 
> The two first patches deal with that.
> 
> We then provide a default partitionning scheme. I'd like feedback on
> that one. I appreciate that having a good default in such a case, but
> I'd like to have a reasonably simple layout that works good enough to
> install a distro. I'm a bit short on background on what an EFI
> partition is supposed to look like, and what a good size would be. I'd
> really like some input on this.
> 
> Finally, we enable fastboot flashing to be able to flash a pristine
> system just by using FEL, fastboot oem format, and then fastboot flash
> for the various components.

Merged.

Maxime

-- 
Maxime Ripard, Free Electrons
Embedded Linux and Kernel engineering
http://free-electrons.com
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