[U-Boot] [EXT] Re: [PATCH 4/6] spl: mmc: support loading i.MX container format file

Marek Vasut marex at denx.de
Wed Jun 5 02:38:01 UTC 2019


On 6/5/19 3:59 AM, Peng Fan wrote:
>> Subject: Re: [EXT] Re: [U-Boot] [PATCH 4/6] spl: mmc: support loading i.MX
>> container format file
>>
>> On 6/5/19 3:18 AM, Peng Fan wrote:
>>>> Subject: Re: [EXT] Re: [U-Boot] [PATCH 4/6] spl: mmc: support loading
>>>> i.MX container format file
>>>>
>>>> On 6/4/19 5:27 AM, Peng Fan wrote:
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [EXT] Re: [U-Boot] [PATCH 4/6] spl: mmc: support
>>>>>> loading i.MX container format file
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 5/30/19 9:06 AM, Ye Li wrote:
>>>>>>> On 2019/5/27 19:31, Marek Vasut wrote:
>>>>>>>> Caution: EXT Email
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 5/27/19 11:49 AM, Peng Fan wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hi Marek, Lukasz,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [EXT] Re: [U-Boot] [PATCH 4/6] spl: mmc: support
>>>>>>>>>> loading i.MX container format file
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hi Marek,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 2019/5/22 19:41, Marek Vasut wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Caution: EXT Email
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/22/19 9:34 AM, Lukasz Majewski wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> [...]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> By using above approach we do have the NXP's
>> "container"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> format only seen in the SPL (which is OK, as for
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> example Samsung does similar thing with FBL/BL1).
>> When
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SPL is
>>>>>> "trused"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> we may use available facilities.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The issue to me is that sc_seco_authenticate could not
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> take a FIT image as input.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Is the sc_seco_authenticate an API accessible from SPL,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> U-Boot proper or Linux crypro engine driver?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Yes, it is an API accessible in SPL/U-Boot stage. I do not
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> know about Linux crypto driver.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Maybe it would be worth to check how Linux handle this?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Maybe it would shed some more light on it?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> I am not familiar with that, so might be stupid question below.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Does it really matter?
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I would check it just out of curiosity.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Yes, it matters, because there should be such API. How would
>>>>>>>>>>> Linux authenticate e.g. userspace binaries if there wasn't
>>>>>>>>>>> one, surely not by wrapping every single object into the
>>>>>>>>>>> custom vendor-specific
>>>>>> container ?
>>>>>>>>>>> And if there is one, you can use it to authenticate raw
>>>>>>>>>>> binaries from U-Boot SPL too, e.g. fitImage blobs with an
>>>>>>>>>>> associated
>>>> signature.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> iMX8 AHAB uses RSA key pair for authentication, the on-chip
>>>>>>>>>> thing we called SRK is a array of public key hash which is
>>>>>>>>>> dedicated for AHAB. It is not a real key. The real public key is in
>> container.
>>>>>>>>>> AHAB will check the public key with the on-chip SRK before
>>>>>>>>>> using it to authenticate the image.
>>>>>>>>>> Seco which contains the crypto engine on imx8 does not allow to
>>>>>>>>>> use the SRK by user. No such API exported.
>>>>>>>>>> And the fuse of SRK is locked, can't be read directly.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Actually on imx6/imx7/imx8m, the SPL and u-boot are already
>>>>>>>>>> using ROM HAB to implement the trust chain, like SPL
>>>>>>>>>> authenticates u-boot, u-boot authenticatse kernel. We just
>>>>>>>>>> follow this same way on imx8, the difference is
>>>>>>>>>> imx8 needs container format for signed image. We prefer
>>>>>>>>>> directly loading container image than fit image.
>>>>>>>>>> If we pack fit image into container, obviously this will cause
>>>>>>>>>> one more
>>>>>> copy.
>>>>>>>>>> As a boot loader, isn't it better to have more image format
>> supported?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> If the functionality of the new image format is a subset of
>>>>>>>> already present image format, then no, that's called a duplication.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> We
>>>>>>>>>> don't force to use container, just set it as default. Users
>>>>>>>>>> still can choose fit or raw image.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> They can. however they cannot authenticate the fitImage because
>>>>>>>> the firmware doesn't provide the necessary API for that ?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Do you have more comment?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> How could Linux use this iMX8 chain of trust stuff to authenticate e.g.
>>>>>>>> userspace binaries ? It's the same thing as authenticating blob
>>>>>>>> in a fitImage.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Userspace binaries don't use the same key pair. They are signed by
>>>>>>> software vendors' key. The private key for chip secure boot is
>>>>>>> only hold by
>>>>>> device manufacturer.
>>>>>>> For example, android needs to authenticate a signed APK. Its
>>>>>>> public key (Key
>>>>>> A) is in system FS.
>>>>>>> iMX trust chain only reaches to kernel + ramdisk. Then the chain
>>>>>>> hands over
>>>>>> to android.
>>>>>>> In ramdisk, android puts another public Key (Key B) used by
>>>>>>> dm-verify for system FS. So once system FS is verified ok, then
>>>>>>> the public key A becomes trusted. Finally we can use public key A
>>>>>>> for APK
>>>> authentication.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So can we put a public key into the SPL and use it to verify a fitImage ?
>>>>>
>>>>> Technically doable. But compared with the current approach that
>>>>> reuse ROM public API, Using crypto driver in SPL will be complicated
>>>>> and code size larger without calling ROM API.
>>>>>
>>>>> I do not understand the problem the SPL loading NXP i.MX8 container
>>>> format.
>>>>> SPL should only support raw and fit format? vendor format is not
>>>>> allowed and not accepted?
>>>>
>>>> The problem I have is with the duplication of functionality -- the
>>>> iMX8 custom format does exactly the same as fitImage, except
>>>> differently and with smaller user base, thus with less users and
>>>> reviewers and thus with less potential bugfixes, which I think in crypto
>> code is important.
>>>
>>> The change to spl mmc common code is as below:
>>> diff --git a/common/spl/spl_mmc.c b/common/spl/spl_mmc.c index
>>> bf53a1dadf..6320af055b 100644
>>> --- a/common/spl/spl_mmc.c
>>> +++ b/common/spl/spl_mmc.c
>>> @@ -79,6 +79,16 @@ int mmc_load_image_raw_sector(struct
>> spl_image_info *spl_image,
>>>                 load.bl_len = mmc->read_bl_len;
>>>                 load.read = h_spl_load_read;
>>>                 ret = spl_load_simple_fit(spl_image, &load, sector,
>>> header);
>>> +       } else if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SPL_LOAD_IMX_CONTAINER)) {
>>> +               struct spl_load_info load;
>>> +
>>> +               load.dev = mmc;
>>> +               load.priv = NULL;
>>> +               load.filename = NULL;
>>> +               load.bl_len = mmc->read_bl_len;
>>> +               load.read = h_spl_load_read;
>>> +
>>> +               ret = spl_load_imx_container(spl_image, &load,
>>> + sector);
>>>         } else {
>>>
>>> If IMX_CONTAINER is not preferred
>>
>> I never implied that.
>>
>>> , I'll change it to CONFIG_SPL_LOAD_VENDOR_FORMAT.
>>> In this way, only i.MX users need to take care container format, non
>>> i.MX users no need  to care about that.
>>
>> That would make it even worse, since if we follow this course of development,
>> I suspect iMX9 will have another different container format and the list will
>> grow on.
> 
> Let me summary the previous SoC that NXP is actively maintaining
> i.MX6/7/7ULP/8M use IVT
> i.MX8/8X use container
> 
> I could not disclose information about future i.MX SoC.

My assumption is that the future iMX SoC will use yet another different
container format.

>>> It is not duplication of FIT. Container support the similar function
>>> of FIT image, but it is not only that.
>>
>> So what is it ?
> 
> https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/reference-manual/IMX8DQXPRM.pdf
> Chapter 5 has information about container set and container.

Thanks, any specific part of those 80 pages ?

>> I don't think I get it. Why would I, as an iMX8 user, want to pick custom new
>> vendor-specific format over years-proven generic fitImage?
> 
> We not against FIT, we already use FIT on i.MX8M, to let spl
> to authenticate FIT image using ROM HAB, not using crypto driver.

Great

>> What is the selling point here ?
> 
> We would not introduce cypto driver in SPL stage, that means HAB FIT and
> AHAB container needs to be dropped when SPL loading other images.
> ROM already provides API for bootloader to authenticate images, introducing
> complex crypto driver in SPL could enlarge code size and make things
> complicated.

Ah I see, so it's all making the whole crypto simpler by offloading the
hard parts into the firmware, which just magically handles everything ,
without having much extra code in the SPL ?

-- 
Best regards,
Marek Vasut


More information about the U-Boot mailing list