[PATCH] boot: image-fit: Add runtime flag to always relocate overlays

Marek Vasut marek.vasut at mailbox.org
Fri Feb 6 20:06:38 CET 2026


On 2/6/26 4:14 PM, Jamie Gibbons wrote:
> Some platforms

All platforms, DTs and DTOs have to be 8 Byte aligned, always, period.

> require device tree overlays (DTOs) to be 8-byte aligned
> when applying them with libfdt. Previously, the code did not guarantee
> this alignment, which could result in alignment errors during overlay
> application.
> Introduce a new runtime parameter, always_relocate_overlay, to
> boot_get_fdt_fit(). When set, overlays are always copied to an 8-byte
> aligned buffer before being passed to fdt_open_into().
> This resolves issues with FDT overlay application on platforms that
> require strict alignment.
> 
> Fixes: 8fbcc0e0e839 ("boot: Assure FDT is always at 8-byte aligned address")
> 
> Signed-off-by: Jamie Gibbons <jamie.gibbons at microchip.com>
> ---
>   boot/image-fdt.c |  2 +-
>   boot/image-fit.c | 23 +++++++++++++++++------
>   include/image.h  |  5 ++++-
>   3 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/boot/image-fdt.c b/boot/image-fdt.c
> index a3a4fb8b558..33fd4248acd 100644
> --- a/boot/image-fdt.c
> +++ b/boot/image-fdt.c
> @@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ static int select_fdt(struct bootm_headers *images, const char *select, u8 arch,
>   				fdt_noffset = boot_get_fdt_fit(images, fdt_addr,
>   							       &fit_uname_fdt,
>   							       &fit_uname_config,
> -							       arch, &load, &len);
> +							       arch, &load, &len, true);

This flag is always true, do we actually need it ?

>   				if (fdt_noffset < 0)
>   					return -ENOENT;
> diff --git a/boot/image-fit.c b/boot/image-fit.c
> index d2b0a7daccc..a3fa2a01463 100644
> --- a/boot/image-fit.c
> +++ b/boot/image-fit.c
> @@ -2370,7 +2370,8 @@ int boot_get_setup_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, uint8_t arch,
>   #ifndef USE_HOSTCC
>   int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, ulong addr,
>   		     const char **fit_unamep, const char **fit_uname_configp,
> -		     int arch, ulong *datap, ulong *lenp)
> +		     int arch, ulong *datap, ulong *lenp,
> +		     bool always_relocate_overlay)
>   {
>   	int fdt_noffset, cfg_noffset, count;
>   	const void *fit;
> @@ -2492,11 +2493,21 @@ int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, ulong addr,
>   		ov = map_sysmem(ovload, ovlen);
>   
>   		ovcopylen = ALIGN(fdt_totalsize(ov), SZ_4K);
> -		ovcopy = malloc(ovcopylen);
> -		if (!ovcopy) {
> -			printf("failed to duplicate DTO before application\n");
> -			fdt_noffset = -ENOMEM;
> -			goto out;
> +		if (always_relocate_overlay) {
> +			ovcopy = aligned_alloc(8, ovcopylen);
> +			if (!ovcopy) {
> +				printf("failed to allocate aligned DTO buffer\n");
> +				fdt_noffset = -ENOMEM;
> +				goto out;
> +			}
> +			memcpy(ovcopy, ov, ovlen);
> +		} else {
> +			ovcopy = malloc(ovcopylen);
> +			if (!ovcopy) {
> +				printf("failed to duplicate DTO before application\n");
> +				fdt_noffset = -ENOMEM;
> +				goto out;
> +			}

Looking at this, if the problem is $ov aligned to 4 Bytes, then $base a 
bit below could also be aligned to 4 Bytes if there are two or more DTs 
in the fitImage without external data. Can you please try the attached 
patch and see if that still works ?

diff --git a/boot/image-fit.c b/boot/image-fit.c
index 3ed69b5f7bc..845e769a7e3 100644
--- a/boot/image-fit.c
+++ b/boot/image-fit.c
@@ -2368,6 +2368,48 @@ int boot_get_setup_fit(struct bootm_headers 
*images, uint8_t arch,
  }

  #ifndef USE_HOSTCC
+#ifdef CONFIG_OF_LIBFDT_OVERLAY
+static int boot_get_fdt_fit_into_buffer(ulong loadaddr, ulong loadlen, 
void **fdtdstbuf)
+{
+	void *fdtsrcbuf, *map;
+	ulong fdtdstlen;
+	int err;
+
+	map = map_sysmem(loadaddr, loadlen);
+
+	/* Set up source buffer, make sure DT in the buffer is 8-Bytes aligned */
+	if (!IS_ALIGNED((uintptr_t)map, 8)) {
+		fdtsrcbuf = aligned_alloc(8, loadlen);
+		if (!fdtsrcbuf)
+			return -ENOMEM;
+		memcpy(fdtsrcbuf, map, loadlen);
+	} else {
+		fdtsrcbuf = map;
+	}
+
+	/* Set up destination buffer, make sure DT in the buffer is 8-Bytes 
aligned */
+	fdtdstlen = ALIGN(fdt_totalsize(fdtsrcbuf), SZ_4K);
+	fdtdstbuf = aligned_alloc(8, fdtdstlen);
+	if (!fdtdstbuf) {
+		printf("failed to duplicate DTO before application\n");
+		if (!IS_ALIGNED((uintptr_t)map, 8))
+			free(fdtsrcbuf);
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	err = fdt_open_into(fdtsrcbuf, *fdtdstbuf, fdtdstlen);
+	if (!IS_ALIGNED((uintptr_t)map, 8))
+		free(fdtsrcbuf);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		printf("failed on fdt_open_into for DTO: %s\n",
+		       fdt_strerror(err));
+		return err;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+};
+#endif
+
  int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, ulong addr,
  		     const char **fit_unamep, const char **fit_uname_configp,
  		     int arch, ulong *datap, ulong *lenp)
@@ -2380,7 +2422,7 @@ int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, 
ulong addr,
  	char *next_config = NULL;
  	ulong load, len;
  #ifdef CONFIG_OF_LIBFDT_OVERLAY
-	ulong ovload, ovlen, ovcopylen;
+	ulong ovload, ovlen;
  	const char *uconfig;
  	const char *uname;
  	/*
@@ -2391,7 +2433,7 @@ int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, 
ulong addr,
  	 * Instead, let's be lazy and use void *.
  	 */
  	char *of_flat_tree;
-	void *base, *ov, *ovcopy = NULL;
+	void *base, *ovcopy = NULL;
  	int i, err, noffset, ov_noffset;
  #endif

@@ -2489,17 +2531,7 @@ int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers 
*images, ulong addr,
  		}
  		debug("%s loaded at 0x%08lx len=0x%08lx\n",
  				uname, ovload, ovlen);
-		ov = map_sysmem(ovload, ovlen);
-
-		ovcopylen = ALIGN(fdt_totalsize(ov), SZ_4K);
-		ovcopy = malloc(ovcopylen);
-		if (!ovcopy) {
-			printf("failed to duplicate DTO before application\n");
-			fdt_noffset = -ENOMEM;
-			goto out;
-		}
-
-		err = fdt_open_into(ov, ovcopy, ovcopylen);
+		err = boot_get_fdt_fit_into_buffer(ovload, ovlen, &ovcopy);
  		if (err < 0) {
  			printf("failed on fdt_open_into for DTO: %s\n",
  			       fdt_strerror(err));
@@ -2507,8 +2539,7 @@ int boot_get_fdt_fit(struct bootm_headers *images, 
ulong addr,
  			goto out;
  		}

-		base = map_sysmem(load, len + ovlen);
-		err = fdt_open_into(base, base, len + ovlen);
+		err = boot_get_fdt_fit_into_buffer(load, len + ovlen, &base);
  		if (err < 0) {
  			printf("failed on fdt_open_into: %s\n",
  			       fdt_strerror(err));
-- 
2.51.0
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