110 lines
5.6 KiB
ReStructuredText
110 lines
5.6 KiB
ReStructuredText
===================
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``mcuboot`` MCUboot
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===================
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Description
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-----------
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The NuttX port of MCUboot secure boot library expects that the platform provides
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a Flash storage with the following partitions:
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- ``CONFIG_MCUBOOT_PRIMARY_SLOT_PATH``: MTD partition for the application
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firmware image PRIMARY slot;
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- ``CONFIG_MCUBOOT_SECONDARY_SLOT_PATH``: MTD partition for the application
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firmware image SECONDARY slot;
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- ``CONFIG_MCUBOOT_SCRATCH_PATH``: MTD partition for the Scratch area;
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Also, these are optional features that may be enabled:
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- ``CONFIG_MCUBOOT_WATCHDOG``: If ``CONFIG_WATCHDOG`` is enabled, MCUboot shall
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reset the watchdog timer indicated by ``CONFIG_MCUBOOT_WATCHDOG_DEVPATH`` to
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the current timeout value, preventing any imminent watchdog timeouts.
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The porting layer of MCUboot library consists of the following interfaces:
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- ``<flash_map_backend/flash_map_backend.h>``, for enabling MCUboot to manage
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the application firmware image slots in the device storage.
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- ``<mcuboot_config/mcuboot_config.h>``, for configuration of MCUboot's features.
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- ``<mcuboot_config/mcuboot_logging.h>``, for providing logging capabilities.
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- ``<os/os_malloc.h>``, for providing MCUboot access to the OS memory management interfaces.
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- ``<sysflash/sysflash.h>``, for configuration of the system's flash area organization.
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The NuttX port of MCUboot is implemented at application-level and requires minimal
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knowledge about characteristics of the underlying storage device. This is achieved
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by means of the ``BCH`` and ``FTL`` subsystems, which enable MCUboot to manage MTD
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partitions via character device drivers using standard POSIX filesystem operations
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(e.g. ``open()`` / ``close()`` / ``read()`` / ``write()``).
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Creating MCUboot-compatible application firmware images
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-------------------------------------------------------
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One common use case for MCUboot is to integrate it to a firmware update agent, which
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is an important component of a secure firmware update subsystem. Through MCUboot APIs
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an application is able to install a newly received application firmware image and,
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once this application firmware image is assured to be valid, the application may
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confirm it as a stable image. In case that application firmware image is deemed
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bogus, MCUboot provides an API for invalidating that update, which will induce a
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rollback procedure to the most recent stable application firmware image.
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The ``CONFIG_EXAMPLES_MCUBOOT_UPDATE_AGENT`` example demonstrates this workflow by
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downloading an application firmware image from a webserver, installing it and triggering
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the firmware update process for the next boot after a system reset. There is also the
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``CONFIG_EXAMPLES_MCUBOOT_SLOT_CONFIRM``, which is a fairly simple example that just
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calls an MCUboot API for confirming the executing application firmware image as stable.
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For more information about all MCUboot examples, see ``examples/mcuboot`` directory.
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Using MCUboot on NuttX as a secure boot solution
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------------------------------------------------
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NuttX port for MCUboot also enables the creation of a secure bootloader application
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requiring minimal platform-specific implementation. The logical implementation for
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the secure boot is performed at application-level by the MCUboot library. Once MCUboot
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validates the application firmware image, it delegates the loading and execution of the
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application firmware image to a platform-specific routine, which is accessed via
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``boardctl(BOARDIOC_BOOT_IMAGE)`` call. Each platform must then provide an implementation
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for the ``board_boot_image()`` for executing the required actions in order to boot a new
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application firmware image (e.g. deinitialize peripherals, load the Program Counter register
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with the application firmware image entry point address).
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The MCUboot bootloader application may be enabled by selecting the ``CONFIG_MCUBOOT_BOOTLOADER``
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option.
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Assumptions
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-----------
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IOCTL MTD commands
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The implementation of ``<flash_map_backend/flash_map_backend.h>`` expects that the MTD
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driver for a given image partition handles the following ``ioctl`` commands:
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- ``MTDIOC_GEOMETRY``, for retrieving information about the geometry of the MTD,
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required for the configuration of the size of each flash area.
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- ``MTDIOC_ERASESTATE``, for retrieving the byte value of an erased cell of the MTD,
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required for the implementation of ``flash_area_erased_val()`` interface.
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Write access alignment
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Through ``flash_area_align()`` interface MCUboot expects that the implementation provides
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the shortest data length that may be written via ``flash_area_write()`` interface. The NuttX
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implementation passes through the ``BCH`` and ``FTL`` layers, which appropriately handle the
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write alignment restrictions of the underlying MTD. So The NuttX implementation of
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``flash_area_align()`` is able to return a fixed value of 1 byte, even if the MTD does not
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support byte operations.
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Limitations
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-----------
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``<flash_map_backend/flash_map_backend.h>`` functions are not multitasking-safe
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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MCUboot's documentation imposes no restrictions regarding the usage of its public interfaces,
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which doesn't mean they are thread-safe.
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But, regarding NuttX implementation of the ``<flash_map_backend/flash_map_backend.h>``, it is
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safe to state that they are **not** multitasking-safe. NuttX implementation manages the MTD
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partitions via character device drivers. As file-descriptors cannot be shared between different
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tasks, if one task calls ``flash_area_open`` and another task calls ``flash_area_<read/write/close>``
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passing the same ``struct flash_area`` instance, it will result in failure.
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