Add Ampere's Case Study for LinuxBoot on Mt. Jade platform

The Ampere Mt. Jade platform exemplifies how LinuxBoot can transform traditional EDK2 firmware, making it open, flexible, and efficient. With all code publicly available, it stands as a powerful case for open source firmware adoption in modern server architectures. Signed-off-by: Nhi Pham <[email protected]>
linuxboot · Nov 25, 2024 · ad8ad33 · ad8ad33
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diff --git a/src/SUMMARY.md b/src/SUMMARY.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 - [Glossary](glossary.md)
 - [Naming](naming.md)
 - [Case Studies](case_studies/index.md)
+  - [Ampere study](case_studies/Ampere_study.md)
   - [Google study](case_studies/Google_study.md)
   - [OCP TiogaPass](case_studies/TiogaPass.md)
 - [Frequently Asked Questions](faq.md)
diff --git a/src/case_studies/Ampere_study.md b/src/case_studies/Ampere_study.md
@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+# LinuxBoot on Ampere Mt. Jade Platform
+
+The Ampere Altra Family processor based Mt. Jade platform is a high-performance
+ARM server platform, offering up to 256 processor cores in a dual socket configuration.
+The Tianocore EDK2 firmware for the Mt. Jade platform has been fully upstreamed to
+the tianocore/edk2-platforms repository, enabling the community to build and experiment
+with the platform's firmware using entirely open-source code. It also supports LinuxBoot,
+an open-source firmware framework that reduces boot time, enhances security,
+and increases flexibility compared to standard UEFI firmware.
+
+Mt. Jade has also achieved a significant milestone by becoming
+[the first server certified under the Arm SystemReady LS certification program](https://community.arm.com/arm-community-blogs/b/architectures-and-processors-blog/posts/arm-systemready-ls).
+SystemReady LS ensures compliance with standardized boot and runtime environments
+for Linux-based systems, enabling seamless deployment across diverse hardware.
+This certification further emphasizes Mt. Jade's readiness for enterprise and
+cloud-scale adoption by providing assurance of compatibility, performance, and reliability.
+
+This case study explores the LinuxBoot implementation on the Ampere Mt. Jade platform,
+inspired by the approach used in [Google's LinuxBoot deployment](Google_study.md).
+
+## Ampere EDK2-LinuxBoot Components
+
+The Mt. Jade platform embraces a hybrid firmware architecture, combining UEFI/EDK2 for
+hardware initialization and LinuxBoot for advanced boot functionalities. The platform
+aligns closely with step 6 in the LinuxBoot adoption model.
+
+<img src="../images/Case-study-Ampere.svg">
+
+The entire boot firmware stack for the Mt. Jade is open source and available in the Github.
+
+* **EDK2**: The PEI and minimal (stripped-down) DXE drivers, including both common and
+platform code, are fully open source and resides in Tianocore edk2-platforms and edk2 repositories.
+* **LinuxBoot**: The LinuxBoot binary (flashkernel) for Mt. Jade is supported in the
+[linuxboot/linuxboot](https://github.com/linuxboot/linuxboot/tree/main/mainboards/ampere/jade) repository.
+
+## Ampere Solution for LinuxBoot as a Boot Device Selection
+
+Ampere has implemented and successfully upstreamed a solution for integrating LinuxBoot
+as a Boot Device Selection (BDS) option into the TianoCore EDK2 framework, as seen in
+commit
+[ArmPkg: Implement PlatformBootManagerLib for LinuxBoot](https://github.com/tianocore/edk2/commit/62540372230ecb5318a9c8a40580a14beeb9ded0).
+This innovation simplifies the boot process for the Mt. Jade platform and aligns with
+LinuxBoot's goals of efficiency and flexibility.
+
+Unlike the earlier practice that replaced the UEFI Shell with a LinuxBoot flashkernel,
+Ampere's solution introduces a custom BDS implementation that directly boots into the
+LinuxBoot environment as the active boot option. This approach bypasses the need to load
+the UEFI Shell or UiApp (UEFI Setup Menu), which depend on numerous unnecessary DXE
+drivers.
+
+To further enhance flexibility, Ampere introduced a new GUID specifically for the
+LinuxBoot binary, ensuring clear separation from the UEFI Shell GUID. This distinction
+allows precise identification of LinuxBoot components in the firmware.
+
+## Build Process
+
+Building a flashable EDK2 firmware image with an integrated LinuxBoot flashkernel for the
+Ampere Mt. Jade platform involves two main steps: building the LinuxBoot flashkernel and
+integrating it into the EDK2 firmware build.
+
+### Step 1: Build the LinuxBoot Flashkernel
+
+The LinuxBoot flash kernel is built as follows:
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/linuxboot/linuxboot.git
+cd linuxboot/mainboards/ampere/jade && make fetch flashkernel
+```
+
+After the build process completes, the flash kernel will be located at:
+linuxboot/mainboards/ampere/jade/flashkernel
+
+### Step 2: Build the EDK2 Firmware Image with the Flash Kernel
+
+The EDK2 firmware image is built with the LinuxBoot flashkernel integrated into the flash
+image using the following steps:
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/tianocore/edk2-platforms.git
+git clone https://github.com/tianocore/edk2.git
+git clone https://github.com/tianocore/edk2-non-osi.git
+./edk2-platforms/Platform/Ampere/buildfw.sh -b RELEASE -t GCC -p Jade -l linuxboot/mainboards/ampere/jade/flashkernel
+```
+
+The `buildfw.sh` script automatically integrates the LinuxBoot flash kernel
+(provided via the -l option) as part of the final EDK2 firmware image.
+
+This process generates a flashable EDK2 firmware image with embedded LinuxBoot, ready for
+deployment on the Ampere Mt. Jade platform.
+
+## Booting with LinuxBoot
+
+When powered on, the system will boot into the u-root and automatically kexec to the target OS.
+
+```
+Run /init as init process
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 Welcome to u-root!
+                              _
+   _   _      _ __ ___   ___ | |_
+  | | | |____| '__/ _ \ / _ \| __|
+  | |_| |____| | | (_) | (_) | |_
+   \__,_|    |_|  \___/ \___/ \__|
+
+cgroup: Unknown subsys name 'perf_event'
+init: 1970/01/01 00:00:10 Deprecation warning: use UROOT_NOHWRNG=1 on kernel cmdline instead of uroot.nohwrng
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 Booting from the following block devices: [BlockDevice(name=nvme0n1, fs_uuid=) BlockDevice(name=nvme0n1p1, fs_uuid=d6c6-6306) BlockDevice(name=nvme0n1p2, fs_uuid=63402158-6266-48fb-b602-5f83f26bd0b9) BlockDevice(name=nvme0n1p3, fs_uuid=) BlockDevice(name=nvme1n1, fs_uuid=) BlockDevice(name=nvme1n1p1, fs_uuid=525c-92fb)]
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 [grub] Got config file file:///tmp/u-root-mounts3457412855/nvme0n1p1/EFI/ubuntu/grub.cfg:
+search.fs_uuid 63402158-6266-48fb-b602-5f83f26bd0b9 root
+set prefix=($root)'/grub'
+configfile $prefix/grub.cfg
+
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 Warning: Grub parser could not parse ["search" "--fs-uuid" "63402158-6266-48fb-b602-5f83f26bd0b9" "root"]
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 [grub] Got config file file:///tmp/u-root-mounts3457412855/nvme0n1p2/grub/grub.cfg
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 Error: Expected 1 device with UUID "1334d6c5-c16f-46ba-9120-5127ae43bf63", found 0
+1970/01/01 00:00:10 Error: Expected 1 device with UUID "1334d6c5-c16f-46ba-9120-5127ae43bf63", found 0
+
+
+Welcome to LinuxBoot's Menu
+
+Enter a number to boot a kernel:
+
+1.  Ubuntu
+
+2.  Ubuntu, with Linux 6.8.0-49-generic
+
+3.  Ubuntu, with Linux 6.8.0-49-generic (recovery mode)
+
+4.  Ubuntu, with Linux 6.8.0-48-generic
+
+5.  Ubuntu, with Linux 6.8.0-48-generic (recovery mode)
+
+6.  Reboot
+
+7.  Enter a LinuxBoot shell
+
+
+Enter an option ('01' is the default, 'e' to edit kernel cmdline):
+ > 07
+
+> dmidecode -t 4
+# dmidecode-go
+Reading SMBIOS/DMI data from sysfs.
+SMBIOS 3.3.0 present.
+
+Handle 0x0003, DMI type 4, 51 bytes
+Processor Information
+        Socket Designation: CPU01
+        Type: Central Processor
+        Family: ARMv8
+        Manufacturer: Ampere(R)
+        ID: 01 00 16 0A A1 00 00 00
+        Signature: Implementor 0x0a, Variant 0x1, Architecture 6, Part 0x000, Revision 1
+        Version: Ampere(R) Altra(R) Processor
+        Voltage: 1.0 V
+        External Clock: 25 MHz
+        Max Speed: 3000 MHz
+        Current Speed: 3000 MHz
+        Status: Populated, Enabled
+        Upgrade: Unknown
+        L1 Cache Handle: 0x0001
+        L2 Cache Handle: 0x0002
+        L3 Cache Handle: Not Provided
+        Serial Number: 000000000000000002550904033865B4
+        Asset Tag: Not Set
+        Part Number: Q80-30
+        Core Count: 80
+        Core Enabled: 80
+        Thread Count: 80
+        Characteristics:
+                64-bit capable
+                Multi-Core
+                Execute Protection
+                Enhanced Virtualization
+                Power/Performance Control
+
+Handle 0x0007, DMI type 4, 51 bytes
+Processor Information
+        Socket Designation: CPU02
+        Type: Central Processor
+        Family: ARMv8
+        Manufacturer: Ampere(R)
+        ID: 01 00 16 0A A1 00 00 00
+        Signature: Implementor 0x0a, Variant 0x1, Architecture 6, Part 0x000, Revision 1
+        Version: Ampere(R) Altra(R) Processor
+        Voltage: 1.0 V
+        External Clock: 25 MHz
+        Max Speed: 3000 MHz
+        Current Speed: 3000 MHz
+        Status: Populated, Enabled
+        Upgrade: Unknown
+        L1 Cache Handle: 0x0005
+        L2 Cache Handle: 0x0006
+        L3 Cache Handle: Not Provided
+        Serial Number: 000000000000000002560909033865B4
+        Asset Tag: Not Set
+        Part Number: Q80-30
+        Core Count: 80
+        Core Enabled: 80
+        Thread Count: 80
+        Characteristics:
+                64-bit capable
+                Multi-Core
+                Execute Protection
+                Enhanced Virtualization
+                Power/Performance Control
+
+>
+M-? toggle key help • C-d erase/stop • C-c clear/cancel • C-r search hist …
+```
+
+## Future Work
+
+While the LinuxBoot implementation on the Ampere Mt. Jade platform represents a significant
+milestone, several advanced features and improvements remain to be explored.
+These enhancements would extend the platform's capabilities, improve its usability,
+and reinforce its position as a leading open source firmware solution.
+Key areas for future development include:
+
+* **Secure Boot with LinuxBoot**: One of the critical areas for future development
+is enabling secure boot verification for the target operating system. In the LinuxBoot
+environment, the target OS is typically booted using kexec. However, it is unclear
+how Secure Boot operates in this context, as kexec bypasses traditional
+firmware-controlled secure boot mechanisms. Future work should investigate how to
+extend Secure Boot principles to kexec, ensuring that the OS kernel and its components
+are verified and authenticated before execution. This may involve implementing
+signature checks and utilizing trusted certificate chains directly within the
+LinuxBoot environment to mimic the functionality of UEFI Secure Boot during the
+kexec process.
+* **TPM Support**: The platform supports TPM, but its integration with LinuxBoot
+is yet to be defined. Future work could explore utilizing the TPM for secure boot
+measurements, and system integrity attestation.
+* **Expanding Support for Additional Ampere Platforms**: Building on the success
+of LinuxBoot on Mt. Jade, future efforts should expand support to other Ampere platforms.
+This would ensure broader adoption and usability across different hardware configurations.
+* **Optimizing the Transistion Between UEFI and LinuxBoot**: Improving the efficiency
+of the handoff between UEFI and LinuxBoot could further reduce boot times.
+This optimization would involve refining the initialization process and minimizing
+redundant operations during the handoff.
+* **Advanced Diagnostics and Monitoring Tools**: Adding more diagnostic and monitoring
+tools to the LinuxBoot u-root environment would enhance debugging and system management.
+These tools could provide deeper insights into system performance and potential issues,
+improving reliability and maintainability.
+
+## See Also
+
+* [LinuxBoot on Ampere Platforms: A new (old) approach to firmware](https://amperecomputing.com/blogs/linuxboot-on-ampere-platforms--a-new-old-approach-to-firmware)
diff --git a/src/case_studies/index.md b/src/case_studies/index.md
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@ This chapter contains case studies for various solutions.
 
 ## Table of Contents
 
-1. [Google study](Google_study.md)
-1. [OCP TiogaPass](TiogaPass.md)
+1. [Ampere study](Ampere_study.md)
+2. [Google study](Google_study.md)
+3. [OCP TiogaPass](TiogaPass.md)