[U-Boot] QE firmware/microcode handling

[Wolfgang Denk <wd@denx.de>]

Dear Gerlando Falauto,

In message <505AE6C3.5080708@keymile.com> you wrote:
> 
> following up Timur's patch on QE microcode:
> 
> http://marc.info/?l=u-boot&m=132197537730440&w=2
> 
> I was wondering, would it make any sense to *embed* QE's firmware within 
> u-boot image itself?

It's a matter of taste/requirements/system design.

> Not quite sure whether this has ever been done for similar purposes, but 
> to me it looks way more convenient to have a single image file to be 
> flashed, rather than reserving room (e.g. within the same NOR flash 
> where u-boot lies) for it.

A similar situation is with the persistent copy of the environment -
it might be "embedded" within the U-Boot image (actually even with
U-Boot code before and after it), it may be prepended or appended, or
it may be completely separate.  All options make sense for certain
configurations, and none for others.

Having a single file may be an advantage, or a disadvantage.  You
cannot tell in advance without knowing the exact specifications of the
hardware and the requirements for the software design.

So the most flexible way is actually to make no assumptions about the
location, and handle it in a board-specific way if needed (say, through
a board specific linker script, or some scripts).

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

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