Add Layout File capability to v3 and LAR tool

[edwin_beasant@…]

This patch adds the ability to specify a layout file within the v3 Kconfig menu system, and then to enable LAR to read and setup a flash image with respect to this layout file. This operates by padding the blank space with '(padding)' images, using a similar method to the zero padding that LAR uses to finalise an image.
I have also included the patch to optionally disable fallback booting: this speeds things up a bit on the DB800 board which seems to have RTC byte read/write issues somewhere...

The layout file format is the same as current flashrom.
It also allows addition/specification of the VSA within the Kconfig setup for Geode targets, which will then be added to the LAR in a sensible place.
Example tested layout for 49LF008A device:

00000000:0003ffff fallback
00040000:0004ffff vsa
00050000:0008ffff normal
000f0000:000f0000 bootblock

Note that the fallback image is 'below' the normal image:
This allows for the fallback image to be 'golden': if you repeatedly flash the only the 'normal' area, you will always have a working accessible VSA and fallback image if the normal flash fails.
This does not prevent you from flashing the fallback image (just ba cautious)...

This has been tested as working on the Zoom DB800 development platform.

Comments and review please!

[edwin_beasant@…]

Patch to optionally disable fallback booting.

[oxygene]

Just wanted to note that the last "real" commit to v3 (which was not related to some v2 interaction, or some trivial typo) was on 2009-06-09. While I'm glad to hear that your board works with v3, there won't be too much activity over there anymore.

[hailfinger]

Hi Edwin, thanks for your patch. I am still doing some v3 development and will review (and probably apply) your patch in the next few weeks. Right now I'm preparing for university exams, so please be patient.

[edwin_beasant@…]

Currently Coreboot-v2 fails to boot on DB800 platform regardless of configuration (see current tickets/patches submitted to correct this) and most Geode-LX derivatives. There is a lot of v3 code specifically for the Geode that is still unported to v2. Whilst I would love to use the mainline-v2, it does not offer a viable way forward at the moment. I shall however be aiming to have the majority of this functionality imported to v2 asap.
Thanks,
Edwin Beasant

[stepan]

Does v2 (now v4) work with your patches applied?