APALIS IMX8 BOOT CONTAINER FLASH

Technical Support
1

Hi everyone, is it possible not to use toradex easy installer and use nxp tools to flash the SOM?im working on apalis imx8qm and can you give me a tutorial how to flash it in case of the nxp tools working?

2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

I might make mistakes or occasionally get you wrong. Our support team will step in if needed.

Yes, it is possible to use NXP tools to flash the Apalis iMX8QM SoM. The documentation shows that NXP Universal Update Utility (UUU) can be used as an alternative to Toradex Easy Installer.

Using NXP UUU Tool for Flashing

Based on the secure boot deployment documentation, you can use the NXP Universal Update Utility (UUU) tool with a script approach (1). Here’s the general process:

1. UUU Script Configuration

The documentation provides an example UUU script that can be adapted for general flashing operations (1):

# This command will be run when ROM support stream mode  
# i.MX8QXP, i.MX8QM  
SDPS: boot -f imx-boot  
# refer related module tezi image recovery folder uuu.auto file  
CFG: FB: -vid 0x0525 -pid 0x4000  
CFG: FB: -vid 0x0525 -pid 0x4025  
CFG: FB: -vid 0x0525 -pid 0x402F  
CFG: FB: -vid 0x0525 -pid 0x4030  
CFG: FB: -vid 0x0525 -pid 0x4031  

SPDU: delay 1000  

FB: ucmd setenv cmd 'fuse prog -y 0'  

FB: ucmd ${cmd} 722 0x7ef8ad2a  
FB: ucmd ${cmd} 723 0x......  
...  
FB: ucmd ${cmd} 737 0x27d7727a  

FB: done

(1)

2. Boot Container Image Preparation

The process involves creating a proper Boot Container Image using imx-mkimage tools. The documentation mentions that you need to (1):

  • Download and compile U-Boot source code with proper AHAB configuration
  • Use imx-mkimage to generate the “flash.bin” Boot Container Image file
  • Rename the generated file to “imx-boot” for UUU compatibility

3. Hardware Setup

For the Apalis iMX8QM, you’ll need to:

  • Put the module in recovery mode
  • Connect via USB to your host system
  • Ensure proper power management signals are configured as specified in the datasheet (2)

Important Considerations

The Apalis iMX8QM features advanced security capabilities including AHAB (Advanced High Assurance Boot) and hardware virtualization support (3). When using NXP tools directly, you’ll need to ensure compatibility with these security features.

The module supports multiple operating systems including Torizon, Yocto-based BSPs, and others (3), so your flashing approach should align with your target OS requirements.

For detailed step-by-step instructions specific to your use case, you may want to consult the NXP documentation for UUU and the i.MX8QM reference manual, as the Toradex documentation primarily focuses on using Toradex Easy Installer for standard deployment scenarios.

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3

Hi @anmsn44!

We don’t officially support flashing images without TEZI, so we cannot guarantee that this approach will work and we do not have documentation about it. TEZI uses UUU to load itself into the RAM.

That said, if you want to explore this approach, I would recommend reaching out to NXP’s forums and documentation for additional guidance.

Best regards.

4

Thank you for the clarification, so my question is how to flash an nxp boot container according to the ahab format because the Tez does no support flashing this format?

5

Hi @anmsn44!

I believe there may be a misunderstanding.

To clarify, TEZI does support flashing AHAB-configured images. However, the image must be properly signed. Otherwise, authentication will fail and the device will not boot.

I also recommend checking our Security section of the Developer Website for more information.

Best regards.

6

i have a container signed that i want to flash can you tell me the steps to how to do it using TEZI plz?

7

Hi @anmsn44!

The best way to deploy a Secure Boot-enabled Torizon OS image (which can include pre-provisioned containers) to a SoM is to build it using Yocto with the appropriate signing classes, then flash it using Toradex Easy Installer (TEZI).

I strongly recommend reading our official documentation on secure boot and the Integrate Secure Boot on Torizon OS article, since you could brick your module if something goes wrong during the device closing process.

Best regards.