hi im using the apalis imx8qm and i want to know the size range of a container that contains u-boot,ATF and SCFW?.i built one and got 1.1MB as size. and for the seco fw i know it has its own container so does the one i downloaded is the container or just the firmware?im using yocto
Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.
I might make mistakes or occasionally get you wrong. Our support team will step in if needed.
Boot Container Size and SECO Firmware for Apalis iMX8QM
Boot Container Size
For the Apalis iMX8QM, the boot container (flash.bin) that includes U-Boot, ATF, and SCFW typically ranges around 1-1.5MB, so your 1.1MB size is normal and expected(1)(2). The boot container assembles multiple components:
- SCFW (System Controller Firmware) - runs on the SCU M4 core
- ATF/TF-A (ARM Trusted Firmware) - intermediate firmware for Cortex-A cores
- U-Boot - the main bootloader
- DDR memory timings and configuration
The final boot container is created using the imx-mkimage tool with this command(1):
make SOC=iMX8QM flash_b0
SECO Firmware Container
Regarding the SECO firmware, what you downloaded is the complete container, not just raw firmware(1). The SECO firmware files are distributed by NXP as complete AHAB containers:
- For Apalis iMX8QM:
mx8qmb0-ahab-container.img - File location:
imx-seco-5.9.4/firmware/seco/mx8qmb0-ahab-container.img
This SECO container is a separate, standalone component that gets integrated into the final boot process but remains as its own container(1). The SECO (Security Controller) handles security authentication during the boot sequence.
Boot Container Assembly Process
The complete boot container assembly copies all required binaries to the imx-mkimage directory(1):
cp ~/workdir/imx-seco-5.9.4/firmware/seco/mx8qmb0-ahab-container.img iMX8QM
cp ~/workdir/scfw-bin/scfw_tcm.bin iMX8QM
cp ~/workdir/imx-atf/build/imx8qm/release/bl31.bin iMX8QM
cp ~/workdir/u-boot-toradex/u-boot.bin iMX8QM
The final flash.bin should be renamed to imx-boot for Toradex Easy Installer compatibility(1).
Your 1.1MB boot container size is completely normal for the Apalis iMX8QM platform.
Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.
Did you like my answer? 
If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.
For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.