U-boot porting v2021.10 adding binman

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Hi Vitthal,

It sounds like you’re encountering an issue with the SPL (Secondary Program Loader) when using U-Boot v2021.10 with Binman on your custom RISC-V board. Here are some steps and considerations that might help you resolve the issue:

1. Changes in Binman (v2021.07 onwards)

Binman was introduced to handle the creation of firmware images in a more flexible and modular way. Some changes that might affect your setup include:

  • Image Layout: Binman allows for more complex image layouts, which might introduce differences in how the SPL and U-Boot proper are packed and loaded.
  • Device Tree Overlays: Ensure that any device tree overlays or configurations are correctly applied in the new version.
  • Configuration Files: Check if there are any new or deprecated configuration options in the binman configuration files.

2. Resolving the SPL Trap Error

Here are some steps to debug and potentially resolve the SPL trap error:

a. Compare Configurations

  • Compare the SPL configurations (.config files) between v2021.04-rc5 and v2021.10. Look for any differences that might affect the SPL.
  • Check Binman Configuration: Ensure that the binman configuration is correctly set up for your board. This includes checking the binman entries in your board’s configuration files.

b. Debugging SPL

  • Enable Debugging: Enable debugging in the SPL to get more detailed logs. This can be done by setting CONFIG_SPL_DEBUG=y in your U-Boot configuration.
  • Check SBI Implementation: Since you’re encountering an SBI trap, ensure that the SBI (Supervisor Binary Interface) implementation is compatible with the changes in U-Boot v2021.10.

c. Cross-Version Compatibility

  • Cross-Version Testing: As you mentioned, using u-boot-spl.bin from v2021.04-rc5 with u-boot.itb from v2021.10 works. This suggests that the issue might be isolated to the SPL. Try to isolate the changes in the SPL between these versions.

d. Review Commit History

  • Review Commits: Look at the commit history for U-Boot between v2021.04-rc5 and v2021.10, focusing on changes related to SPL and Binman. This might give you clues about what has changed and what might be causing the issue.

e. Community and Documentation

  • Community Forums: Check U-Boot mailing lists and forums for any similar issues reported by others. Sometimes, issues are known and have been discussed or resolved by the community.
  • Documentation: Review the U-Boot documentation for any notes on changes or migration steps when moving to a version with Binman.

Conclusion

The issue you’re facing seems to be related to changes in how the SPL is built and loaded with Binman in U-Boot v2021.10. By comparing configurations, enabling debugging, and reviewing changes, you should be able to pinpoint the cause of the SPL trap error. If the issue persists, providing detailed logs and configurations on community forums might help get more specific advice.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your porting efforts!

Best regards,
[Your Name]

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