Terms, Definitions and Acronyms

Terms/Definitions

  • Architecture Compliance Suites(ACS): Arms Architecture Compliance Suites are a series of test suites that verify the compliance of a system against Arm architectural specifications. The Architecture Compliance Suites (ACS) are hosted in GitHub and are open source (Apache v2). Further information on individual suites is provided below.

  • Assessment: In the context of Linaro Remote Labs, this term is used in reference to the evaluation of a hardware platform (DUT) to determine its ability to be automated and leveraged by the automation infrastructure.

  • Capsule: A UEFI Capsule is a firmware package that contains updates or configuration data, which can be securely processed and applied by the UEFI firmware during the system’s boot process. It supports a standard method for firmware updates of various firmware components(images), such as system BIOS/UEFI, device firmware, or microcode. A UEFI Capsule contains:

    • Metadata including but not limited to version information, update instructions, and cryptographic signatures for security.

    • Multiple firmware images or components are bundled together, allowing for complex updates in a single package.

    • Guidance for the UEFI firmware on how to apply the updates during the boot process.

  • Conformance Run: A conformance run is the execution of a pre-defined ONELab Release Stream test suite based on a specific version of the following:

    • Platform Firmware

    • Cloud Native Application/Tooling

    • Test Suites (ONELab Lab Type Dependent)

      • SystemReady

      • Parsec

      • PSA

      • other

    • Operating system

    If the version of any one of the components above are changed, then a new conformance run is instantiated

  • Labs: In the context of this document, Labs is the term used to represent Cloud-based LAVA Servers

  • Firmware Release Stream: A Release Stream is a recurring set of automated tests in ONELab for a select instance of a DUT Platform and Firmware for that DUT. Multiple Release streams for the same DUT but variant firmware allow for the continuous validation of a DUT that need to test multiple families of firmware to support different use-cases. One platform may have multiple Release Streams, and a Release Stream may have multiple versions of firmware. For example, firmware for a wireless router platform may need different release streams to cover different regulatory regimes for different regions. The automated test suites contained within ONELab are triggered to run whenever any Test Suite, Payload, or Firmware are updated for that Release Stream. The results of those tests are found in the Conformance Runs Dashboard.

  • Image: Image, or payload, refers to a firmware executable binary. Firmware may be composed of multiple images such as UBoot, TF-A, OP_TEE, and more that, when deployed together make up the platform firmware.

  • Payload: See Image

  • UEFI Shell: The CLI that can be used to perform a capsule update among other things.

Acronyms

ACS

Architecture Compliance Suite

.cab

Stands for cabinet file and is a compressed archive file. This is a packaging format originally defined by Microsoft and leveraged by LVFS

.cap:

Stands for capsule update file as defined by UEFI specifications

DUT

Device Under Test, the platform being tested in the Linaro Remote Labs

EDK2

EFI Development Kit 2. This provides an alternate bootloader and tools to UBoot.

FOTA

Firmware Over the Air. Associated with firmware updates.

LAA

Linaro Automation Appliance. See the Overview section of the LAA Users Guide

LAVA

Linaro Automated Validation Architecture

LMS

LAVA Managed Services. A proprietary Linaro technology used to support Embedded Integration, Validation, and Test. Coupled with the LAA, LMS provides a cloud-based, remote lab solution.

LVFS

Linux Vendor Firmware Service. Coupled with the fwupd and other tooling to automate the secure upload of new firmware images to a target. Originally used for traditional PCs, now being leveraged by the embedded community as a standard way to package firmware updates.

MIB

Mechanical Interface Board. See the Getting Started section of the LAA Users Guide

OTA

Over-the-Air, typically associated with Over-the-Air software or firmware updates.

Payload

Also called an Image in the UEFI spec. Represents images encapsulated within a Capsule. Examples of images include UBoot, EDK2, TF-A, OP-TEE and other firmware components that may be built separately but packaged together as part of the overall firmware for a DUT.

PCB

Printed Circuit Board

PARSEC

Platform AbstRaction for SECurity

PSA

Platform Security Architecture

TPM

Trusted Platform Module

UEFI

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface specification. The firmware formatting standard required by Systemready. Chapters of particular interest:

Chapter 8.5.3.1 UpdateCapsule()

Chapter 23 Firmware Update and Reporting