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fwupd and LVFS

Introduction

This document describes the process for generating fwupd cabinet files, uploading them to LVFS, and serving them to end-users.

Prerequisites

fwupd integration depends on the capsule update protocol being implemented for the platform. Please make sure capsule update is enabled and functional on the platform before proceeding with fwupd integration.

Building a cabinet

fwupd uses cabinet archives (.cab files) for storing firmware and its metadata. A cabinet contains, at minimum:

  • The firmware binary (in our case, this will be the capsule update file)
  • A small XML file with metadata (including the update protocol and GUID of the device)

For coreboot, a helper script to automate cabinet generation is provided in the coreboot repo's root directory.

First, start by building the capsule file:

./capsule.sh make -t keys/TestRoot.pub.pem \
                  -o keys/TestSub.pub.pem \
                  -s keys/TestCert.pem -b
Overwrite already existing 'novacustom-mtl-h-v1.0.0-rc2.cap'? [y/N] y
Created the capsule at 'novacustom-mtl-h-v1.0.0-rc2.cap'

-b adds a DXE that checks for AC power on laptops. Add -y flag to overwrite the output file without a prompt. Add -e ec.rom to build an EC capsule. See here for full usage documentation.

Now prepare the cabinet:

./capsule.sh create_cabinet novacustom-mtl-h-v1.0.0-rc2.cap
File novacustom-mtl-h-v1.0.0-rc2.cap.cab created

Add -e flag (no argument in this case) for EC capsules. It affects which options from .config are used, and a few other values in the XML metadata file. See here for full usage documentation.

Local testing

Use fwupdmgr to locally test the cabinet:

sudo fwupdmgr install novacustom-mtl-h-v1.0.0-rc2.cap.cab --allow-reinstall
[sudo] password for ubuntu:
Waiting…                 [***************************************]
Successfully installed firmware
An update requires a reboot to complete. Restart now? [y|N]:

Press y to restart and check if the update proceeds without errors.

Uploading to LVFS

Follow upstream fwupd documentation for a detailed guide for uploading cabinets to LVFS manually.

Alternatively, use ./capsule.sh upload_lvfs, which is covered in Capsule Update Details.