How Dasharo works
Let’s us briefly explain what exactly Dasharo stack consists of
The first layer is a target platform. Most clients have it already chosen when starting a journey with Dasharo, however sometimes the platform is only adapted to a pre-selected set of features. With the knowledge about it’s specification we can proceed further.
The next step is about the firmware layer. The most common is coreboot due to its strong focus on boot speed, security and flexibility, however the choice depends on targeted users of the platform. Further, depending on the chosen firmware, integration of Intel FSP or AMD AGESA is set. Having it all confirmed, the payload and the operating system may become the next layer – The stack may differ at this point. For example, UEFI firmware doesn’t need payload to be implemented, due to its compatibility with UEFI specification.
Followingly, selected set of features is implemented. The choice depends on platform specification and it’s overall destination. The list of the sample features is available below. The process of creating dedicated Dasharo firmware is performed with the constant support of our team, from the early advisory steps to the constant maintenance process.
Check ready-to-buy Dasharo products
Dasharo Modules
Below are sample Dasharo features that can be added to your Dasharo product.
Security Module
Static Code Root of Trust for Measurement (S-CRTM)
To establish trust anchor for all integrity measurements gathered during boot process.
Dynamic Root of Trust for Measurement (D-RTM)
To reestablish trust in a compromised environment without reboot.
Secure, verified and measured boot integration
To make sure your platform boots only trusted code.
Firmware Recovery
To recover the firmware image in any situation.
Firmware re-ownership
To complete the ownership transfer and verification of the software delivered with hardware.
Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM)
To make your platform tamper resistant, with secure chip that carries out cryptographic operations.
Secure firmware update
To mitigate supply chain attacks and provide secure system firmware update.
Security Features Automatic Report
To raise awareness of the security features implemented and the level of protection offered by platform firmware.
OPAL integration
To enhance the safety of the data on the disk by leveraging its security features.
Intel STM or AMD SMM Supervisor
To allow only controlled access and harden the level of isolation.
Hypervisor as payload
To increase the security of the running target software to the highest possible level.
Compatibility Module
Regression Test Results (RTR)
To prove the Dasharo generic and customer-specific features for your platform with a powerful set of automated suites integrated with Dasharo CI and results visualization.
Documentation
To make users self-sufficient with explicit, user-dedicated manuals of released binaries, installation steps and best practices guidelines.
Continuous Integration
To handle faults, isolate and resolve them in a reasonable time, including emergency releases.
USB boot
To easily and quickly change the stuff the platforms boot into, including OS or any bootable tool.
Support for implementation of the Preboot eXecution Environment (iPXE).
To boot from a network using the open source network boot firmware that provides full PXE implementation.To retrieve data through protocols other than TFTP (HTTP, iSCSI and more).
Continuous Deployment with fwupd/LVFS
To have an insight into the continuous delivery process for the embedded firmware in hardware products and faster release rate.
Operating Systems Compatibility
To improve the product accessibility.
Industry Standards Compliance Testing
To gain an insurance on the product operability.
Legacy support
To maintain backward compatibility.
USB BIOS Recovery Dongle
To recover BIOS even in offline environment.
Performance Module
CPU Boost
To increase significantly performance of the processor.
Boot time optimization
To improve the boot time of the bootloader.
Power consumption optimization
To reach a lower power consumption.
Marketing
Newsletter
To allow your clients to be up-to-date with product release notes and events, rising strong interest around the product.
Blog
To make your product visible with blog posts based on release notes with implementation examples marketing means.
Website
To create a Dasharo product dedicated source base that may contain all crucial aspects of the product: RTR results, CI, Blog, binaries, releases and more according to your choice.
Dedicated firmware release site with changelogs
To place all the binaries in one place with detailed changelogs.
Dasharo DIY
coreboot YOURSELF
coreboot source-code is available in the official repository. That means you can port coreboot and adjust payload with chosen features providing that you are deeply experienced in firmware engineering and have a sufficient amount of time. Step-by-step procedures do not exist yet, so in case of any issue or bug, it is challenging to find a solution or at least a guide. Furthermore, integration, validation, emergency releases and maintenance may cause a problem without the constant support of an experienced firmware team.
Are we trying to tell you that it is not a good idea to port and adjust coreboot by yourself? No.
If you are experienced and porting coreboot will serve your purposes, you can fully manage it by yourself and we encourage you to do so! For OEM/ODM vendors, the need for time, quality and stability measures makes Dasharo the best choice. Let all the effort involved in porting, adjusting, maintenance and validation be on us – experienced firmware experts.
coreboot with Dasharo
For OEM/ODM vendors the need for time, quality and stability measures Dasharo solution as the best choice. Let all the effort involved in porting, adjusting, maintenance, and validation be set on us – experienced firmware expert.
What can you gain?
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Full coreboot integration compatible with your specification
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Implementation of preferred Dasharo features available for your platform
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Graphical User Interface that will let you modify your features
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Maintenance support including emergency releases
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Transparent validation with regression tests results
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Marketing support with technical writing, documentation releases, blog posts and newsletters