Binman bintool Documentation

This file describes the bintools (binary tools) supported by binman. Bintools are binman’s name for external executables that it runs to generate or process binaries. It is fairly easy to create new bintools. Just add a new file to the ‘btool’ directory. You can use existing bintools as examples.

Bintool: cbfstool: Coreboot filesystem (CBFS) tool

This bintool supports creating new CBFS images and adding files to an existing image, i.e. the features needed by binman.

It also supports fetching a binary cbfstool, since building it from source is fairly slow.

Documentation about CBFS is at https://www.coreboot.org/CBFS

Bintool: fiptool: Image generation for ARM Trusted Firmware

This bintool supports running fiptool with some basic parameters as neeed by binman.

It also supports build fiptool from source.

fiptool provides a way to package firmware in an ARM Trusted Firmware Firmware Image Package (ATF FIP) format. It is used with Trusted Firmware A, for example.

See TF-A FIP tool documentation for more information.

Bintool: futility: Handles the ‘futility’ tool

futility (flash utility) is a tool for working with Chromium OS flash images. This Bintool implements just the features used by Binman, related to GBB creation and firmware signing.

A binary version of the tool can be fetched.

See Chromium OS vboot documentation for more information.

Bintool: ifwitool: Handles the ‘ifwitool’ tool

This bintool supports running ifwitool with some basic parameters as neeed by binman. It includes creating a file from a FIT as well as adding, replacing, deleting and extracting subparts.

The tool is built as part of U-Boot, but a binary version can be fetched if required.

ifwitool provides a way to package firmware in an Intel Firmware Image (IFWI) file on some Intel SoCs, e.g. Apolo Lake.

Bintool: lz4: Compression/decompression using the LZ4 algorithm

This bintool supports running lz4 to compress and decompress data, as used by binman.

It is also possible to fetch the tool, which uses apt to install it.

Documentation is available via:

man lz4

Bintool: lzma_alone: Compression/decompression using the LZMA algorithm

This bintool supports running lzma_alone to compress and decompress data, as used by binman.

It is also possible to fetch the tool, which uses apt to install it.

Documentation is available via:

man lzma_alone

Bintool: mkimage: Image generation for U-Boot

This bintool supports running mkimage with some basic parameters as neeed by binman.

Normally binman uses the mkimage built by U-Boot. But when run outside the U-Boot build system, binman can use the version installed in your system. Support is provided for fetching this on Debian-like systems, using apt.