Trusted Firmware for a Research Computer

Abstract

Firmware plays a crucial role in the boot process of every computer. However, firmware stacks often suffer from issues related to their size and complexity, typically stemming from years of patchwork to support new platforms or fix bugs. This thesis delves into the realm of firmware by rewriting the initial stage of the firmware stack of the Enzian research computer. The emphasis of this study is on understanding and optimizing the steps required for the successful initialization of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) in contemporary systems. Through the process of rewriting, this work demonstrates that dedicated efforts can yield remarkable results. The effort invested in this endeavor has led to a substantial reduction in the size of the code base. This improvement has not only made the code base more manageable for research teams but has also yielded enhanced performance metrics, such as boot time. These findings underscore the practical impact of focused firmware development and the tangible benefits it can deliver.