[meta-freescale] Notes about meta-fsl-ppc and QorIQ development for BSP Community meeting....

[Bob Cochran]

On 07/02/2014 11:45 AM, Bob Cochran wrote:
> Dear FSL Community BSP Members:
>
> Below are some notes & thoughts on improving the software development
> experience for FSL QorIQ customers:
>
> Please keep in mind that I am working with a QorIQ Power(pc) device.  I
> realize that the overall process is complicated by the fact that there
> is FSL intellectual property involved.
>
>
> Some Background (to the best of my knowledge):
>
> FSL issues a single QorIQ SDK approximately every 6 months that
> addresses basically all QorIQ devices.  The SDK is integrated with Yocto
> and uses bitbake / poky to generate the SDK image, which includes
> uImage, a dtb file, and a rootfs.
>
> Up until recently, QorIQ devices were Power only.  Now they include ARM
> cores, too.
>
> FSL maintains a meta-fsl-ppc repo on the Yocto project and has recently
> submitted patches to it to bring it in sync with SDK1.6.  However, as
> noted by Otavio in a reply email to Ting Liu on 7/2, the patches were
> submitted without documentation.
>
> The meta-fsl-ppc repo along with other public meta layers on Yocto and
> OE is not sufficient for reproducing a complete build since there is an
> additional required layer: meta-fsl-networking.
>
> A meta-fsl-networking repo can be found in the FSL public git site
> (http://git.freescale.com/git/cgit.cgi/ppc/sdk/meta-fsl-networking.git/), but
> this is stale.
>
> The Linux kernel in the SDK is customized / heavily patched.  There is
> an FSL Linux repo on the FSL public GIT site
> (http://git.freescale.com/git/cgit.cgi/ppc/sdk/linux.git/), but it's not
> clear to me what process is used when patching it (most source files are
> stale, but there is an sdk1.6 zip file present in the tree).
>
> There is no mailing list associated with the FSL public GIT site.  There
> is also no bug reporting system associated with the FSL public GIT site.
>
> As far as I know, if I find a bug in the SDK, the process to report it
> to FSL developers is to submit a service request (SR)
> (https://www.freescale.com/webapp/servicerequest.create_SR.framework).
> This is a private one-to-one system, so others don't benefit directly
> when an SR is submitted and / or resolved.
>
>
> ***** end of background ******
>
>
> I believe there is room for improvement in this process.
>
> Perhaps most importantly today is that I am not aware of a statement by
> Freescale on how their QorIQ customers should make use of the Yocto
> project (repos, mail list, bugzilla, etc.) and FSL public GIT trees
> during development.   In some ways, they are more of a hindrance than
> help because they only seem to cause confusion (for me).


Since Freescale developers monitor the meta-freescale mailing list,  is 
it acceptable to post any question or issue about FSL SDK SW 
(considering it's built with poky / bitbake)?   If there are 
intellectual property issues with this, then what are the guidelines to 
using the meta-freescale list?

I have noticed in the past some non-trivial QorIQ DPAA questions being 
asked on this board, but I have not seen a response by Freescale 
developers.  I have wondered whether the questions were ignored or 
answered privately.


>
> For example, as future patches appear in the meta-fsl-ppc repo, will
> they be for setting the stage for SDK1.7 or to fix an SDK1.6 bug?  And
> even if I knew this, what other patches might be required in repos that
> aren't part of the Yocto project?
>
> I look forward to working together to create / document a system that
> enables Freescale (QorIQ) developers to work as a community to bring
> robust FSL-based networking products to market faster.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Bob