[Design] PSU firmware update

[Adriana Kobylak]

On 2019-06-05 09:25, Matt Spinler wrote:
> On 6/5/2019 1:18 AM, Lei YU wrote:
>>>> The PSU firmware code update will re-use the current interfaces to 
>>>> upload,
>>>> verify, and activate the image.
>>> We would like the option to be able to ship the PSU firmware as part 
>>> of
>>> the BMC image (in the root filesystem). This means that it is already
>>> present and authenticated when the BMC boots. In this way, we know 
>>> that
>>> the current BMC firmware plays well with the PSU firmware and have 
>>> fewer
>>> variables to test for when making a release.
>> Because the PSU firmware is part of BMC image, this seems a completely
>> different approach, and more like part of BMC image update, is it?
>> I would expect this should not be part of this design, what do you 
>> think?
> 
> FYI, I am 99% sure this is how IBM needs its systems to work as

There's a Version Purpose of "System"[1] that "is an aggregate for the 
system as a whole." IBM is planning to use this to bundle the BMC and 
host firmware in a single file, which as Vernon mentions would ensure 
that one is compatible with the other.

Not saying the proposed PSU design has to include the 'combined image' 
details, we can just have a mentioning that it can be an option and we 
can re-discuss how a bmc+PSU could look like once I send some details on 
the bmc+host image in the next few months.

[1] 
https://github.com/openbmc/phosphor-dbus-interfaces/blob/57b878d048f929643276f1bf7fdf750abc4bde8b/xyz/openbmc_project/Software/Version.interface.yaml#L24

> well.  That being the case,
> 
> will you also be handling this design?
> 
> 
> 
>>> I suppose this could be done by skipping the download phase and 
>>> simply
>>> creating an activation object at boot and then initiating the FW
>>> activation automatically.