[meta-xilinx] Bitstream/Boot.bin/etc - Providers/Virtual targets

[Nathan Rossi]

Hi All,

So there are layers/recipes out there where everyone is getting bitstream/boot.bin/fsbl/etc going in Yocto. We are hoping to get some of the features into the base meta-xilinx layer (including the boot-gen stuff). One of the questions that needs to be answered is how to describe the dependencies, so that a machine can include its relevant pieces.

For example, a bitstream could be defined a number of ways including recipes that generate the bitstream from Vivado/EDK projects (like in the meta-topic layer of Mike's), or recipes that use bitstream that are locally provided as a source in the layer, or again as a remote source uri for download. Getting the bitstream into the dependency chain could easily be done by using the 'PROVIDERS' feature of packages and defining a virtual provider, e.g. 'virtual/bitstream'. In this example the machine would define "PREFERRED_PROVIDER_virtual/bitstream = 'packagenamehere'".

The same could be done for the 'virtual/boot-image' which would be for binary bitstream blobs, as well as boot.bin images.

And this could also extend to the third case the platform loaders (e.g. fsbl, ezynq and u-boot-spl) which could be "virtual/platform-loader".

I am throwing these out as ideas, all feedback is welcome :).

Regards,
Nathan