# NL.net proposal
-
## Project name
LibreBMC
<https://libre-soc.org/nlnet_2022_librebmc>
+## NLNet proposal 1 : LibreBMC Board Porting
+
+__Abstract__: LibreBMC replaces the proprietary Baseboard Management
+Controller (BMC) and its secret hidden firmware, entirely. In servers
+typically used in Data Centre's and for scenarios where data privacy is
+paramount this turns out to be critical. One of the most commonly-used
+BMC Processors in the world has a silicon-baked plaintext password
+for its Serial Console, and with a BMC being the very means by which a
+processor's BIOS is uploaded, this publicly-available password allows for
+a full bypass of every conceivable security measure. BMC (out-of-band)
+Processors are also present in every AMD and Intel desktop and laptop
+in the world, think the Intel Management Engine. Even replacing the
+BIOS with coreboot is not enough to gain trust because the BMC is in
+charge of uploading coreboot/oreboot, and could easily alter it. At
+least in this case if the BMC's firmware is replaced it increases trust
+that the payload (coreboot/oreboot) has not been tampered with. However
+this is so low-level that there is serious risk of damaging the user's
+machine. LibreBMC therefore intends to make a low-cost (dual) FPGA-based
+"Experimentation" platform, as Libre/Open Hardware, for developers to
+iteratively test out development of alternative BMC Firmware (LibreBMC,
+OpenBMC, u-bmc), without risk of damage to the machine it is managing. One
+FPGA will run LibreBMC, the other Libre-SOC/Microwatt/A2O, and the first
+will boot the second. This will allow the next phase - actual booting
+of servers and desktop machines - to proceed with confidence.
+
+__Experience__: I am the TSC of the OpenPOWER Foundation, and I am
+involved with Libre-SOC. I already build a full Linux Distribution,
+PowerEL to several platforms. However this work would be spread over
+several people in the company and within the Libre-SOC team.
+
+__Amount__: 50000 EUR
+
+__Use__:
+
+- Design and fabrication of Libre/Open Hardware Dual FPGA Carrier boards
+(most likely accepting ECP5 based devices such as the OrangeCrab module)
+- Porting of both LibreBMC and OpenBMC to the FPGA Board (with optionally u-bmc)
+- Porting to Raptor Engineering's Arctic Tern Board (Lattive ECP5 based FPGA board)
+- Implementation of server side LPC (client-side already exists)
+- Verilator simulation of both client and server side LPC and testing of the two simulations back-to-back
+
+__Comparison__: There are no real open source BMC stack projects, there
+is OpenBMC, u-bmc which is the software stack, there is an Arctic Tern
+board, and there is an DC-SCM board of Antmicro, however there is no
+real overall project that enables a user to pick up an hardware BMC and
+put their their software on that BMC
+
+__Challenges__: Making test boards, porting the software to those boards.
+
+__Ecosystem__: As a result of our efforts it will make it easier for
+other users to expand targets to existing hardware (this is not included
+in this project, however it is the end goal). In the long term we want
+manufacturers to make this a standard, as OCP NIC are becoming a standard
+on servers, and USB-C is required by the EU, we want DC-SCM, RunBMC
+modules to become standard (another proposal submitted for thiw work)
+
+
+## NLNet proposal 2 : LibreBMC User Standard
+
+__Abstract__: LibreBMC replaces the proprietary Baseboard Management
+Controller (BMC) and its secret hidden firmware, entirely. One of the most
+commonly-used BMC Processors in the world has a silicon-baked plaintext
+password for its Serial Console, and with a BMC being the very means by
+which a processor's BIOS is uploaded, this publicly-available password
+allows for a full bypass of every conceivable security measure. BMC
+(out-of-band) Processors are also present in every AMD and Intel desktop
+and laptop in the world, think the Intel Management Engine. Even replacing
+the BIOS with coreboot is not enough to gain trust because the BMC is
+in charge of uploading coreboot/oreboot, and could easily alter it. At
+least in this case if the BMC's firmware is replaced it increases trust
+that the payload (coreboot/oreboot) has not been tampered with. By using
+FPGA based BMC, the software, hardware can be open sourced and provides
+insight to the end-user, we want to make it easy for users to be able to
+build their on BMC firmware using minimal technical knowledge. However
+we will also need hardware to support that and part of this project is
+to make LibreBMC based design a standard as the OCP Mezz NIC standard
+is on servers, or SO-DIMM's or LPDDR on user devices, like laptops,
+and desktops.
+
+__Experience__: I am part of the LibreBMC project, the Libre-SOC project,
+the PowerEL project and we want to get involved with OCP to push the
+DC-SCM and RunBMC standard to go industry wide so the adoption becomes
+easy and manufacturers provide this standard on all devices.
+
+__Amount__: 50000 EUR
+
+__Use__:
+
+- Development of an EU Standard for Baseboard Management Control,
+suitable for EU end-user products such as chromebooks, laptops, and
+desktop computers (instead of the current soldered-down insecure ICs).
+- Build LibreBMC images for end-users to download and flash easily -
+Have a service to build own images for personal usage so people can
+customize their BMC image - Be involved with OCP to steer the DC-SCM
+and RunBMC standards
+
+__Comparison__: There has been no effort to open the BMC to this point,
+we started under the LibreBMC project backed by the OpenPOWER Foundation
+and as POWER users we have several experimental systems that are becoming
+available for testing use, those technical efforts need to be put to
+benefit of the end-user and their devices, such as laptops, desktops,
+servers and others.
+__Challenges__: Making a standard BMC for manufacturers to be able,
+willing and suggested to implement. Making users aware of the possibility
+to customize BMC setup to be security and privacy aware.
+
+__Ecosystem__: We want to persuade the OCP to make it mandatory and
+then convince the EU to also to that as they did with USB-C. We need
+end-users to care about the open source hardware and software stack
+running on a part most people do not even know exists, as it is hidden
+from the user in most cases.
+
+
+# NLNet draft
+## draft work version prior to submission
+
Please be short and to the point in your answers; focus primarily on
the what and how, not so much on the why. Add longer descriptions as
attachments (see below). If English isn't your first language, don't
## Abstract: Can you explain the whole project and its expected outcome(s).
-LibreBMC replaces the proprietary Boot Management Controller and its
+LibreBMC replaces the proprietary Base board Management Controller (BMC) and its
secret firmware, entirely. In servers typically used in Data Centres
and for scenarios where data privacy is paramount
this turns out to be critical. One of the most commonly-used BMC
* Design and fabrication of Libre/Open Hardware Dual FPGA Carrier
boards (most likely accepting OrangeCrab as a module)
* Porting of both LibreBMC and OpenBMC to the FPGA Board
+* Porting to Raptor Engineering's Arctic Tern Board
* Implementation of *server* side LPC (client-side already exists)
* Verilator simulation of both client and server side LPC
and testing of the two simulations back-to-back
+* Development of an EU Standard for Baseboard Management Control,
+ suitable for EU end-user products such as chromebooks, laptops,
+ and desktop computers (instead of the current soldered-down
+ insecure ICs).
# Compare your own project with existing or historical efforts.
+TODO compare with RunBMC and OpenBMC.
## What are significant technical challenges you expect to solve during the project, if any?
projects / libreriscv.git / blobdiff