Category: Software Debug and Trace

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 36: Explorations in SMM

Alan Sguigna

July 15, 2018
11:46 am

System Management Mode (SMM) is an x86 operating mode in which all normal execution, including the operating system, is suspended. SMM is of interest to cybersecurity specialists (black hat and white hat) because it can also be abused to run high-privileged rootkits. This week, I decided to use SourcePoint to explore some of its mysteries.

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 35: Linux kernel debug & trace

Alan Sguigna

July 1, 2018
8:31 pm

After last week’s distraction, I do a deep dive into the debug & trace tools that are built into the Linux SDK.

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 34: Sato SDK running inside VirtualBox

Alan Sguigna

June 24, 2018
4:20 pm

In the last episode, I got the Sato SDK Yocto image running on my MinnowBoard, and explored some of the debug and trace tools therein. This week, I took a side trip to see if I could get the Yocto image running within Oracle’s VirtualBox.

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 33: More Yocto image builds, and Linux debug

Alan Sguigna

June 10, 2018
3:41 pm

In this week’s episode, I build some additional Yocto Linux images, beyond simply the minimal base image. Then I start having some fun debugging them.

Timing Benchmarks for BMC-Assisted Embedded JTAG

Alan Sguigna

May 20, 2018
5:33 pm

Moving run-control (Intel In-Target Probe, or ITP) down into the service processor on an x86 design results in a screamingly fast, scalable implementation of at-scale debug. This article contains some timing benchmarks of our embedded solution versus alternatives. The results are nothing short of astonishing.

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 32: a successful Yocto image install

Alan Sguigna

May 13, 2018
5:00 pm

In Episode 31: First attempts to debug the Linux kernel and prior episodes of the MinnowBoard Chronicles eBook, you can see how I struggled unsuccessfully to install a Yocto image I built onto the MinnowBoard. Well, this week, I got it to work! Here’s the trick.

Larry Traylor’s new x86 Debug and Trace eBook

Alan Sguigna

May 6, 2018
1:10 pm

Larry Traylor, an industry luminary in the world of x86 architecture debug and trace technologies, has published a new eBook on this fascinating topic. Here’s my review.

Built-In Self Test (BIST) for PCI Express using Embedded Run-Control

Alan Sguigna

April 22, 2018
8:40 pm

In previous articles, I’ve written about the use of JTAG-based run-control for remote debug. Facebook presented an example of this a few weeks ago at the Open Compute Summit. This blog describes the real-time performance of such a BIST we designed for PCI Express link training tests.

Facebook OpenBMC At-Scale Debug at the OCP Summit

Alan Sguigna

April 15, 2018
6:05 pm

ASSET gets a nod at the Open Compute Summit for our leadership in At-Scale Debug.

The MinnowBoard Chronicles eBook now available

Alan Sguigna

March 25, 2018
8:31 pm

For those who may have missed it, I've been blogging about my experiences with the MinnowBoard Turbot for the last 15 months. Now, finally, all the blogs have been combined into a 138-page compendium of my learnings about x86 architecture, UEFI, Yocto Linux, and many other technical topics. Check it out at The MinnowBoard Chronicles (note: requires registration).

Category: Software Debug and Trace

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 36: Explorations in SMM

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 35: Linux kernel debug & trace

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 34: Sato SDK running inside VirtualBox

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 33: More Yocto image builds, and Linux debug

Timing Benchmarks for BMC-Assisted Embedded JTAG

The MinnowBoard Chronicles Episode 32: a successful Yocto image install

Larry Traylor’s new x86 Debug and Trace eBook

Built-In Self Test (BIST) for PCI Express using Embedded Run-Control

Facebook OpenBMC At-Scale Debug at the OCP Summit

The MinnowBoard Chronicles eBook now available

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