binman fails when using CONFIG_SPL_MULTI_DTB_FIT=y

[MB_stek]

Hi,

in order to support multiple board variants by the same bootloader, we want to add multiple u-boot device tree blobs to a fitImage included in the u-boot binary (flash.bin).

However, during building, binman fails:

|   /home/jenkins/build-arm/workspace/sources/u-boot/tools/binman/binman   --toolpath ./tools  build -u -d u-boot.dtb -O . -m --allow-missing --fake-ext-blobs  -I . -I /home/jenkins/build-arm/workspace/sources/u-boot -I /home/jenkins/build-arm/workspace/sources/u-boot/board/s/s_imx8 -I arch/arm/dts -a of-list="s_imx8-common s_imx8-msc-common"  -a atf-bl31-path= -a tee-os-path= -a ti-dm-path= -a opensbi-path= -a default-dt="s_imx8-common" -a scp-path= -a rockchip-tpl-path= -a spl-bss-pad= -a tpl-bss-pad=1 -a vpl-bss-pad=1 -a spl-dtb=y -a tpl-dtb= -a vpl-dtb= -a pre-load-key-path= -a of-spl-remove-props="interrupt-parent interrupts"
| binman: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'startswith'
| /home/jenkins/build-arm/workspace/sources/u-boot/Makefile:1578: recipe for target 'flash.bin' failed
| make[1]: *** [flash.bin] Error 1

In the u-boot configs, we added

CONFIG_OF_CONTROL=y
CONFIG_SPL_OF_CONTROL=y
CONFIG_OF_LIST="s_imx8-common s_imx8-msc-common"
CONFIG_MULTI_DTB_FIT=y
CONFIG_SPL_MULTI_DTB_FIT=y

In our custom dst file, we're including arch/arm/dts/imx8mm-u-boot.dtsi which has the binman node definition.

Used u-boot version: v2025.01 (mainline)

Used Python version: 3.8.0

Does anybody have an idea what could be the issue here or what we could check?

Kind regards,

Markus

[Manuel_Salas]

Hello @MB_stek 

I hope you are doing very well.

Please, if possible share your device tree with the binman node to test by my side.

If possible share steps of you compilation process.

Best regards,

Salas.

[MB_stek · Accepted solution]

Hi Salas,

we have found another defconfig setting which builds without errors:

CONFIG_OF_CONTROL=y
CONFIG_SPL_OF_CONTROL=y
CONFIG_OF_LIST="dt1 dt2 dt3"

This allows us to add several device trees in a fit image inside the u-boot binary and make SPL select which device tree to use for u-boot proper.

Our binman config is the standard config from arch/arm/dts/imx8mm-u-boot.dtsi:

&binman {
	filename = "flash.bin";
	section {
		pad-byte = <0x00>;

#ifdef CONFIG_FSPI_CONF_HEADER
		fspi_conf_block {
			filename = CONFIG_FSPI_CONF_FILE;
			type = "blob-ext";
			size = <0x1000>;
		};
#endif

#ifdef CONFIG_IMX_HAB
		nxp-imx8mcst@0 {
			filename = "u-boot-spl-mkimage.signed.bin";
			nxp,loader-address = <CONFIG_SPL_TEXT_BASE>;
			nxp,unlock;
			args;	/* Needed by mkimage etype superclass */
#endif

			binman_imx_spl: nxp-imx8mimage {
				filename = "u-boot-spl-mkimage.bin";
				nxp,boot-from = "sd";
				nxp,rom-version = <1>;
				nxp,loader-address = <CONFIG_SPL_TEXT_BASE>;
				args;	/* Needed by mkimage etype superclass */

				section {
					align = <4>;
					align-size = <4>;
					filename = "u-boot-spl-ddr.bin";
					pad-byte = <0xff>;

					u-boot-spl {
						align-end = <4>;
						filename = "u-boot-spl.bin";
					};

					ddr-1d-imem-fw {
						filename = "lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_imem.bin";
						align-end = <4>;
						type = "blob-ext";
					};

					ddr-1d-dmem-fw {
						filename = "lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_dmem.bin";
						align-end = <4>;
						type = "blob-ext";
					};

					ddr-2d-imem-fw {
						filename = "lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_imem.bin";
						align-end = <4>;
						type = "blob-ext";
					};

					ddr-2d-dmem-fw {
						filename = "lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_dmem.bin";
						align-end = <4>;
						type = "blob-ext";
					};
				};
			};
#ifdef CONFIG_IMX_HAB
		};

		nxp-imx8mcst@1 {
			filename = "u-boot-fit.signed.bin";
			nxp,loader-address = <CONFIG_SPL_LOAD_FIT_ADDRESS>;
#ifdef CONFIG_FSPI_CONF_HEADER
			offset = <0x58C00>;
#else
			offset = <0x57c00>;
#endif

			args;	/* Needed by mkimage etype superclass */
#endif

			binman_imx_fit: fit {
				description = "Configuration to load ATF before U-Boot";
				filename = "u-boot.itb";
#ifndef CONFIG_IMX_HAB
				fit,external-offset = <CONFIG_FIT_EXTERNAL_OFFSET>;
#endif
				fit,fdt-list = "of-list";
				#address-cells = <1>;
#ifdef CONFIG_FSPI_CONF_HEADER
				offset = <0x58C00>;
#else
				offset = <0x57c00>;
#endif

				images {
					uboot {
						arch = "arm64";
						compression = "none";
						description = "U-Boot (64-bit)";
						load = <CONFIG_TEXT_BASE>;
						type = "standalone";

						uboot-blob {
							filename = "u-boot-nodtb.bin";
							type = "blob-ext";
						};
					};

#ifndef CONFIG_ARMV8_PSCI
					atf {
						arch = "arm64";
						compression = "none";
						description = "ARM Trusted Firmware";
						entry = <0x920000>;
						load = <0x920000>;
						type = "firmware";

						atf-blob {
							filename = "bl31.bin";
							type = "atf-bl31";
						};
					};
#endif

					binman_fip: fip {
						arch = "arm64";
						compression = "none";
						description = "Trusted Firmware FIP";
						load = <0x40310000>;
						type = "firmware";
					};

					@fdt-SEQ {
						compression = "none";
						description = "NAME";
						type = "flat_dt";

						uboot-fdt-blob {
							filename = "u-boot.dtb";
							type = "blob-ext";
						};
					};
				};

				configurations {
					default = "@config-DEFAULT-SEQ";

					@config-SEQ {
						description = "NAME";
						fdt = "fdt-SEQ";
						firmware = "uboot";
#ifndef CONFIG_ARMV8_PSCI
						loadables = "atf";
#endif
					};
				};
			};
#ifdef CONFIG_IMX_HAB
		};
#endif
	};
};

Kind regards,

Markus