I recently tried enabling CoreSight on this board, but it turns out that triggered a boot hang. I tried to contact the customer service and then got a reply said, “CIX refuses to offer such a function.” It’s bold to market a “high-end” ARM board where basic features are intentionally crippled.
I did some simple research into the firmware, and found they may implemented a signing mechanism designed specifically to prevent users from accessing debugging tools. Labeling a board as “Fully Open-Source” while keeping the debugging functions under lock and key isn’t just inappropriate—it’s a joke.
I hear you - the opaque bootloader1.img firmware component is likewise signed and so even if the community figures out the contents, it’s practically impossible to change anything because the signing certificates would no longer validate.
Does this make sense on an enterprise server where the vendor/OEM is providing 24/7 support and timely firmware upgrades, or on a mobile phone where the network provider doesn’t want anything not certified from disrupting their network and other customers? Absolutely.
Does that make sense on a developer board where the worst effect of someone screwing this up is that they have to refresh their firmware? Not at all
… and it might be more acceptable if the firmware provided weren’t 2022-era and significantly broken in several areas.
There should be a firmware option which – similar to how Secure Boot can be disabled - switches an e-fuse and prevents firmware signing errors from preventing the host from booting.
