Missing GL.inet changes

[samueldr]

Hi!

This repository as of fc316e9 is AFAICT only the vendor BSP commit cc9228323509bf2bd59ed73ade9dd3276c97549c, with a few files missing:

• BSP commit mirror: torvalds/linux@cc92283
• Diff: https://gist.github.com/samueldr/b68142df0b7843263294e913fee4f037

It is missing all of the changes needed to support the different products, including the GL-RM1, using the RV1126.

As per the GPL, all of the source code must be provided such that end-users can produce the same built results.

[stvhay]

Thanks for opening this, @samueldr . I agree with you that work remains before GL.iNet fully complies with their licensing obligations. However, GL.iNet publishing this repository is progress. They've acknowledged the obligation and acted. I also noticed buildroot-2018 and buildroot-2024 were recently published.

What's next? Here's what I think success looks like for GPL compliance on the GL-RM1 (Comet).

As @samueldr notes, this repository is a base Rockchip BSP without the board-specific code needed to build firmware for GL.iNet products. I searched the tree and found ~50 RV1126 device tree files. All of them are generic Rockchip reference boards (evb, ai-cam, bat-ipc, etc.), but there are no GL-RM1 files. A user cannot build a working RM1 kernel from this repository. For the RM1, a complete release would include:

1. Board-specific source code

• Kernel defconfig, e.g. arch/arm/configs/rv1126_glrm1_defconfig
• Device tree sources (.dts/.dtsi) for RM1 hardware, e.g. arch/arm/boot/dts/rv1126-glrm1.dts
• GL.iNet patches or modifications to the kernel
• Board-specific drivers (GPIO mappings, peripheral configs, etc.)
• Out-of-tree kernel modules shipped with the firmware (e.g. the bcmdhd WiFi driver at /rom/system/lib/modules/bcmdhd.ko)

2. U-Boot bootloader

• The RM1 ships U-Boot 2017.09 (GPL-2.0), but no corresponding source repository exists. GL.iNet's other U-Boot repos cover IPQ, MTK, and other platforms---not Rockchip/RV1126.

3. Build documentation

• If using Buildroot, include package configs and patches applied on top of upstream
• Toolchain version and where to obtain it
• Build commands to go from git clone to a working image
• How to flash the result

4. Version traceability

• Tag releases matching shipped firmware versions (e.g. v1.7.2-1128 for glkvm-RM1-1.7.2-1128-1764344791.img)
• Link to the upstream Rockchip BSP you started from (makes your changes easy to see)

GL.iNet, you likely have all of this in your internal build system already. Could you:

1. Identify the internal build tree for RM1
2. Extract the board-specific files (device trees, configs, custom drivers)
3. Add them to this repo with a README
4. Add similar files and instructions for buildroot and U-boot.
5. Tag it with the firmware version

This isn't asking for anything new---just making visible what you already use to build the firmware you ship.

I'm happy to test-build from the updated repository and confirm it produces compatible binaries.

For broader context on all GPL components in the RM1 firmware, see gl-inet/glkvm#86.

[samueldr]

• Out-of-tree kernel modules shipped with the firmware (e.g. the bcmdhd WiFi driver at /rom/system/lib/modules/bcmdhd.ko)

Not to detract from the intent of the message, it is likely it's not out-of-tree. The Rockchip BSP includes many additional drivers, including that one, which could be coming either from

• https://github.com/torvalds/linux/tree/cc9228323509bf2bd59ed73ade9dd3276c97549c/drivers/net/wireless/rockchip_wlan
• https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/cc9228323509bf2bd59ed73ade9dd3276c97549c/drivers/net/wireless/rockchip_wlan/rkwifi/bcmdhd/Makefile#L4
• https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/cc9228323509bf2bd59ed73ade9dd3276c97549c/drivers/net/wireless/rockchip_wlan/rkwifi/bcmdhd/Makefile#L120-L121
• (obj-m += ... is how a kernel module is added to the build)

With that said, kernel modules can be written in a way that respects the kernel's interface they provide for non-GPL modules, so the presence of a module without sources does not necessarily indicate an issue. It's on a case-by-case basis.

---

Also, while I agree with the intent of the reply, some of the requests are not required per the licenses of the software.

I opened this issue strictly about the kernel and its changes, as it is in the kernel repository.

Other compliance issues probably should go where appropriate, though I don't know where that would be.

However, I do invite GL.inet to be transparent and provide the source with history, and proper tagging. Even if it's a bit inelegant, transparency is a good way to build trust.

[stvhay]

@samueldr good catch on bcmdhd - you're right, it's in the BSP tree under drivers/net/wireless/rockchip_wlan/rkwifi/bcmdhd and probably builds as a module via obj-m. Fair point on scope too. The broader items are out of scope of this issue: GL.iNet's actual kernel modifications. I'll look at the buildroot repos recently published and get these tracked over there.

I totally agree on transparency. With a release of history and provenance, the community has a better chance to participate in proper upstream efforts and maybe even finding a public maintainer of the code base before GL.iNET interest shifts to other core technology.

[luochongjun]

Thanks for opening this, @samueldr . I agree with you that work remains before GL.iNet fully complies with their licensing obligations. However, GL.iNet publishing this repository is progress. They've acknowledged the obligation and acted. I also noticed buildroot-2018 and buildroot-2024 were recently published.

What's next? Here's what I think success looks like for GPL compliance on the GL-RM1 (Comet).

As @samueldr notes, this repository is a base Rockchip BSP without the board-specific code needed to build firmware for GL.iNet products. I searched the tree and found ~50 RV1126 device tree files. All of them are generic Rockchip reference boards (evb, ai-cam, bat-ipc, etc.), but there are no GL-RM1 files. A user cannot build a working RM1 kernel from this repository. For the RM1, a complete release would include:

1. Board-specific source code

• Kernel defconfig, e.g. arch/arm/configs/rv1126_glrm1_defconfig
• Device tree sources (.dts/.dtsi) for RM1 hardware, e.g. arch/arm/boot/dts/rv1126-glrm1.dts
• GL.iNet patches or modifications to the kernel
• Board-specific drivers (GPIO mappings, peripheral configs, etc.)
• Out-of-tree kernel modules shipped with the firmware (e.g. the bcmdhd WiFi driver at /rom/system/lib/modules/bcmdhd.ko)

2. U-Boot bootloader

• The RM1 ships U-Boot 2017.09 (GPL-2.0), but no corresponding source repository exists. GL.iNet's other U-Boot repos cover IPQ, MTK, and other platforms---not Rockchip/RV1126.

3. Build documentation

• If using Buildroot, include package configs and patches applied on top of upstream
• Toolchain version and where to obtain it
• Build commands to go from git clone to a working image
• How to flash the result

4. Version traceability

• Tag releases matching shipped firmware versions (e.g. v1.7.2-1128 for glkvm-RM1-1.7.2-1128-1764344791.img)
• Link to the upstream Rockchip BSP you started from (makes your changes easy to see)

GL.iNet, you likely have all of this in your internal build system already. Could you:

1. Identify the internal build tree for RM1
2. Extract the board-specific files (device trees, configs, custom drivers)
3. Add them to this repo with a README
4. Add similar files and instructions for buildroot and U-boot.
5. Tag it with the firmware version

This isn't asking for anything new---just making visible what you already use to build the firmware you ship.

I'm happy to test-build from the updated repository and confirm it produces compatible binaries.

For broader context on all GPL components in the RM1 firmware, see gl-inet/glkvm#86.

Thanks for pointing out the issue; we are working on it and will submit more code.

[samueldr]

Thanks for pointing out the issue; we are working on it and will submit more code.

Any update?

[stvhay]

It has been another month... update?

[stvhay]

Is anyone at GL.iNet working on this or gl-inet/buildroot-2018#1 ?