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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-28 09:13:47 +0000
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+Feature Overview
+================
+
+This page provides an overview of the current |TF-A| feature set. For a full
+description of these features and their implementation details, please see
+the documents that are part of the *Components* and *System Design* chapters.
+
+The :ref:`Change Log & Release Notes` provides details of changes made since the
+last release.
+
+Current features
+----------------
+
+- Initialization of the secure world, for example exception vectors, control
+ registers and interrupts for the platform.
+
+- Library support for CPU specific reset and power down sequences. This
+ includes support for errata workarounds and the latest Arm DynamIQ CPUs.
+
+- Drivers to enable standard initialization of Arm System IP, for example
+ Generic Interrupt Controller (GIC), Cache Coherent Interconnect (CCI),
+ Cache Coherent Network (CCN), Network Interconnect (NIC) and TrustZone
+ Controller (TZC).
+
+- A generic |SCMI| driver to interface with conforming power controllers, for
+ example the Arm System Control Processor (SCP).
+
+- SMC (Secure Monitor Call) handling, conforming to the `SMC Calling
+ Convention`_ using an EL3 runtime services framework.
+
+- |PSCI| library support for CPU, cluster and system power management
+ use-cases.
+ This library is pre-integrated with the AArch64 EL3 Runtime Software, and
+ is also suitable for integration with other AArch32 EL3 Runtime Software,
+ for example an AArch32 Secure OS.
+
+- A minimal AArch32 Secure Payload (*SP_MIN*) to demonstrate |PSCI| library
+ integration with AArch32 EL3 Runtime Software.
+
+- Secure Monitor library code such as world switching, EL1 context management
+ and interrupt routing.
+ When a Secure-EL1 Payload (SP) is present, for example a Secure OS, the
+ AArch64 EL3 Runtime Software must be integrated with a Secure Payload
+ Dispatcher (SPD) component to customize the interaction with the SP.
+
+- A Test SP and SPD to demonstrate AArch64 Secure Monitor functionality and SP
+ interaction with PSCI.
+
+- SPDs for the `OP-TEE Secure OS`_, `NVIDIA Trusted Little Kernel`_,
+ `Trusty Secure OS`_ and `ProvenCore Secure OS`_.
+
+- A Trusted Board Boot implementation, conforming to all mandatory TBBR
+ requirements. This includes image authentication, Firmware Update (or
+ recovery mode), and packaging of the various firmware images into a
+ Firmware Image Package (FIP).
+
+- Pre-integration of TBB with the Arm CryptoCell product, to take advantage of
+ its hardware Root of Trust and crypto acceleration services.
+
+- Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) functionality, including
+
+ - A Secure Partition Manager (SPM) to manage Secure Partitions in
+ Secure-EL0, which can be used to implement simple management and
+ security services.
+
+ - An |SDEI| dispatcher to route interrupt-based |SDEI| events.
+
+ - An Exception Handling Framework (EHF) that allows dispatching of EL3
+ interrupts to their registered handlers, to facilitate firmware-first
+ error handling.
+
+- A dynamic configuration framework that enables each of the firmware images
+ to be configured at runtime if required by the platform. It also enables
+ loading of a hardware configuration (for example, a kernel device tree)
+ as part of the FIP, to be passed through the firmware stages.
+ This feature is now incorporated inside the firmware configuration framework
+ (fconf).
+
+- Support for alternative boot flows, for example to support platforms where
+ the EL3 Runtime Software is loaded using other firmware or a separate
+ secure system processor, or where a non-TF-A ROM expects BL2 to be loaded
+ at EL3.
+
+- Support for the GCC, LLVM and Arm Compiler 6 toolchains.
+
+- Support for combining several libraries into a "romlib" image that may be
+ shared across images to reduce memory footprint. The romlib image is stored
+ in ROM but is accessed through a jump-table that may be stored
+ in read-write memory, allowing for the library code to be patched.
+
+- Support for the Secure Partition Manager Dispatcher (SPMD) component as a
+ new standard service.
+
+- Support for ARMv8.3 pointer authentication in the normal and secure worlds.
+ The use of pointer authentication in the normal world is enabled whenever
+ architectural support is available, without the need for additional build
+ flags.
+
+- Position-Independent Executable (PIE) support. Currently for BL2, BL31, and
+ TSP, with further support to be added in a future release.
+
+Still to come
+-------------
+
+- Support for additional platforms.
+
+- Refinements to Position Independent Executable (PIE) support.
+
+- Continued support for the FF-A v1.0 (formally known as SPCI) specification, to enable the
+ use of secure partition management in the secure world.
+
+- Documentation enhancements.
+
+- Ongoing support for new architectural features, CPUs and System IP.
+
+- Ongoing support for new Arm system architecture specifications.
+
+- Ongoing security hardening, optimization and quality improvements.
+
+.. _SMC Calling Convention: https://developer.arm.com/docs/den0028/latest
+.. _OP-TEE Secure OS: https://github.com/OP-TEE/optee_os
+.. _NVIDIA Trusted Little Kernel: http://nv-tegra.nvidia.com/gitweb/?p=3rdparty/ote_partner/tlk.git;a=summary
+.. _Trusty Secure OS: https://source.android.com/security/trusty
+.. _ProvenCore Secure OS: https://provenrun.com/products/provencore/
+
+--------------
+
+*Copyright (c) 2019-2021, Arm Limited. All rights reserved.*