fwupd is an
open-source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
daemon
Daimon or Daemon (Ancient Greek: , "god", "godlike", "power", "fate") originally referred to a lesser deity or guiding spirit such as the daimons of ancient Greek religion and mythology and of later Hellenistic religion and philosophy.
The wo ...
for managing the installation of
firmware
In computing, firmware is a specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for a device's specific hardware. Firmware, such as the BIOS of a personal computer, may contain basic functions of a device, and may provide ...
updates on
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which i ...
-based systems, developed by
GNOME maintainer Richard Hughes. It is designed primarily for servicing the
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a set of specifications written by the UEFI Forum. They define the architecture of the platform firmware used for booting and its interface for interaction with the operating system. Examples ...
(UEFI) firmware on supported devices via EFI System Resource Table (ESRT) and UEFI Capsule, which is supported in
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally authored in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU ...
4.2 and later. Previously, the initiation of UEFI firmware updates within an operating system could, on most systems, only be performed using
Microsoft Windows or
DOS-specific software. ESRT allows the firmware to expose updatable components to the operating system, which can pass a UEFI capsule with updated firmware for processing and installation on the next boot.
Updates can be exposed via a command line tool, or within graphical package managers (such as
GNOME Software
GNOME Software is a utility for installing applications and updates on Linux. It is part of the GNOME Core Applications, and was introduced in GNOME 3.10.
It is the GNOME front-end to the PackageKit, in turn a front-end to several package ma ...
) via a
D-Bus
In computing, D-Bus (short for "Desktop Bus")
is a message-oriented middleware mechanism that allows communication between multiple processes running concurrently on the same machine. D-Bus was developed as part of the freedesktop.org project, ...
interface.
[
]
Linux Vendor Firmware Service
The Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS) provides resources and support for helping vendors package their firmware updates to support the use of this framework, and serves as an online repository for obtaining these updates. To provide a test case on systems where ESRT is not yet supported, fwupd is also able to update firmware on the ColorHug color calibrator.
Adoption
Several Linux distributions
A Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro) is an operating system made from a software collection that includes the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading on ...
use fwupd, including:
* Arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vau ...
from 2017-06-13
* Debian
Debian (), also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version of De ...
9 (Stretch) or newer
* Ubuntu
Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', '' Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All th ...
16.04 (Xenial) or newer
* Fedora
A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...
22 or newer
* RHEL
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a commercial open-source Linux distribution developed by Red Hat for the commercial market. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released in server versions for x86-64, Power ISA, ARM64, and IBM Z and a desktop vers ...
and CentOS 7.4 or newer
* openSUSE
openSUSE () is a free and open source RPM-based Linux distribution developed by the openSUSE project.
The initial release of the community project was a beta version of SUSE Linux 10.0.
Additionally the project creates a variety of tools, s ...
15.0 or newer
In December 2015, it was revealed that Hughes had been working with a Dell
Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies.
Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...
developer to test the system on actual hardware, and that its Dell Edge Gateway product will support firmware servicing via fwupd. Hughes reported that the company was also "considering expanding out the LVFS support to all new models supporting UEFI updates".Lenovo
Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related se ...
joined the project and provides update support for a wide range of their devices.
In September 2019, Acer
Acer may refer to:
* ''Acer'' (plant), the genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples
* Acer Inc., a computer company in Taiwan
** Acer Laboratories Incorporated, a subsidiary company of Acer, Inc., that designs and manufactures integrate ...
joined the project, with initial support for their Aspire A315 model. Starting from December 2019, Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
requires that firmware updates can be applied with fwupd for certified Chromebooks
A Chromebook (sometimes stylized in lowercase as chromebook) is a laptop or tablet running the Linux-based ChromeOS as its operating system. Initially designed to heavily rely on web applications for tasks using the Google Chrome browser, Chromeb ...
.
See also
* Flashrom (utility)
References
External links
*
{{Firmware and booting
Applications using D-Bus
Firmware
Software that uses Meson
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface