Perhaps this is covered elsewhere, but I have searched through the coreboot + HEADS documentation (and this forum) and have not found everything I needed. So I’d like to start a thread for advice, experiences, and instructions, both for myself, and for whoever may need it in the future. I will also document my success (or lack thereof) for later use in this thread.
I am currently building my own PC, with the goal of it being optimized for Qubes and running some kind of distribution of coreboot (ideally HEADS, but not necessary). My needs are not covered by the currently available machines that come with a pre-installed distribution of coreboot (and some are far too expensive) and I like to have my own custom set-up.
Starting questions:
- I’ve come to understand that a simple end-user can implement HEADS or coreboot on their own device, without needing to buy a device with it pre-installed. That’s at least what I’ve inferred from reading through the various docs. Is this correct?
- From what I understand, coreboot compatibility comes down to whether a particular motherboard supports it. I imagine I am covered if I purchase a motherboard listed here (heads/boards at master · linuxboot/heads · GitHub) - of those, only the MSI Pro Z790-P fits my needs, though it is untested. Is this correct? And is there anything else to consider?
- I want to have the Qubes OS bootloader separately, on an usb memory stick instead of on the main drive/direct on the PC. Are there any considerations with doing this with coreboot/HEADS?
- Compatibility issues, things to consider before taking the plunge, any resources I need to look over that I may have missed?
Moreover, from the coreboot page it says:
coreboot is a source-only distribution, and as such requires building an image from source for your specific board/device.
Does this mean that I can build coreboot on my own for any kind of device, as an end user? How is this done? I’m certain this is probably covered in the coreboot docs but I haven’t been able to find the particulars of it or instructions on how it is done.
Thanks for your time to whoever reads this, I will keep updating the thread if I find more answers or solutions on my own. I’m also very interested to hear about your own experiences and set-up.