Introduction

Trusted Firmware-A has just completed the official v2.6 release, tagged across four main repositories: TF-A, TF-A-Tests, Hafnium and TF-A OpenCI Scripts.

This is the very first release to enable support for the recently announced Armv9 architecture features.

The whole content of the release is described on the respective TF-A (1), TF-A-Tests (2) and Hafnium (3) change-logs, but here are some interesting highlights.

Highlights

• Armv9 features support:
  • Realm Management Extension (FEAT_RME): first prototype implementation (ENABLE_RME)
    • Context management changes
    • ENABLE_RME build option and support for RMM image
    • GPT library support
    • Realm security state definition
    • Added register definitions and helper functions for FEAT_RME
    • RMM dispatcher (RMMD)
    • Test Realm Payload (TRP)
  • Scalable Matrix Extension (FEAT_SME) enabled for Normal world use
  • Trace Buffer Extension (FEAT_TRBE): enable access to trace buffer control registers from Normal world
  • Embedded Trace Extension (FEAT_ETE, FEAT_ETEv1p1): enabled for Normal world use
• Other Armv8 Architecture features support:
  • Activity Monitors Extension (FEAT_AMU): enable per-core AMU auxiliary counters
  • Support for the HCRX_EL2 register (FEAT_HCX)
  • Scalable Vector Extension (FEAT_SVE): enabled for the Secure world
  • Self-hosted Trace Extensions (FEAT_TRF): enable trace system registers access from Normal world
• Support for the Arm Firmware Update specification
• Hafnium SPM & FF-A enablement:
  • Arm FF-A v1.1 notifications support
  • Arm FF-A v1.1 interrupt handling (Hafnium para-virtualized interface)
  • S-EL0 partitions support through VHE architecture extension in the secure world
  • SVE:
    • Support for saving/restoring the SVE live state such that S-EL2/Hafnium preserves the normal world state on world switches
    • Secure partitions are permitted to use FP/SIMD while normal world uses SVE/SIMD/FP on the same core.
  • Updated toolchain to LLVM/Clang 12
  • Published new SPMC threat model

New Arm cores and Arm/Partners platforms support:

• Arm CPUs: Neoverse-Demeter, Cortex Hunter & Hayes
• Arm FVP-R: BL1 support for Armv8-R64 FVP
• Arm TC platforms support
  • Introduced new TC1 platform
  • Enabled MPMM
  • Enable SVE for both Normal and Secure world
  • Add support for trusted services
• Arm Dipdha 64b support
• Allwinner R329 SoC
• Marvell SolidRun CN913X CEx7 Evaluation Board
• NXP Layerscape Ls1028a soc and board support
• QTI sc7280 platform

Various Hardware errata software workarounds added for Cortex-A78, Cortex-A710, Neoverse-N2, Neoverse-V1

[1] https://trustedfirmware-a.readthedocs.io/en/latest/change-log.html#version-2-6
[2] https://trustedfirmware-a-tests.readthedocs.io/en/latest/change-log.html#version-2-6
[3] https://review.trustedfirmware.org/plugins/gitiles/hafnium/hafnium/+/HEAD/docs/ChangeLog.md#v2_6