Installation

Install the latest release from PyPI:

pip install binary-manager

The pylibfdt dependency is built from source, so this needs swig, a C compiler and the Python development headers (on Debian and Ubuntu: apt install swig build-essential python3-dev).

The binman command is then on your path.

Quick start

Build an image from the description in a devicetree, taking the input files from the current directory:

binman build -d u-boot.dtb

List the contents of an existing image:

binman ls -i image.bin

Binman runs external tools for some entry types. To install any which are missing:

binman tool -f missing

See binman -H for the complete manual, or the documentation linked below.

Documentation

Full documentation is hosted on Read the Docs:

https://binman.readthedocs.io/

Development

Run the test suite from a checkout:

pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -e .[test]
binman tool -f missing
binman test

The tests build some small x86 ELF programs, so they need make and a gcc which can produce 32-bit x86 code (gcc-multilib), or set CROSS_COMPILE to a suitable cross-compiler. They also need a recent mkimage from U-Boot, since the expected output tracks its development; pass --toolpath to point binman at a U-Boot tools/ build directory. binman test -T checks that the tests cover all of the code.

The u_boot_pylib and dtoc packages are vendored from the U-Boot tree, so no surrounding U-Boot source is required.