Arm SystemReady for Client Devices
Arm SystemReady is a compliance program designed to ensure system software like OS, Hypervisor, etc. work out of the box on Arm-based platforms. SystemReady defines a set of hardware requirements and firmware standards.
Arm SystemReady defines a few bands targeting different market segments.
SystemReady does not have any client device (e.g: laptop) specific standard yet. SystemReady SR might be the closest one to follow for client devices.
Check out Arm’s blog for more details.
Progress in the Arm SystemReady Program: Enabling systems where software ‘just works’
Specifications for Arm SystemReady SR
Arm SystemReady SR is based on the following specifications:
Base System Architecture (BSA) and Server Base System Architecture (SBSA)
Server Base Boot Requirement (SBBR)
Base Boot Security Requirements (BBSR)
Base System Architecture (BSA) and Server Base System Architecture (SBSA)
BSA defines the minimum set of hardware requirements for an operating system to boot successfully and SBSA adds a few more specific hardware requirements for the server or workstation segment.
The specification mandates a few hardware requirements
Processor
Memory features
GIC (Interrupt Controller)
SMMU
UART
Watchdog
SMMU
PCIe
Common I/O peripherals like USB/SATA
SBSA defines a few levels based on the hardware capabilities.
Arm BSA document references a client base architecture specification as well but no documents seem to be publically available yet.
Please check out the following links for specification
BSA: https://developer.arm.com/documentation/den0094/latest
SBSA: https://developer.arm.com/documentation/den0029/latest/
Server Base Boot Requirement
BBR specifies the requirements for boot and runtime services that system software, like operating systems and hypervisors, can rely on. It is based on the following standards
UEFI
ACPI
SMBIOS
PSCI/SMCCC
https://developer.arm.com/documentation/den0044/latest
Base Boot Security Requirements
Base Boot Security Requirements specify standard security interfaces that operating systems can rely on. These interfaces include the following security-related functionality:
• UEFI authenticated variables
• UEFI secure boot
• UEFI secure firmware update using Update Capsules
• TPMs and measured boot
https://developer.arm.com/documentation/den0107/latest
SystemReady Validation
Arm provides Architecture Compliance Suite (ACS) for SystemReady Validation.
ACS comprises multiple test suites to test hardware and firmware requirements
SBSA hardware requirements
CPU properties
System components
PCIe integration ( Based on the PCIe specification)
Based on standard OS drivers with no quirks enabled
SBBR defined firmware requirements
UEFI testing that is based on the UEFI Self-Certification Test (SCT)
ACPI and SMBIOS testing that is based on Firmware Test Suite (FWTS)