How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

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Krash
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How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by Krash »

Hello everyone,

I am wanting to debug the Vmware UEFI x64 bios.

I have been following this guide,
https://wiki.osdev.org/Debugging_UEFI_a ... s_with_GDB


and Here is the BIOS https://files.fm/f/sm5ccrd7 that I am working with.


When running the following item in the Qemu environment

Code: Select all

qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -bios EFI64.ROM -m 800 -cpu kvm64 -vga cirrus  -enable-kvm -serial tcp::8000,server -s -monitor stdi
I get nothing on the screen and I have no clue if this is even working or not.

Can I debug this ? if so, how can I debug this? I have read a ton and really haven't gotten anywhere apart from a few coreboot roms emulated .

I would like ultimately decompress it and make my own version of it. I would like to debug this though at this stage of study.
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iansjack
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by iansjack »

What is the switch "-monitor stdi" intended to do?

Have you tried connecting via the serial console (as detailed in your link)?

Have you tried connecting with gdb?
Krash
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by Krash »

I have . and the screen is completely blank. There should be a display of some sort anyway right?


You can download the file if you want to try...
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iansjack
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by iansjack »

What about my first question?
Krash
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by Krash »

Its supposed to multiplex outputs to terminal and the monitor
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Brendan
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by Brendan »

Hi,
Krash wrote:I am wanting to debug the Vmware UEFI x64 bios.
Krash wrote:When running the following item in the Qemu environment
Why not try putting petrol/gasoline in a horse, plugging an American 110v toaster into an Australian 240v power outlet, using salt instead of sugar in coffee, or cross breeding crocodiles and rabbits?


Cheers,

Brendan
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iansjack
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by iansjack »

Try "stdio" instead of "stdi".
Krash
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by Krash »

No difference.

Mate, did you try to download the file and try for yourself? Maybe it's much to ask to try to help me find an answer, but perhaps it might be better thank taking guesses :D
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by iansjack »

Mate, I'm happy to point you to ways that you can solve your problems for yourself, but I don't do free consultations.
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Schol-R-LEA
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Re: How can I Debug VMware UEFI Bios

Post by Schol-R-LEA »

Krash wrote:No difference.

Mate, did you try to download the file and try for yourself? Maybe it's much to ask to try to help me find an answer, but perhaps it might be better thank taking guesses :D
And maybe it is too much to ask us to trust a binary file from an unvetted source. Just because you say it is the VMware BIOS doesn't mean it is.

Not that it matters, since you don't link to source code, and presumably don't have access to it (since VMware isn't a FOSS package), which is what you'd actually need to in order to debug it, even if this weren't a fool's errand in the first place (as Brendan already pointed out ). The page you linked to is about debugging applications which call on the UEFI services, not the BIOS itself.
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