; Summary: Add 'fastboot' protocol support to Linux

; Proposer: Tim Bird

== Description ==
The 'fastboot' protocol is a set of commands that work over USB which
are used by Android to allow a command line tool
(confusingly also called 'fastboot') to talk to target-resident software
to update the flash partitions or boot the kernel.  Usually, the target-side
software that handles the fastboot protocol is the vendor-supplied
(target-specific) firmware.  For example, on the ADP1, the bootloader
can detect a special keypress and enter "fastboot" mode, which then
allows a developer to update the software on the device or perform other
'fastboot' operations.

In cases where the kernel is already running, or in cases where the
kernel is used as its own bootloader (ie the kexec case), it would
be useful to have the kernel directly support the fastboot protocol.
This would allow developers to use the fastboot host-side program in these
configurations in the same manner that it is used with Android-certified
devices.  This would simplify the process of getting Android software
onto a device, and make it more uniform to update the flash partitions (or 
wherever
persistent storage is for the kernel and root filesystems).

Support for the fastboot protocol is required by Google for certified
Android devices.

== Related work ==
* See http://elinux.org/Android_Fastboot

== Scope ==
A rough guess is that this would take about 4 weeks to develop and test.

== Contractor Candidates ==

== Comments ==

[[Category:Project proposals 2011]]

=============================
Tim Bird
Architecture Group Chair, CE Linux Forum
Senior Staff Engineer, Sony Network Entertainment
=============================

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