Re: [Suit] How are firmware and firmware versions expressed in manifest?

Michael Richardson <mcr+ietf@sandelman.ca> Sat, 06 June 2020 22:59 UTC

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From: Michael Richardson <mcr+ietf@sandelman.ca>
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Date: Sat, 06 Jun 2020 18:59:18 -0400
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Subject: Re: [Suit] How are firmware and firmware versions expressed in manifest?
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Hannes Tschofenig <Hannes.Tschofenig@arm.com> wrote:
    > I think the BOM terminology is misleading because hardware is not
    > software. The bill of material to produce an IoT product typically does
    > not change (unless you desolder parts) while the software and
    > configuration will regularly change.

This thinking is really a serious part of the problem that I think SBOM is
trying to address.

We think that the hardware does not change, because it's hardware, but it
does change, because it's a device with an MCU with code baked in by the
manufacturer.
*AND* hardware *DOES* change because there are line cards, expansion slots,
USB connectors that provide PCIe connectivity...

But, a TPM is good example of something one might call hardware, but it's got
a whole SoC in there with software.  That software could have bugs.

    > Leaving that aside, I believe someone active in COSWID needs to clarify
    > what COSWID does. My understanding was that it documents the software

Agreed.

--
Michael Richardson <mcr+IETF@sandelman.ca>, Sandelman Software Works
 -= IPv6 IoT consulting =-