Re: [ECOS] Possible GPL violation

Re: [ECOS] Possible GPL violation

[Gary Thomas]

On 01/18/2010 12:24 PM, Jonas Gorski wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have obtained a system running redboot, without any sources for
> redboot. Since I am not sure whether I am entitled to the source code,
> I will not disclose the vendor for now.
>
> The redboot itself claims to be version 0.9; also, it claims to be a
> certified release. This could mean that this was a pre-gpl redboot,
> but the system is quite recent, and the redboot was built in 2009.
> Also, the redhat copyright header goes until 2004.
>
> Also, strings yields these lines:
>
> Can't read ELF header
> Only absolute ELF images supported
> Short data reading ELF file
> *** Abort! Attempt to load ELF data to address: %p which is not in RAM
> Can't load ELF file - program headers out of order
> Can't read ELF program header
> Image is not ELF, skipping ELF parsing...
> Only absolute ELF images supported
> *** Abort! Attempt to load ELF data to address: %p which is not in RAM
> Short data reading ELF file
>
> which seems to indicate that this at least contains code from redboot
> 2.0 or later.
>
> My question now is: could this still be licensed under an other
> license, as the 2.0 sources of redboot state that "alternative
> licenses for eCos may be arranged by contacting RedHat, Inc.", or does
> this have to be GPL, and therefore should I have access to the source
> code?
>
> Best Regards,
> Jonas Gorski
>
> P.S: I did try to contact the vendor by email, but they did not
> respond. Also they stated publically that they would not release the
> source code of their boot loaders.
>

This discussion should be on the eCos maintainer's list - CC'd

Jonas - for us to have any idea about this, we'd need to know
the vendor, model, etc.  RedBoot has never had a version such
as "0.9" except from OEMs (e.g. Intel uses numbers like that)

Once we have some basic data, we can help you look into this.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------
Gary Thomas                 |  Consulting for the
MLB Associates              |    Embedded world
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Re: [ECOS] Possible GPL violation

[Jonas Gorski]

2010/1/18 Gary Thomas <gary@mlbassoc.com>:
> Jonas - for us to have any idea about this, we'd need to know
> the vendor, model, etc.  RedBoot has never had a version such
> as "0.9" except from OEMs (e.g. Intel uses numbers like that)
>
> Once we have some basic data, we can help you look into this.

Hello Gary, thanks for the quick reply.

Okay, this is a Ubiquiti RouterStation Pro, based on the Atheros
AR7161. I wouldn't wonder if the redboot sources were originally
supplied by Atheros, but this is pure speculation.

The RedBoot identifies itself as:

RedBoot(tm) bootstrap and debug environment [ROMRAM]
Ubiquiti Networks certified release, version 0.9.00318M.0905121200 -
built 12:01:38, May 12 2009

Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Red Hat, Inc.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Jonas Gorski

P.S:
An earlier build, although not the shipped one can be found in
<http://www.ubnt.com/downloads/RS/RS-r1665-BETA/RSx.ar7100.OpenWrt.r15349M-BETA.tgz>
in the files/ directory.

Their statement regarding the source can be found here:
<http://www.ubnt.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24865&postcount=2>
"We do not support third party boot loaders and we do not provide
source for the boot loader."