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{{short description|Software published only in binary code}}
{{distinguish|Binary large object{{!}}Binary large object (BLOB)}}
In the context of [[free and open-source software]], [[proprietary software]] only available as a [[executable|binary executable]] is referred to as a '''blob''' or '''binary blob'''. The term usually refers to a [[device driver]] [[Loadable kernel module|module]] [[Linker (computing)|loaded]] into the [[Kernel (operating system)|kernel]] of an open-source [[operating system]], and is sometimes also applied to code running outside the kernel, such as system [[firmware]] images, [[microcode]] updates, or [[User space and kernel space|userland]] programs.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTE1NDc
| title = Coreboot: Replacing Intel's Binary Video BIOS Blob
| date = 2012-08-06 | access-date = 2015-06-23
| author = Michael Larabel | publisher = [[Phoronix]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/2883903/how-intel-and-pc-makers-prevent-you-from-modifying-your-pcs-firmware.html
| title = How Intel and PC makers prevent you from modifying your laptop's firmware
| date = 2015-02-13 | access-date = 2015-06-23
| author = Chris Hoffmann | website = pcworld.com
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://puri.sm/posts/bios-freedom-status/
| title = BIOS Freedom Status
| date = 2014-11-12 | access-date = 2015-06-23
| website = puri.sm
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTIxNDk
| title = Raspberry Pi GPU Driver Turns Out To Be Crap
| date = 2012-10-24 | access-date = 2015-06-23
| author = Michael Larabel | publisher = [[Phoronix]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://lwn.net/Articles/648392/
| title = Chromium suddenly starts downloading a binary blob
| date = 2015-06-17 | access-date = 2015-06-23
| author = Jake Edge | publisher = [[LWN.net]]
}}</ref><ref name=lyrics-39>{{cite web
|url= http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html#39
|title= 3.9: "Blob!"
|work= OpenBSD Release Songs |publisher= [[OpenBSD]] |date= 2006-05-01
|quote= Blobs are vendor-compiled binary drivers without any source code.
}}</ref> The term ''[[Binary large object|blob]]'' was first used in [[database management system]]s to describe a collection of [[binary data]] stored as a single entity.
When [[computer hardware]] vendors provide complete technical documentation for their products, operating system developers are able to write hardware device drivers to be included in the operating system kernels. However, some vendors, such as [[Nvidia#Open-source software support|Nvidia]], do not provide complete documentation for some of their products and instead provide binary-only drivers. This practice is most common for [[Graphics processing unit|accelerated graphics]] drivers, [[Wireless network interface controller|wireless networking device]]s, and hardware [[Disk array controller|RAID controllers]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://packages.debian.org/source/sid/firmware-nonfree | title = Debian packages built from the source package 'firmware-nonfree' - Binary firmware for various drivers in the Linux kernel | year = 2010 | access-date = 2010-03-25}}</ref> Most notably, closed-source drivers are very uncommon for non-wireless [[network interface controller]]s, which can almost always be configured via standard utilities (like [[ifconfig]]) out of the box; [[Theo de Raadt]] of [[OpenBSD]] attributes this to the work done by a single [[FreeBSD]] developer.<ref name=lor-opencon06>{{cite web
|author= Constantine A. Murenin |date= 2006-12-10
|url= https://www.linux.org.ru/news/hardware/1690470
|language= ru |title= Почему так важно иметь документацию по программированию железа
|website= Linux.org.ru
}}</ref><ref name=wpaul-rocks>{{cite conference
|author= Theo de Raadt
|author-link= Theo de Raadt
|date= 2016-12-03
|section-url= //www.openbsd.org/papers/opencon06-docs/mgp00011.html
|section= Page 11: The hardware: ethernet
|url= //www.openbsd.org/papers/opencon06-docs/
|title= Open Documentation for Hardware
|conference-url= //web.archive.org/web/20070109032258/http://www.opencon.org/program.php
|conference= OpenCON 2006, 2–3 December 2006
|___location= Courtyard Venice Airport, Venice/Tessera, Italy
|quote= Only a few recalcitrant vendors remain closed. / ethernet 95% documented 99% working / Open documentation largely due to the effort of one man: Bill Paul
}}</ref>
== Policy by project ==
Some [[Free Software Foundation|FSF]]-approved projects strive to provide a [[Free software movement|free]] operating system and will remove all binary blobs when no documentation for hardware or [[source code]] for device drivers and all applicable firmware is available; such projects include [[Linux-libre]] kernel packaging from [[FSFLA]], [[Parabola (software)|Parabola]], [[Devuan]], [[Trisquel]], and [[LibreCMC]].{{r|gnu/free-distros}} However, the vast majority of open-source projects make a distinction between binary-only device drivers (blobs) and binary-only firmware (not considered blobs{{r|kerneltrap/6497|p=...|q=Firmwares are not considered blobs}}), allowing for certain proprietary firmware to be freely distributed as part of their kernels, and, to the disagreement of some core contributors, also support the use of proprietary device drivers that are distributed externally, providing internal compatibility interfaces for such proprietary drivers and userspace components to work with their system.{{r|f-aac|f-aacraid}} Projects following this policy include the [[Linux kernel]] itself, [[NetBSD]], [[FreeBSD]], [[DragonFly BSD]], and most [[Linux distribution]]s.<ref name="bsdinterview">{{cite web | url = http://os.newsforge.com/os/05/06/09/2132233.shtml?tid=8&tid=2 | title = BSD cognoscenti on Linux | access-date = 2006-07-07 | last = Matzan | first = Jem | date = 15 June 2005 | publisher = NewsForge | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060323022626/http://os.newsforge.com/os/05/06/09/2132233.shtml?tid=8&tid=2 | archive-date = 23 March 2006 }} See Christos Zoulas's response to "Is sharing between Free/Open/NetBSD and the Linux kernel a common occurrence? And if so, does it go both ways?"</ref> Some of these projects do provide options for building the system without proprietary firmware, thus excluding sourceless microcode on demand.<ref name=f-sourceless-ucode>{{cite web |url= http://bxr.su/f/tools/build/options/WITHOUT_SOURCELESS_UCODE |title= build/options/WITHOUT_SOURCELESS_UCODE |website= BSD Cross Reference |publisher= [[FreeBSD]] |date= 2012-02-04}}</ref>
The [[OpenBSD]] project has a notable policy of not only not accepting any binary device drivers into its source tree, but also officially not supporting any third-party proprietary device driver components on its platform, either;{{r|lyrics-38|p=38...|q=we refuse to accept our users being forced into depending on vendor binaries}} citing not only the potential for undetectable or irreparable security flaws, but also the encroachment onto the openness and freedom of its software.<ref name="deraadt_interview_200605">{{citation
|url=http://kerneltrap.org/node/6550
|title=Interview: Theo de Raadt
|first=Jeremy
|last=Andrews
|work=[[KernelTrap]]
|publisher=Jeremy Andrews
|date=2006-05-02
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060603230017/http://kerneltrap.org/node/6550
|archive-date=2006-06-03
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> The [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF) is actively campaigning against binary blobs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/rms-ati-protest.html|title=Protest against ATI nearly led to the arrest of RMS|date=27 April 2006|access-date=2006-10-10|publisher=Free Software Foundation}}</ref> FSF also considers OpenBSD's policy confusingly worded, as "blobs" in the BSD community refer only to what it considers non-free drivers, and does not apply to proprietary firmware and sourceless microcode.{{r|gnu/common-d|p=BSD}} The [[Debian]] project included both free and non-free binary firmware from the [[Linux kernel]], clearly marking and separating the non-free packages<ref>{{cite web | url = https://packages.debian.org/firmware-linux | title = Debian firmware-linux packages | year = 2010 | access-date = 2010-03-25}}</ref> according to the [[Debian Social Contract]]. As of Debian 6.0 those blobs were removed.{{r|gnu/common-d|p=Debian}}
For OpenBSD, project leader [[Theo de Raadt]] defends the policy of asking for distribution rights only for microcode firmware. "Once they are distributed... at least the device works." Implying that the alternative would be for the members of his small project to code free firmware themselves in the assembly language of many chipsets, he pleads "don't load us up with more tasks." Despite this he favours chipsets that run without firmware and speaks warmly of Asian designs which he describes as slower to market but more mature.<ref name="deraadt_interview_200605" />
[[File:Linux AMD graphics stack.svg|thumb|300px| The proprietary Linux graphic driver, {{Mono|[[AMD Catalyst|libGL-fglrx-glx]]}}, will share the same [[Direct Rendering Manager|DRM]] infrastructure with [[Mesa 3D]]. As there is no stable in-kernel [[Application binary interface|ABI]], AMD had to constantly adapt the former binary blob used by Catalyst.]]
In the [[Linux kernel]] development community, [[Linus Torvalds]] has made strong statements on the issue of binary-only modules, asserting: "I ''refuse'' to even consider tying my hands over some binary-only module", and continuing: "I want people to know that when they use binary-only modules, it's THEIR problem."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/1999/0211/a/lt-binary.html|title=a/lt-binary|work=lwn.net}}</ref> In 2008, 176 Linux kernel developers signed a ''Position Statement on Linux Kernel Modules'' that stated "We, the undersigned Linux kernel developers, consider any closed-source Linux kernel module or driver to be harmful and undesirable... We have repeatedly found them to be detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/287056/|title=A position statement on Linux Kernel Modules|date=June 2008|author=Greg Kroah-Hartman|author-link=Greg Kroah-Hartman|publisher=[[The Linux Foundation]]}}</ref> The Linux kernel maintainer [[Greg Kroah-Hartman]] has stated that it is illegal to redistribute closed source modules for the [[GNU General Public License|GNU General Public License-licensed]] Linux kernel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/ols_2006_keynote.html|author=Greg Kroah-Hartman|author-link=Greg Kroah-Hartman|publisher=[[Linux Symposium]]|title=Myths, Lies, and Truths about the Linux kernel|year=2006}}</ref>
However, the Linux kernel contains closed-source firmware required by various device drivers.{{r|gnu/free-sys-d-g--nonfree-fw|q1=Nonfree Firmware|gnu/common-d}} Alexandre Oliva, the maintainer of [[Linux-libre]], a version of the Linux kernel that attempts to remove all binary blobs, including sourceless microcode, wrote in 2011: "Linux hasn't been Free Software since 1996, when Mr Torvalds accepted the first pieces of non-Free Software in the distributions of Linux he has published since 1991. Over these years, while this kernel grew by a factor of 14, the amount of non-Free firmware required by Linux drivers grew by an alarming factor of 83."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/anuncio/2010-03-Linux-2.6.33-libre.en|title=::[FSFLA]:: Take your freedom back, with Linux-2.6.33-libre|work=fsfla.org}}</ref>
Most of the drivers for [[mobile device]]s running the [[Android (operating system)|Android operating system]] are shipped in binary and are linked against a specific version of the Linux kernel. This makes it very hard to upgrade a kernel version because it may require [[reverse engineering]], reimplementing the proprietary device drivers as free software, creating and debugging wrappers, [[binary patch]]ing, or a combination of these steps, all of which implies that legacy devices will never get the latest Android version.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}
== Problems ==
{{Essay-like|section|date=March 2021}}
There are a number of reasons why binary blobs can be problematic.<ref name="kerneltrap/6497">{{cite web |url=http://kerneltrap.org/node/6497 |first=Jeremy |last=Andrews |title=Interview with Jonathan Gray and Damien Bergamini |access-date=2008-01-06 |date=2006-04-19 |publisher=kerneltrap.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211025952/http://kerneltrap.org/node/6497 |archive-date=2007-12-11 }}</ref>
Firstly, their precise operation cannot be known and bugs cannot be detected by auditing source code; bugs are frequently only diagnosed by painstaking investigation when a system begins to behave unexpectedly. Such undetected bugs may also silently expose users and systems to security hazards. The fitness for purpose of the driver thus cannot be checked, and even if a bug is found there is no easy way to fix it.
Secondly, as the [[source code]] is not available, the driver cannot be readily improved by its users, cannot be ported to architectures not originally supported, nor adapted to operate for slight variants of the hardware or updated it to be workable in new kernels having the changed API and architecture.
Thirdly, using this software would force users to trust vendors or third parties not to put backdoors, spyware or malicious code into the blob. As well, the hardware vendor can decide not to support a given operating system, abandon driver maintenance at any time, or, in the event the company goes out of business, leave the driver completely unsupported.
Finally, binary blobs can be seen as drawing a line between the portion of the community that believes in free software ideals, rejecting proprietary software, and the portion that sees open source as desirable for purely technical reasons, often lacking a strong opposition to binary blobs "as long as they work". This fragmentation, and the acceptance of a growing number of proprietary components into Linux, is seen as weakening the ability of the community to resist the trend of manufacturers to increasingly refuse to provide documentation for their binaries.
== Use via wrappers ==
A [[Driver wrapper|wrapper]] is software which allows one operating system to use a binary proprietary device driver written for another operating system. Examples of wrappers are [[NDISwrapper]] for [[Linux]], and [[Project Evil]] for [[FreeBSD]] and [[NetBSD]]. These wrappers allow these operating systems to use network drivers written for [[Microsoft Windows]] by implementing [[Microsoft]]'s [[Network Driver Interface Specification|NDIS]] [[API]].
Another example is providing compatibility layers so that foreign utilities could be used to service the hardware. Examples include some [[Disk array controller|RAID controller]] drivers in [[FreeBSD]], where the [[system administrator]] would have to enable [[FreeBSD#OS compatibility layers|Linux compatibility layer in FreeBSD]] and independently procure Linux-specific binary blobs directly from the hardware manufacturer in order to monitor and service the hardware.<ref name=f-aac>{{cite web
|url= http://bxr.su/f/share/man/man4/aac.4
|title= aac(4) — Adaptec AdvancedRAID Controller driver
|website= BSD Cross Reference |publisher= [[FreeBSD]]
|author1= Scott Long |author2= Adaptec, Inc |author2-link= Adaptec |date= 2000
|quote= If the kernel is compiled with the COMPAT_LINUX option, or the aac_linux.ko and linux.ko modules are loaded...
}}
*{{cite book |section=aac -- Adaptec AdvancedRAID Controller driver |title=FreeBSD Manual Pages |url= http://mdoc.su/f/aac.4}}</ref><ref name=f-aacraid>{{cite web
|url= http://bxr.su/f/share/man/man4/aacraid.4
|title= aacraid(4) — Adaptec AACRAID Controller driver
|website= BSD Cross Reference |publisher= [[FreeBSD]]
|author1= Achim Leubner |date= 2013
|quote= If the kernel is compiled with the COMPAT_LINUX option, or the aacraid_linux.ko and linux.ko modules are loaded...
}}
*{{cite book |section=aacraid -- Adaptec AACRAID Controller driver |title=FreeBSD Manual Pages |url=http://mdoc.su/f/aacraid.4}}</ref><ref name=opencon06-drivers-f>{{Cite conference
|author= Jonathan Gray |date= 2006-12-02
|section-url= http://www.openbsd.org/papers/opencon06-drivers/mgp00026.html
|section= Page 26: Only open for business: FreeBSD
|url= http://www.openbsd.org/papers/opencon06-drivers/index.html
|title= Driver Architecture and Implementation in OpenBSD
|conference-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070109032258/http://www.opencon.org/program.php
|conference= OpenCON 2006, 2–3 December 2006
|___location= Courtyard Venice Airport, Venice/Tessera, Italy
|access-date= 2019-03-27
|quote= drivers designed for binary only Linux RAID management tools
}}</ref>
Circa 2005, this state of affairs prompted [[OpenBSD]] to create and popularise its [[bioctl|bio(4)]], [[bioctl]] and [[sensor drive]] concepts as an alternative solution for [[RAID]] monitoring,<ref name=theo-misc-38>{{cite mailing list
|url= //marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=112630095818062
|author= Theo de Raadt
|author-link= Theo de Raadt
|date= 2005-09-09
|title= RAID management support coming in OpenBSD 3.8
|mailing-list= misc@ |publisher= [[OpenBSD]]
}}</ref><ref name=lyrics-38>{{cite web
|url= http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html#38
|title= 3.8: "Hackers of the Lost RAID"
|work= OpenBSD Release Songs |publisher= [[OpenBSD]] |date= 2005-11-01
}}</ref> both of which concepts have subsequently found its way into [[NetBSD]] as well.
== Device firmware ==
{{main|Firmware|Microcode}}
[[Firmware]] is the software required by the onboard [[microcontroller]]s that accompanied by some hardware, is generally not considered to be a binary blob.{{r|kerneltrap/4118|gnu/common-d|p2=BSD|kerneltrap/6497|p3=...|q3=Firmwares are not considered blobs}} In many devices, firmware is stored in [[non-volatile]] onboard [[flash memory]], but to decrease costs and ease to fix bugs, some devices contain only [[static RAM]] and require the host operating system to upload firmware / microcode each time they are powered on. Although the firmware is thus present in the operating system driver, it is merely copied to the device and not executed by the CPU, removing concerns about extra security flaws compared to what's already possible with a [[DMA attack]] even if the firmware was already stored within the device at all times. The OpenBSD project accepts binary firmware/[[microcode]] images and will redistribute these images if the license permits;<ref name="kerneltrap/4118">{{cite web |title=OpenBSD Works To Open Wireless Chipsets |date=November 2, 2004 |publisher=KernelTrap |url=http://kerneltrap.org/node/4118 |access-date=2006-06-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620051155/http://kerneltrap.org/node/4118 |archive-date=2006-06-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://openbsd.su/src/sys/dev/microcode/ |title=/sys/dev/microcode/ |work= [[OpenBSD]] }}</ref> if free and unconditional redistribution is not permitted by the vendor, the machine instructions on fetching these images may be provided in the [[OpenBSD ports|ports]] tree (which precludes some encumbered wireless devices (e.g., Intel Wireless) from being available during the initial install).<ref name=o-ports>{{cite web |url= http://openbsd.su/ports/sysutils/firmware |title=sysutils/firmware |work= [[OpenBSD ports]]}}</ref> On Microsoft Windows implementations, the microcode binary may be embedded in the SYS / DLL / VXD device driver directly, as opposed to separated microcode file.
== BIOS and UEFI==
[[File:Coreboot+seaBIOS+on-x60.JPG|thumb|upright|[[SeaBIOS]], an open-source implementation of BIOS, running as coreboot payload on a Lenovo [[ThinkPad]] X60]]
The [[BIOS]], which functions as a [[bootloader]] and supports legacy [[real mode]] applications, is a crucial component of many [[IBM-compatible]] computers. In the late 1990s work started on EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) with the objective to move legacy BIOS to a modern interface with a modular driver model. EFI is closed source and was eventually adopted by many industry leading hardware manufacturers as [[UEFI]] (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). The EDK (EFI Development Kit) was developed to assist EFI firmware development projects.<ref name="Apress">{{cite book |author=Vincent Zimmer |author2=Jiming Sun |author3=Marc Jones |author4=Stefan Reinauer |date= 2015 |title= Embedded Firmware Solutions: Development Best Practices for the Internet of Things |publisher= Apress |isbn= 9781484200704 | page = 121}}</ref>
Also in the late 1990s, the [[coreboot]] project was started to create an open source alternative to legacy BIOS from scratch.<ref name="Apress"/> The coreboot developer community organises around [[Stefan Reinauer]] and is led by firmware developers with commit rights.<ref>{{cite book |author=Vincent Zimmer |author2=Jiming Sun |author3=Marc Jones |author4=Stefan Reinauer |date= 2015 |title= Embedded Firmware Solutions: Development Best Practices for the Internet of Things |publisher= Apress |isbn= 9781484200704 | page = 61}}</ref> Despite closed source binary firmware having been at the heart of the [[x86]] architecture coreboot only incorporates the few proprietary binaries that are necessary to provide users with a base level hardware support.<ref>{{cite book |author=Vincent Zimmer |author2=Jiming Sun |author3=Marc Jones |author4=Stefan Reinauer |date= 2015 |title= Embedded Firmware Solutions: Development Best Practices for the Internet of Things |publisher= Apress |isbn= 9781484200704 | page = 65}}</ref> A completely open source alternative to BIOS and UEFI is [[libreboot]], which was promoted by the [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/free-bios.html|title=Campaign for Free BIOS|publisher=Free Software Foundation|date=2006-11-29|access-date=2007-01-02}}</ref>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Character large object]]
* [[Firmware]]
* [[Graphics hardware and FOSS]]
* [[LinuxBoot]]
* [[Loadable kernel module]]
* [[Opaque binary blob]]
* [[Proprietary firmware]]
* [[Proprietary software]]
* [[NSA ANT catalog]]
* [[ScreenOS]] NSA Binary blob backdoor
* [[Wireless security]]
{{div col end}}
== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="gnu/free-distros">{{cite web
|url= https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
|title= List of Free GNU/Linux Distributions
|work= [[GNU Project]] |publisher= [[Free Software Foundation]]
}}</ref>
<ref name="gnu/free-sys-d-g--nonfree-fw">{{cite web
|url= https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html#nonfree-firmware
|title= Nonfree Firmware
|work= {{Section link|GNU Project|Free System Distribution Guidelines (GNU FSDG)}}
|publisher= [[Free Software Foundation]]
}}</ref>
<ref name="gnu/common-d">{{cite web
|url= https://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.html
|title= Explaining Why We Don't Endorse Other Systems
|work= [[GNU Project]] |publisher= [[Free Software Foundation]]
}}</ref>
}}
== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|blob}}
* {{cite web|last = McMillan|first = Robert|date = June 21, 2006|url = http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/06/21/79536_HNwifibreach_1.html|title = Researchers hack Wi-Fi driver to breach laptop|publisher = InfoWorld|access-date = 2006-06-23|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060702163150/http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/06/21/79536_HNwifibreach_1.html|archive-date = July 2, 2006}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060603230511/http://kerneltrap.org/node/6650 KernelTrap article] on Damien Bergamini's wpi(4) driver, a blobless ipw3945 alternative for OpenBSD
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071211025952/http://kerneltrap.org/node/6497 KernelTrap interview] with Jonathan Gray and Damien Bergamini regarding binary blobs
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120305050514/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/08/the_macbook_wireless_exploit_i.html The Black Hat Wireless Exploit Interview, Verbatim] by Brian Krebs on the Washington Post's website, archived on May 5, 2012
* [https://lwn.net/Articles/275638/ A creative example of the value of free drivers], LWN.net
{{FOSS}}
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:Firmware]]
[[Category:Device drivers]]
[[Category:Booting]]
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