# VOXL2 Flashing upstream kernel v5 or v6 using ModalAI Device Tree

Source: https://forum.modalai.com/topic/2860/voxl2-flashing-upstream-kernel-v5-or-v6-using-modalai-device-tree
Category: VOXL 2 and VOXL 2 Mini (https://forum.modalai.com/category/26/voxl-2-and-voxl-2-mini)
Tags: voxl2, kernel, secure boot, device tree, open source
Posted: 2023-11-14 18:40:16 UTC by dsupplee
Replies: 3 · Views: 1791

## dsupplee · 2023-11-14 18:40:16 UTC

Does the VOXL2 come with Secure Boot enabled? I.e. can I take an upstream kernel from kernel.org and simply append the Device Tree Blob from the ModalAI SDK GitHub to generate a bootable image loaded via fastboot? Do I need either a special unlock of the device or proprietary software components to boot the device if I do not need the user-space flight/camera features? I am comparing to the Linaro open-source option for a Thundercomm RB5, where I can load a custom ABL and kernel without signing images. Is there a similar option for the  VOXL2, as it has piqued our interest for its SWAP advantages?

Thank you

## Reply by Moderator (ModalAI staff) · 2023-11-15 17:37:35 UTC

@dsupplee you can find details of how to build the kernel for VOXL 2 here: https://docs.modalai.com/voxl2-kernel-build-guide/

VOXL 2 uses the "Qualcomm method" for builds and we rely on many of Qualcomm's proprietary features which does not lend itself well to full open source.

## Reply by dsupplee · 2023-11-15 18:13:42 UTC (in reply to Moderator)

@Moderator Thank you for your timely response

I understand that the SDK uses that method to preserve proprietary features, but if one does not need those features, does the VOXL 2 bootloader allow for loading custom images into the "boot" partition? The device shouldn't care how the image is built, and so I mainly ask about the feasibility of flashing unsigned images (regardless of how they were built) to the "boot", "rootfs", and "user" partitions with something like fastboot.

## Reply by Moderator (ModalAI staff) · 2023-11-16 00:01:21 UTC (in reply to dsupplee)

@dsupplee yes, the images on VOXL 2 are unsigned. please see the VOXL 2 kernel build guide here: : https://docs.modalai.com/voxl2-kernel-build-guide/