Introducing PureBoot Basic

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David Hamner

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PureBoot is our high-security, tamper-detecting boot firmware. With the release of version 22 we have added a new feature called “PureBoot Basic” that lets you optionally disable the tamper detection, leaving you with a clean, simple, and still powerful boot firmware with more recovery options than a traditional coreboot BIOS and GRUB.

Normally when you boot Pureboot, the Librem Key verifies the computer’s boot firmware is still in a verified state. Librem Key is a USB token that integrates with Pureboot and helps in protecting your system from snooping while you are away. Giving you peace of mind your computer software is untampered with.

For those that don’t need PureBoot’s extra security but want some of the other features, Pureboot Basic get’s out of the way and lets you boot by disabling tamper-detecting features.

Update to A Newer Version of PureBoot

To enable PureBoot Basic, ensure you’re running the latest version of PureBoot.

Upgrade to the Pureboot Basic

For those running an older version of PureBoot:

• Download the new PureBoot ROM from our release repository for your corresponding hardware.
• Copy that to a USB thumb drive and attach it to your Librem device.
• Power on your Librem and head into the PureBoot settings by pressing the escape key.
• Head to Options -> Flash or update the BIOS -> Flash the firmware with a new ROM and retain BIOS settings.
• Next, select your USB device, then select the ROM file.
• Select “yes” to proceed.
• Your BIOS will update and your computer will reboot once done.

Moving from Coreboot to Pureboot

If you’re currently running coreboot, you can use this utility to flash the firmware. To use it open a terminal and run these commands:

mkdir ~/updates

cd ~/updates

wget https://source.puri.sm/coreboot/utility/raw/master/coreboot_util.sh -O coreboot_util.sh

sudo bash ./coreboot_util.sh

• Enter your root password then enter a 1 to select “Update firmware using pre-built image”
• The script will prompt you for your device model; enter your device’s corresponding number.
• Next, select PureBoot as the firmware to be flashed.
• If asked to update the serial number, the default option to extract is fine.
• Once flashed you’ll need to attach your Librem key, reboot, and follow the setup guide.

Have a look at this video for a deep dive into how the Librem Key works with PureBoot, or continue on to enable PureBoot Basic.

Enabling Pureboot Basic

Go to: Options -> Change Configuration Settings -> Enable PureBoot Basic Mode.

To save the configuration changes, select Save the current configuration to the running BIOS.

Once your computer reboots, you can enjoy a quick startup and still have powerful tools like grub config parsing, ext4 boot partition support, and a built-in Linux shell for advanced debugging.

Purism Products and Availability Chart

	Model	Status	Lead Time
	Librem Key (Made in USA)	In Stock ($59+)	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 5	In Stock ($699+) 3GB/32GB	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 5 COMSEC Bundle	In Stock ($1299+) Qty 2; 3GB/32GB	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Liberty Phone (Made in USA Electronics)	Backorder ($1,999+) 4GB/128GB	Estimated fulfillment early November	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 5 + SIMple (3 GB Data)	In Stock ($99/mo)	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 5 + SIMple Plus (5 GB Data)	In Stock ($129/mo)	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 5 + AweSIM (Unlimited Data)	In Stock ($169/mo)	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 11	In Stock ($999+) 8GB/1TB	10 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem 14	Backorder ($1,370+)	Estimated fulfillment date pending	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem Mini	Backorder ($799+)	Estimated fulfillment November	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem Server	In Stock ($2,999+)	45 business days	Learn More Buy Now