Decode
Canonical decodings for boot-log strings
One page per identifier: version strings, silicon banners, error codes, delegation masks, autoboot prompts. Each page is the canonical answer to a specific question, with a grep-verified log excerpt and links to the full blog walkthrough plus the source sample. Complement to the FAQ index.
Qualcomm
The Qualcomm SBL identifier at the top of every IPQ/Snapdragon boot log.
The two-partition rollback pattern for the Qualcomm secure OS image.
The non-secure bootloader Qualcomm SBL1 hands off to.
How the kernel talks to Qualcomm's TrustZone monitor on ARM64.
The internal Qualcomm codename for the IPQ807x networking SoC family.
The vendor recovery path that dual-uses as a hacking entry point.
TI K3
The TI K3 silicon-security state where signature verification runs but OTP keys are not burned.
TI's codename for the DMSC firmware 9.x release stream.
Why the TI silicon revision determines which DMSC firmware image will boot.
Why the U-Boot banner names the chip twice with different strings.
Allwinner
The RSB-layer error every H616/H618 boot with AXP313a prints.
Why the same PMIC has two different names in the same boot log.
Why TF-A calls it H616 even when the board is a Zero3 (H618).
The header byte string Allwinner's boot ROM searches for on each media.
The USB fallback the Allwinner BROM lands in when boot media is empty.
RISC-V
The standard M-mode-to-S-mode interrupt delegation for RISC-V Linux boards.
The standard M-mode-to-S-mode exception delegation for RISC-V Linux boards.
Character-by-character decoding of the OpenSBI Boot HART ISA field.
The OpenSBI-level isolation primitive most single-purpose boards leave at default.
The closed blob that runs before U-Boot SPL on StarFive JH7110 silicon.
U-Boot
The U-Boot prompt that hands an attacker with UART access a root shell.
The Kconfig fix that turns "any keypress" into "specific key sequence."
ARM
What the "CPU started at EL2" (or EL1) line in your kernel log actually means.
Bit-by-bit decoding of the ARM MIDR register value printed on early kernel boot.
Have an identifier you can't decode? Send it to us. If it's a common enough pattern, we'll add a canonical decode page for it. Or paste the whole log into the free fingerprinter for automatic identification.