Intel (Converged Security) Trusted Execution Engine: Drivers, Firmware and Tools

Intel (Converged Security) Trusted Execution Engine:
Drivers, Firmware and Tools


Last Updated: 2022-05-24
Intel Trusted Execution Engine Introduction:

Built into many Intel Chipset-based platforms is a small, low power computer subsystem called the Intel Trusted Execution Engine (Intel TXE). This can perform various tasks while the system is booting, running or sleeping. It operates independently from the main CPU, BIOS & OS but can interact with them if needed. The TXE is responsible for many parts of an Intel-based system. Such functionality extends, but it's not limited, to Platform Clocks Control (ICC), Thermal Monitoring, Fan Control, Power Management, Overclocking, Silicon Workaround (resolves silicon bugs which would have otherwise required a new cpu stepping), Identity Protection Technology, Boot Guard, Rapid Start Technology, Sensor Hub Controller (ISHC), Wireless Display, PlayReady, Protected Video/Audio Path etc. Thus it is essential for it to be operational in order for the platform to be working properly.

Intel Converged Security Engine Introduction:

The evolution of Intel Trusted Execution Engine into a unified security co-processor, running x86 code under a Minix-based Operating System. It was first introduced in 2015 with the release of Skylake CPUs working alongside 100-series Sunrise Point Platform Controller Hub (PCH). The CSE hardware can run Management Engine (ME) 11+, Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) 3+ or Server Platform Services (SPS) 4+ firmware. So there are a total of three families of CSE-based firmware: CSME (CSE ME), CSTXE (CSE TXE) and CSSPS (CSE SPS). The CSE hardware is also capable of running other types of firmware such as Power Management Controller (PMC), Integrated Sensor Hub (ISH), Imaging Unit (iUnit), Clear Audio Voice Speech (cAVS), Wireless Microcode (WCOD) etc.

Intel Power Management Controller Introduction:

Handles all Platform Controller Hub (PCH) power management related activities, running ARC code on top of the CSE hardware. PMC administers power management functions of the PCH including interfacing with other logic and controllers on the platform to perform power state transitions, configure, manage and respond to wake events, aggregate and report latency tolerance information for devices and peripherals connected to and integrated into the PCH etc. It was first introduced in 2018 with the release of Coffee/Cannon Lake CPUs working alongside 300-series Cannon Point PCH.

Disclaimer:

All the software and firmware below comes only from official updates which were provided and made public by various manufacturers!
The System Tools are gathered and provided with the sole purpose of helping people who are out of other viable solutions. Thus, they can be extremely helpful to those who have major problems with their systems for which their manufacturer refuses to assist due to indifference and/or system age.

Getting Started:

Intel (CS)TXE is a Hardware platform which runs Firmware, is monitored/configured by Tools and interfaces with the user via Drivers. To get started, you need at the very least to know what (CS)TXE firmware major and minor version your system is running. Such info can be retrieved in various ways but you can use the free system information and diagnostics tool HWiNFO > Motherboard > Intel ME/TXE > Intel ME/TXE Version. The format is Major.Minor, Build, Hotfix. Once you determine the system's (CS)TXE firmware major and minor version, you can install the latest Drivers from section A and update the (CS)TXE Firmware by following sequentially the relevant steps at Section B using the required Tools from Section C.

A. Intel TXEI Drivers

The latest v4 DCH drivers are usable with CSTXE 3-4 systems running under Windows 10 >= 1709. The latest v4 MSI drivers are usable with CSTXE 3-4 systems running under Windows 8, 10 <= 1703. The latest v3 drivers are usable with CSTXE 3 systems running under Windows 7. The latest v2 drivers are usable with TXE 2 systems running under Windows 7, 8, 10 or TXE 1 systems running under Windows 10. The latest v1 drivers are usable with TXE 1 systems running under Windows 7, 8. In order to check your current installed version, use Intel TXEInfo tool as instructed below.

Note: To extract the files below you need to use programs which support RAR5 compression!

A1. Intel TXEI Drivers and Software

These packages contain the Intel TXEI drivers with their respective software & system services. It is advised to install these to enable all the Engine-related functionality. Since the Intel TXEI Drivers and Software are OS version dependent, search and run "winver.exe" to determine your own.


Note: TXEI Drivers and Software v2028.4.0.1091 DCH package includes v1924.4.0.1062 TXEI driver. TXEI Drivers and Software v2028.4.0.1091 MSI package includes v1924.4.0.1062 TXEI driver. TXEI Drivers and Software v3.1.50.8289 package includes v3.0.0.1115 TXEI driver. TXEI Drivers and Software v2.0.0.1094 package includes v2.0.0.1094 TXEI driver. TXEI Drivers and Software v1.1.0.1064 package includes v1.1.0.1064 TXEI driver.

A2. Intel TXEI Driver Only

These packages contain only the Intel TXEI Drivers without any additional software or system services. Installing these allows only very basic Engine-related functionality. Since the Intel TXEI Driver is OS version dependent, search and run "winver.exe" to determine your own.

  • TXEI Driver v1924.4.0.1062 (Windows 8, 10)
  • TXEI Driver v3.0.0.1115 (Windows 7)
  • TXEI Driver v2.0.0.1094 (Windows 7, 8, 10)
  • TXEI Driver v1.1.0.1064 (Windows 7, 8)

B. Intel (CS)TXE Firmware

SPI/BIOS Regions (FD/Engine/BIOS):

The SPI/BIOS chip firmware is divided into regions which control different aspects of an Intel-based system. The mandatory regions are the Flash Descriptor (FD), the (Converged Security) Trusted Execution Engine (CSTXE/TXE or Engine) and the BIOS. The FD controls read/write access between the SPI/BIOS chip regions and holds certain system hardware settings. The (CS)TXE holds the system's Engine firmware. For security reasons, the FD and Engine regions of the SPI/BIOS chip are usually locked so that no read/write access is allowed via software means. Since the FD controls that read/write access, it must be locked/protected so that it is not manually overwritten to allow unauthorized access to the firmware regions of the system's SPI/BIOS chip. The Engine region at the system's SPI/BIOS chip is also locked/protected due to the nature of the CSE/TXE co-processor, as explained at the Introductions above.

Engine Firmware Attributes (Family/Platform/SKU/Version):

Intel (CS)TXE or Engine firmware is mainly categorized based on its target Chipset Family (i.e. Bay Trail, Apollo Lake, Gemini Lake etc), Type/SKU (i.e. 1.25MB MD, 1.375MB IT etc) and Version (i.e. 4.0.0.1245 = Major.Minor.Hotfix.Build). Be careful of what firmware your download relevant to your system. To understand your exact Chipset Family, (CS)TXE Type/SKU and (CS)TXE Version, you can usually run TXEInfo or TXEManuf tools with "-verbose" parameter. Otherwise, ME Analyzer can show you all the relevant information, after loading your SPI/BIOS image (Flash Descriptor + Engine + BIOS), when the latter is available. If a SPI/BIOS image is not available, run FWUpdate tool (when available) with parameter "-save fw.bin" and load the resulting "fw.bin" image into ME Analyzer instead. All the firmware below correspond to a specific Family which runs a specific (CS)TXE firmware version (example: For systems running CSTXE v4).

Engine Firmware Regions (RGN/EXTR):

The Type of each Engine/(CS)TXE firmware Region can be either Stock (RGN) or Extracted (EXTR). Stock are clean/stock/unconfigured images provided by Intel to OEMs. Extracted are dirty/extracted/configured images from various SPI/BIOS. The Engine firmware at the system's SPI/BIOS chip is always EXTR, generated by the OEM after configuring the equivalent RGN with the appropriate system settings.

Engine Firmware Configuration (CODE/DATA):

The Engine Firmware Regions (RGN/EXTR) consist of two sections: CODE and DATA. CODE is the actual Engine firmware whereas DATA is where all the system-specific settings are stored, as configured by the OEM at the factory via Intel Flash Image Tool. The Engine firmware is not static as it holds system-specific configuration and can additionally be configured by the Engine co-processor itself while the system is running in order to provide the proper support and functionality. Any such changes are written into the DATA section of the Engine Region and the firmware is considered Initialized. That means that the DATA section can be in one of three states: Unconfigured, Configured or Initialized. Unconfigured means that the Engine firmware image is the stock one Intel provides and not configured by the OEM at all (RGN). Configured means that the OEM has applied model specific settings and the Engine region is ready for deployment (EXTR). Initialized means that the Engine region comes from a system which was already running and thus the Engine co-processor has further configured the DATA section to suit that particular system better (system specific or dirty EXTR).

Engine Security Version Number (SVN):

All (CS)TXE firmware are defined by a Security Version Number (SVN) like 1,2,3 etc which is used to control the possible upgrade/downgrade paths provided by Intel's FWUpdate tool. The SVN gets incremented if there is a high or critical security fix that requires a Trusted Computing Base (TCB) recovery operation, a significant event in the life cycle of the firmware which requires renewal of the security signing keys in use. A downgrade to a lower SVN value via FWUpdate tool is prohibited whereas an upgrade to the same or higher SVN is allowed. For example if your current firmware has a SVN of 2, you can update to another firmware with SVN >= 2 (for example 3) but you cannot downgrade to another firmware with SVN < 2 (for example 1). Trying to flash a firmware with lower SVN will result in the error "The image provided is not supported by the platform" or similar. To view the SVN value of any (CS)TXE firmware, you can use ME Analyzer tool.

Engine Version Control Number (VCN):

All (CS)TXE firmware are defined by a Version Control Number (VCN) like 1,2,45,193 etc which is used to control the possible upgrade/downgrade paths provided by Intel's FWUpdate tool. The VCN gets incremented if there is a security fix, a significant firmware change or a new feature addition. A downgrade to a lower VCN value via FWUpdate tool is prohibited whereas an upgrade to the same or higher VCN is allowed. For example if your current firmware has a VCN of 176, you can update to another firmware with VCN >= 176 (for example 193) but you cannot downgrade to another firmware with VCN < 176 (for example 174). Trying to flash a firmware with lower VCN will result in the error "The image provided is not supported by the platform" or similar. To view the VCN value of any (CS)TXE firmware, you can use ME Analyzer tool.

Engine Production Ready Status (PV):

All (CS)TXE firmware are defined by a Production Version/Ready Status (PV) which can be either Yes or No and is used to control the possible upgrade/downgrade paths provided by Intel's FWUpdate tool. The PV status is set to Yes when a firmware is validated/ready for use at Production platforms, thus when its status is Stable and not Beta, Alpha etc. An upgrade/downgrade from PV to non-PV firmware via FWUpdate tool is prohibited whereas upgrades/downgrades to the same PV or from non-PV to PV are allowed. For example if your current firmware has PV set to Yes, you can upgrade/downgrade to another firmware with PV set to Yes but you cannot upgrade/downgrade to another firmware with PV set to No. Trying to flash a firmware with incompatible PV will result in the error "The image provided is not supported by the platform" or similar. To view the PV status of any (CS)TXE firmware, you can use ME Analyzer tool.

(CS)TXE Firmware SKUs:

TXE Firmware v1.0 is divided into two SKUs: Thin 1.25MB and Full 3MB. TXE Firmware v1.1 and v1.2 have combined the two previous SKUs into a single 1.375MB SKU. TXE Firmware v2.0 has a single 1.375MB SKU. CSTXE 3 has two SKUs based on Apollo Lake (APL) or Broxton (BXT) platform. CSTXE 4 has only one SKU for Gemini Lake (GLK) platform. To determine your SKU, ME Analyzer (by loading your SPI/BIOS image) or TXEInfo can help you sort most system specific details.

Engine Firmware Updating: There are two ways to upgrade or downgrade the Engine firmware, either via Intel FWUpdate tool or manually.

  • The Intel FWUpdate tool is an official command line utility provided by Intel which uses the Engine co-processor itself to upgrade/downgrade the TXE firmware quickly and easily. FWUpdate tool requires that the Engine co-processor is operational and that its current Engine firmware region is healthy at the system's SPI/BIOS chip. To check if the Engine itself as well as its current firmware are healthy, you can use Intel TXEInfo and TXEManuf tools, as instructed below. FWUpdate tool also requires that the SVN, VCN and PV are not violated. FWUpdate tool does not require the user to have read/write access to the Engine firmware region of the system's SPI/BIOS chip, as dictated by the Flash Descriptor region permissions. Moreover, FWUpdate tool deals only with Engine CODE and does not require any prior Configuration (DATA). It can thus work with either RGN or EXTR Engine Regions. The basic usage is FWUpdLcl -f update_file_name.bin. You can see the entire supported parameters by displaying the utility's help screen via FWUpdLcl -?. Note that the name of the file to be flashed via FWUpdate does not matter.

  • In the event in which the usage of Intel FWUpdate tool is not possible, you can try to upgrade/downgrade the (CS)TXE firmware manually. Such cases include updating Converged Security Trusted Execution Engine (CSTXE) firmware, downgrading to Engine firmware which violate SVN, VCN or PV, repairing a corruption/problem etc. To upgrade/downgrade/repair manually, you need first & foremost to have read/write access to the Engine firmware region of the system's SPI/BIOS chip. To check if your FD is locked or to attempt to unlock it, follow the [Guide] Unlock Intel Flash Descriptor Read/Write Access Permissions for SPI Servicing. Once you have read/write access to the Engine firmware region of your system's SPI/BIOS chip, you can use any general purpose firmware flasher software such as Intel Flash Programming Tool, AMI AFU, Flashrom etc, which directly reads/writes the system's SPI/BIOS chip firmware. Before flashing, you must make sure that the Engine firmware region to be flashed back is Configured (EXTR) for your specific system via Intel Flash Image Tool (FIT). In order to do that, follow the [Guide] Clean Dumped Intel Engine (CS)ME/(CS)TXE Regions with Data Initialization. Never flash RGN or 3rd-party EXTR firmware to the Engine firmware region of the system's SPI/BIOS chip without first configuring them for your specific system (EXTR) via FIT. Since general purpose firmware software do not upgrade/downgrade/repair the Engine firmware region of the system's SPI/BIOS chip via the Engine co-processor itself, they are usually not restricted by the SVN, VCN and PV security measures. As long as you have read/write access to the Engine firmware region of the system's SPI/BIOS chip and a DATA Configured (EXTR) Engine firmware image, they should accomplish the desired action. Note however that some platforms have the current TCB SVN and/or ARB SVN value permanently set/fused/burned in the Chipset so you cannot downgrade their firmware with another which has lower TCB SVN and/or ARB SVN.

TXE 1 - 2 Updating:

Intel TXE v1 - v2 firmware can be updated easily & safely by using FWUpdate tool. Intel TXE v1.0 firmware (3MB & 1.25MB) can be upgraded to v1.1 or v1.2 firmware (1.375MB). However, the upgrade process can not be done via FWUpdate tool. Read more at "Engine Firmware Updating" above.

CSTXE 3 - 4 Updating:

Intel CSTXE v3 - v4 firmware do not have a FWUpdate tool. The CSTXE firmware updating is normally left to OEMs only, via two possible methods: Download & Execute (DnX, rarely used) or Capsule Update (normal SPI/BIOS image re-flash, most common). End-users who are looking to update their CSTXE firmware must follow the [Guide] Clean Dumped Intel Engine (CS)ME/(CS)TXE Regions with Data Initialization, provided that they first have a full SPI/BIOS image from their OEM or a system firmware dump. To be able to flash the updated SPI/BIOS image back (Capsule Update method), you need to have read/read access to the system's SPI/BIOS chip firmware. Read more at "Engine Firmware Updating" above.

B1. (Converged Security) Trusted Execution Engine - (CS)TXE

  • CSTXE 4
    For CSTXE v4
  • CSTXE 3.1
    For CSTXE v3.0 - v3.1
  • CSTXE 3.2
    For CSTXE v3.2
  • TXE 2.1 1.375MB
    For TXE 1.375MB v2.1
  • TXE 2.0 1.375MB
    For TXE 1.375MB v2.0
  • TXE 1.2 1.375MB M/D
    For TXE 1.375MB M/D v1.2
  • TXE 1.1 1.375MB M/D
    For TXE 1.375 M/D v1.1
  • TXE 1.1 1.375MB I/T
    For TXE 1.375 I/T v1.1
  • TXE 1.0 1.25MB M/D
    For TXE 1.25MB M/D v1.0
  • TXE 1.0 1.25MB I/T
    For TXE 1.25MB I/T v1.0
  • TXE 1.0 3MB M/D
    For TXE 3MB M/D v1.0
  • TXE 1.0 3MB I/T
    For TXE 3MB I/T v1.0

C. Intel (CS)TXE System Tools

The Intel (CS)TXE System Tools are used for creating, modifying, and writing binary image files, manufacturing testing, Intel (CS)TXE setting information gathering and Intel (CS)TXE firmware configuration and updating. These tools are not released to end-users but only to OEMs. The software below comes only from official updates which were provided and made public by various OEMs.

Flash Image Tool: Creates and configures a complete SPI image file which includes regions such as Flash Descriptor (FD), BIOS/UEFI, Intel (CS)TXE etc. The user can manipulate the completed SPI image via a GUI and change the various chipset parameters to match the target hardware.

Flash Programming Tool: Used to program a complete SPI image into the SPI flash device(s). FPT can program each region individually or it can program all of the regions with a single command. The user can also use FPT to perform various functions such as view the contents of the flash on the screen, write the contents of the flash to a log file, perform a binary file to flash comparison, write to a specific address block, program fixed offset variables etc.

Manifest Extension Utility: Used to generate a 3rd party Independent Update Partitions (IUP) which are compressed and signed by an external signing tool, such as OpenSSL. The signed contents may then be stitched into a SPI/BIOS image using the Intel Flash Image Tool (FIT).

Notice: Avoid using the Windows builds of very old (CS)TXE System Tools which either retrieve info (TXEInfo, TXEManuf, Flash Programming Tool) or modify the platform (FWUpdate, Flash Programming Tool) as they may not work properly on newer operating system versions. When available, it is advised to use either the DOS or EFI builds of said very old tools.

Notice: Avoid running the System Tools from paths which include non-English characters (i.e. Cyrillic, Chinese, Arabic, Greek) as it may cause them to crash or behave unpredictably.

C1. Identifying, Updating and Diagnosing Intel (CS)TXE Firmware

Those who are looking to update/downgrade their firmware should use TXEInfo, FWUpdate and TXEManuf tools for status information, updating and functionality checking accordingly. The information and instructions below apply to these three tools only and can be found inside the full Intel TXE System Tools Packages.

TXEInfo: Shows (CS)TXE and IUP info and checks that the Engine co-processor is operating properly on the software/firmware level. Make sure it doesn't report any errors. You can use "-verbose" parameter to get status info in more detail. The "GBE Region does not exist" warning is normal for systems that don't have an Intel GbE Controller, you can safely ignore it.

TXEManuf: Diagnostic tool which runs various manufacturing-line tests to ensure that the Engine co-processor is operating properly on the hardware level. It should report a "TXEManuf Operation Passed" or similar success message. You can use "-verbose" parameter to get diagnostic info in more detail.

FWUpdate: Used to effortlessly upgrade or downgrade the TXE 1 & 2 Engine firmware. Read more about FWUpdate tool at Section B.

C2. (CS)TXE System Tools

Note: To extract the files below you need to use programs which support RAR5 compression!

  • CSTXE System Tools v4
    For CSTXE v4
  • CSTXE System Tools v3
    For CSTXE v3
  • TXE System Tools v2
    For TXE v2
  • TXE System Tools v1
    For TXE v1
1 Like

Updates since 24/11/2014:

NEW! TXE v1.1 (1.375MB) Firmware from v1.1.0.1115 (VCN ~8) → v1.1.2.1120 (VCN 11)
NEW! TXEI Drivers & Software from v1.1.0.1113 → v1.1.2.1120 complete installer package

Updated TXEI Drivers v1.1.0.1064 (same driver from 01/2014, new security catalog from 09/2014)
Added at TXE System Tools v1.1: Intel TXE FW v1.1.2.1120 HF Release Communication documentation
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Bay Trail TXE Firmware Release Notes v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.2.1120 documentation
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Bay Trail TXE FW Bring Up Guide v1.7 (02/2014) → v1.7 (09/2014) documentation
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: System Tools User Guide v1.3 (10/2013) → v1.4 (04/2014) documentation
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Image Tool from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Manifest Generation Tool from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.2.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Programming Tool(Android) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Programming Tool(EFI) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Programming Tool(EFI32) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Programming Tool(Windows) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: Flash Programming Tool(Windows64) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: FWUpdate(Android) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: FWUpdate(LocalEfi32) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: FWUpdate(LocalEfi64) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: FWUpdate(LocalWin32) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: FWUpdate(LocalWin64) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEInfo(Android) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEInfo(EFI) from v1.1.0.1113 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEInfo(EFI32) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEInfo(Windows) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEInfo(Windows64) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEManuf(Android) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEManuf(EFI) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEManuf(EFI32) from v1.1.0.1113 → v1.1.1.1120
Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEManuf(Windows) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120
* Updated at TXE System Tools v1.1: TXEManuf(Windows64) from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.1.1120

Note: I know the latest v1.0 firmware is v1.0.5.1120. If you can find it by aqcuiring a full package, extracting it from a BIOS, using FWUpdate -save etc please share it here.

Hello :slight_smile:

TXE 3MB firmware 1.0.5.1120 i have not tested as i don’t have the suitable HW.

Intel TXE Firmware v1.0.5.1120 (3MB).zip (650 KB)

Pacman, thank you very much for being the first to contribute in TXE and for keeping an eye out for such firmware & drivers. It seems that it was extracted from a BIOS. Can you tell me which one? Such info can be useful in order to check if they have also uploaded the equivalent full package or if I can find the VCN number.

I cannot test these as well because I don’t have the hardware. If anyone has used the firmware, tools & drivers successfully please let us know here.

Yes, it was extracted from this Intel NUC BIOS:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_…g&DwnldID=24512

NEW! Intel TXE1.0 Firmware 1.25MB from v1.0.4.1089 (VCN ~8) → v1.0.5.1120 (VCN ~8)
NEW! Intel TXE1.0 Firmware 3MB from v1.0.4.1090 (VCN ~8) → v1.0.5.1120 (VCN ~8)

Update:

So, I figured out how to determine the VCN when a TXE firmware is extracted from UEFI images:

TXE 1.25MB: 13034h
TXE 3MB: 43034h
TXE 1.375MB: 67034h

The SVN number is most probably 4 bytes to the left meaning:

TXE 1.25MB: 13030h
TXE 3MB: 43030h
TXE 1.375MB: 67030h

TXE_Header_Info.PNG



Re-Upload! Intel TXE1.0 Firmware 1.25MB v1.0.5.1120 (VCN 11)
Re-Upload! Intel TXE1.0 Firmware 3MB v1.0.5.1120 (VCN 11)

Old_TXE_Firmware.rar (2.29 MB)

I have found recently an Intel TXE Firmware 1.0.6.1120 in a HP BIOS, didn’t noted which one. Most likely a 3MB one.

Also attached other older versions I have. Ignore the names for now, I will see if I can add a TXE detection to my Extractor. With Igor’s script and your help, it shouldn’t be that hard. It seems you already gone further than Igor:

ME-Tools.png

Intel TXE Firmware 1.0.6.1120.rar (607 KB)

Old_TXE.rar (3.55 MB)

NEW! Intel TXE1.0 Firmware 3MB from v1.0.5.1120 (VCN 11) → v1.0.6.1120 (VCN 11)

Lordkag, thank you for the newer FW. It’s funny, I found that version some hours before your post at HP as well. But I couldn’t extract the damn BIOS image at all. Have you written your own scripts to extract those after identifying the compression?

Anyway, this a 3MB SKU. Here are all the different HP packages with that version - maybe some other has the 1.25MB variant. Can you please extract those as well?

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/publi…b-142261-1#tab2
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/publi…b-142260-1#tab2
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=ob_141216_1&#tab2 → (Extracted, 3MB)

Now, to fix your extractor properly here are some usefull info:

04 00 00 00 67 5C FF 0D 03 43 00 00 → $SKU for 1.25MB (v1.0) & 1.375MB (v1.1)
04 00 00 00 67 5C FF 0D 05 43 00 00 → $SKU for 3MB (v1.0)

That is: 135E0h for 1.25MB, 438E0h for 3MB & 67760h for 1.375MB SKUs respectively.

Once the $SKU is determined the size to extract is as follows (based on Intel bin size, anything larger is useless FF padding):

1.25MB (v1.0) → 140000h
3MB (v1.0) → 300000h
1.375MB (v1.1) → 160000h

Also, I have uploaded a new “collection” of TXE firmware. I have added some of my own older firmware, corrected the names & sizes by adding or removing padding and correctly determined each firmware’s SKU:

ALL_TXE_FW.PNG



EDIT: File updated with v1.0.0.1058_3MB & 1.0.4.1090_3MB firmware images.

All_TXE_Firmware.rar (4.84 MB)

They are not compressed, but encrypted. One of the "features" HP is offering to customers is full lock-down on their paid products. What I do is extract that .exe until I get to this folder:

HP_unpack.png



Then I run InsydeFlash, which (after analysing the system) offers these options:

HP_select.png



where you choose the folder to unpack the unencrypted content. If for some reason the flasher disables the options (happens on newer versions), I use the attached older flasher and drop the file with .fd extension. Anyway, all of the above links have a 3M firmware, with sp69922.exe offering a clean firmware, which you might want to use instead of the one I uploaded.

I added TXE detection, by checking the size of modules (those starting with $MME). If it is 0x60, we have ME, if it is 0x80 (0x60 + 0x20 reserved), we have TXE. I also added TXE variant detection, by checking the start of first $MN2 section. If it is 0x13000 = 1.25M, 0x43000 = 3M, 0x67000 = 1.375M. If this fails, I will read the SKU and check the major.minor version: 67 5C FF 0D 03 43 and 1.0.x = 1.25MB, 67 5C FF 0D 03 43 and 1.1.x = 1.375MB, 67 5C FF 0D 05 43 = 3MB.

I don’t know about the size. The extraction happens before, at regions display, by analysing the descriptor (thanks to CodeRush). Only if the region is smaller than 0x1FFFFF, I use 0x17D000 for 1.5MB. The detection happens later, at ME version display, so I don’t feel like using the detection twice. Plus, if you look at 1.0.0.1055_1.25M, the last section should start at 0xAC000 and be 0x99000 in size, reaching 0x145000. Even though only padding is after 0x140000 limit, it still cuts the original structure, with possible complaints from the flasher. So, for now I leave this on hold.

HP New RSA unpack.rar (2.55 MB)

Thanks for explaining the encrypted HP binaries and for the files.

The difference between sp70119/sp70118 & sp69922 is whether NFC is enabled or disabled. If you enable/disable it at both the code will be identical (apart from 1,2 bytes at $FPT header -> useless). It seems that every time you Build a TXE image at FITC, a version will be added at $FPT header where it’s usually FF at Production images. I said a version because the weird thing is that sometimes that version is wrong. For example at v1.0.5 & 1.0.6 images (extracted by FITC) it reports 1.0.4 at the $FPT header (of course it’s correct at $MN2). I’ve seen this before regarding TXE. Maybe, 1.0.5 & 1.0.6 are based on 1.0.4 and this is kept somewhere for some reason. Or maybe it’s a bug. I will reupload the “FF at $FPT” version (as I like to call it) here so that it’s “clean”. I don’t know what’s the deal with NFC being enabled & disabled, my guess is that FWUpdLcl won’t care either way.


I don’t understand, how do you check the size exactly? At $SKU for example it makes sense to me (04 00 00 00 or 4 * 3 = 12 or 0xC). According to Igor, the size of $MN2 is between 18 & 1B. So, at the last $MN2 of 1.0.0.1055_1.25MB firmware that would be: FE 00 00 00 or 254 * 3 = 762 or 0x2FA. Where am I wrong?

You mentioned something about 1.0.0.1055_1.25MB and the it’s size (regions getting cut-off even though it’s just padding). Let me explain: I don’t think 1.0.0.1055 is a credible TXE firmware. If you notice, all other (newer) 1.25MB firmware start the last $MN2 region at a different offset (0xA5000) and do not contain extra data after the $MN2 size (as calculated above) in contrast to 1.0.0.1055 (0xAC000). I remember back at November when I first wrote this thread that TXE started differently. Some old documentation (from the original 1.0.0.1050 package, can’t find it anymore unfortunately) mentioned only one v1.0 firmware SKU and it wasn’t 1.25MB or 3MB. TXE kept changing at the beginning so old firmware are not really credible. A perfect example of that is the fact that originally v1.1 firmware was supposed to be 3MB in size but with the first PV release (1.1.0.1089) that was changed to 1.375MB, a mixture between the Thin (1.25MB) and Major/Full (3MB) v1.0 SKUs. So for the exact same reason, 1.1.0.1073 is not a credible TXE firmware. Here:

TXE_1.1.0.1073_Alpha_3MB.PNG



I also know that the versions & dates are completely messed up. For example:

1.0.0.1050 (3MB) → 20/08/2013
1.0.0.1055 (1.25MB) → 16/07/2013
1.0.0.1058 (3MB) → 06/08/2013
1.0.2.1060 (3MB) → 20/08/2013

1.0.5.1120 (3MB) → 17/08/2014
1.0.6.1120 (3MB) → 11/08/2014

Adding to the (already too much) confusion, firmwares 1.0.0.1058 & 1.0.2.1060 seemed to coexist at some point for some reason. Even though the official 1.0.2.1060 has no mention of 1.0.0.1058 and the 1.0.0.1058 package does not mention 1.0.2.1060, at an early 1.0.2.1060 package we can see this:

0.1058_2.1060.PNG



On the other hand, all v1.1 dates make sense as far as I can see. Finally!

Generally: TXE has changed so much since the beginning (early 2013) and that makes it difficult to understand it sometimes. Especially with no users reporting on whether the above are even working. I was also wondering whether a special TXE is required for Bay Trail-T (Tablets) compared to Bay Trail-M/D (Mobile/Desktop). That’s neither here nor there though so I guess I’ll find out at some point.

Sources (Kits & Documentation) containing 1.0.0.1058, 1.0.2.1060 (early), 1.0.2.1060 (release) & 1.1.0.1073: http://www.mediafire.com/download/sx3qbq…&_1.1.0.1073.7z

Attached new TXE firmware “collection” including v1.1.0.1073.

All_TXE_Firmware.rar (4.73 MB)

TXE_1.1.0.10673_Alpha_OLD_SKU.pdf (111 KB)

Offset of sections:

ME_offset.png



I also noticed the date between 1.0.5.1120 and 1.0.6.1120. But your 1.0.0.1050 (3MB) is actually 1.0.2.1060 (3MB)

ME_vers.png

Say hello to TXE 2.0 Firmware, Tools & Drivers. These are for Braswell & Cherry Trail SoCs.

Updates:

NEW! Intel TXE 2.0 1.375MB Firmware v2.0.0.2060



NEW! Intel TXE System Tools v2.0 r1

Flash Image Tool: 2.0.0.2056
Flash Manifest Generation Tool: 2.0.0.1056
Flash Programming Tool(EFI): 2.0.0.2056
Flash Programming Tool(EFI32): 2.0.0.2056
Flash Programming Tool(Windows): 2.0.0.2056
Flash Programming Tool(Windows64): 2.0.0.2056
FWUpdate(LocalEfi32): 2.0.0.2056
FWUpdate(LocalEfi64): 2.0.0.2056
FWUpdate(LocalWin32): 2.0.0.2056
FWUpdate(LocalWin64): 2.0.0.2056
TXEInfo(EFI): 2.0.0.2056
TXEInfo(EFI32): 2.0.0.2056
TXEInfo(Windows): 2.0.0.2056
TXEInfo(Windows64): 2.0.0.2056
TXEManuf(EFI): 2.0.0.2056
TXEManuf(EFI32): 2.0.0.2056
TXEManuf(Windows): 2.0.0.2056
TXEManuf(Windows64): 2.0.0.2056

NEW! Intel TXEI Driver v2.0.0.1057 INF for manual installation
NEW! Intel TXEI Drivers & Software v2.0.0.2058 complete package
NEW! Intel TXEInfo Tool for TXE 2.0 Firmware v2.0.0.2056
NEW! Intel TXEManuf Tool for TXE 2.0 Firmware v2.0.0.2056
NEW! Intel FWUpdate Tool for TXE 2.0 Firmware v2.0.0.2056

Updates 05/06/2015:

NEW! Intel TXE Firmware v1.1.1.1130 (1.375MB BYT-I)
NEW! Intel TXE Firmware v1.0.5.1120 (3MB BYT-MD)
NEW! Intel TXE Firmware v1.0.2.1067 (1.25MB BYT-I)
Reuploaded: Intel TXE Firmware v2.0.0.2060 (1.375MB) from EXTR → RGN
Reuploaded: Intel TXE Firmware v1.1.2.1120 (1.375MB BYT-MD)
Reuploaded: Intel TXE Firmware v1.0.5.1120 (1.25MB BYT-MD)
Reuploaded: Intel TXE Firmware v1.0.6.1120 (3MB BYT-I)

Note: TXE 1.x firmware is different for Bay Trail Mobile/Desktop (BYT-M/D) and for Bay Trail Tablet/IVI (BYT-I). All variants are now uploaded but 1.25MB BYT-I is not at the latest version of 1.0.6.1120. When I found it, it will be replaced.

Since there is no way to distinguish the two variants apart (BYT-M/D and BYT-I) via a tool such as ME Analyzer: When you find a new firmware, try to mention from what SPI image (BIOS) it came as well or which system. Preferably, attach the whole SPI/BIOS image for me to investigate.

Updates 08/06/2015:

Intel TXE System Tools v1.1 from r1 → r2:

Updated Intel TXE FW Update Customer Communication from v1.1.0.1089 → v1.1.0.1113

Intel TXE System Tools v1.0 from r1 → r2:

Added Intel TXE FW Update Customer Communication v1.1.0.1113 (for page 12)

Updates 17/06/2015:

Thread:

Updated Intel FWUpdate Tool for TXE 2.0 Firmware from v2.0.0.2056 → v2.0.0.2060

Intel TXE System Tools v2.0 from r1 → r2:

Updated FWUpdate(Windows) from v2.0.0.2056 → v2.0.0.2060
* Updated FWUpdate(Windows64) from v2.0.0.2056 → v2.0.0.2060

Source:

TXE Update tool v6.00.00 , www.asus.com/Motherboards/N3150ME/

Update 29/06/2015:

* Updated Intel TXE 1.0 3MB Firmware BYT-I from v1.0.6.1120 → v1.0.7.1133

Capture.PNG

Update 09/07/2015:

NEW! Intel TXE 1.1 1.375MB Firmware BYT-M/D from v1.1.2.1120 → v1.1.3.1133

Capture.PNG



Source:

Asus J1800I-C-SI BIOS 0802

Hello :slight_smile:

Intel TXE software 2.0.0.2073 with driver version 2.0.0.1067.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24892/

Thank you Pacman!

Updates 10/07/2015:

Intel TXEI Driver INF from v2.0.0.1057 → v2.0.0.1067
Intel TXEI Drivers & Software from v2.0.0.2058 → v2.0.0.2073