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9 new wiki pages: getting-started, faq, troubleshooting, advanced-usage, verification-modes, adding-a-platform, adding-a-scraper, testing-guide, release-process. Updated architecture.md with mermaid diagrams, tools.md with full pipeline and target/exporter sections, profiling.md with missing fields, index.md with glossary and nav links. Expanded CONTRIBUTING.md from stub to full contributor guide. Filter .old.yml from load_emulator_profiles, generate_db alias collection, and generate_readme counts. Fix BizHawk sha1 mode in tools.md, fix RetroPie path, fix export_truth.py typos.
52 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
52 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
# Wiki - RetroBIOS
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Technical documentation for the RetroBIOS toolchain.
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## For users
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- **[Getting started](getting-started.md)** - installation, BIOS directory paths per platform, verification
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- **[FAQ](faq.md)** - common questions, troubleshooting, hash explanations
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If you just want to download BIOS packs, see the [home page](../index.md).
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## Technical reference
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- **[Architecture](architecture.md)** - directory structure, data flow, platform inheritance, pack grouping, security, edge cases, CI workflows
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- **[Tools](tools.md)** - CLI reference for every script, pipeline usage, scrapers
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- **[Advanced usage](advanced-usage.md)** - custom packs, target filtering, truth generation, emulator verification, offline workflow
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- **[Verification modes](verification-modes.md)** - how each platform verifies BIOS files, severity matrix, resolution chain
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- **[Data model](data-model.md)** - database.json structure, indexes, file resolution order, YAML formats
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- **[Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md)** - diagnosis by symptom: missing BIOS, hash mismatch, pack issues, verify errors
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## For contributors
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- **[Profiling guide](profiling.md)** - create an emulator profile from source code, YAML field reference
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- **[Adding a platform](adding-a-platform.md)** - scraper, registry, YAML config, exporter, target scraper, install detection
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- **[Adding a scraper](adding-a-scraper.md)** - plugin architecture, BaseScraper, parsers, target scrapers
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- **[Testing guide](testing-guide.md)** - run tests, fixture pattern, how to add tests, CI integration
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- **[Release process](release-process.md)** - CI workflows, large files, manual release
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See [contributing](../contributing.md) for submission guidelines.
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## Glossary
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- **BIOS** - firmware burned into console hardware, needed by emulators that rely on original boot code
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- **firmware** - system software loaded by a console at boot; used interchangeably with BIOS in this project
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- **HLE** - High-Level Emulation; software reimplementation of BIOS functions, avoids needing the original file
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- **hash** - fixed-length fingerprint of a file's contents; this project uses MD5, SHA1, SHA256, and CRC32
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- **platform** - a distribution that packages emulators (RetroArch, Batocera, Recalbox, EmuDeck, etc.)
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- **core** - an emulator packaged as a libretro plugin, loaded by RetroArch or compatible frontends
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- **profile** - a YAML file in `emulators/` documenting one core's BIOS requirements, verified against source code
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- **system** - a game console or computer being emulated (e.g. sony-playstation, nintendo-gameboy-advance)
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- **pack** - a ZIP archive containing all BIOS files needed by a specific platform
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- **ground truth** - the emulator's source code, treated as the authoritative reference for BIOS requirements
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- **cross-reference** - comparison of emulator profiles against platform configs to find undeclared files
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- **scraper** - a script that fetches BIOS requirement data from an upstream source (System.dat, es_bios.xml, etc.)
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- **exporter** - a script that converts ground truth data back into a platform's native format
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- **target** - a hardware architecture that a platform runs on (e.g. switch, rpi4, x86_64, steamos)
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- **variant** - an alternative version of a BIOS file (different revision, region, or dump), stored in `.variants/`
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- **required** - a file the core needs to function; determined by source code behavior
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- **optional** - a file the core functions without, possibly with reduced accuracy or missing features
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- **hle_fallback** - flag on a file indicating the core has an HLE path; absence is downgraded to INFO severity
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- **severity** - the urgency of a verification result: OK (verified), INFO (negligible), WARNING (degraded), CRITICAL (broken)
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