# Reading and writing raw binaries In addition to flashing builds using their XML-based descriptions, QDL supports reading and writing binaries directly. ```bash qdl prog_firehose_ddr.elf [read | write] [address specifier] ... qdl prog_firehose_ddr.elf [erase | sha256] [address specifier]... ``` `erase` wipes the addressed region and `sha256` prints the SHA256 digest the device computes over it, which is a quick way to verify a write. Multiple read, write, erase and sha256 commands can be specified at once. The ***address specifier*** can take the forms: - N - single number, specifies the physical partition number N, starting at sector 0. To read data, the number of sectors must be specified explicitly using the N/S+L form. - N/S - two numbers, specifies the physical partition number N and the start sector S. To read data, the number of sectors must be specified explicitly using the N/S+L form. - N/S+L - three numbers, specifies the physical partition number N, the start sector S and the number of sectors L, that ***binary*** should be written to, or which should be read into ***binary***. - partition name - a string, will match against partition names across the GPT partition tables on all physical partitions. - N/partition_name - a number followed by a string, will match against partition names of the GPT partition table in the specified physical partition N.