I've created an application which has 2 firmware slots in its memory mapping. It works pretty fine and both slots are executed correctly based on a 32-bit sequencer number stored in FLASH.
The problem appears when I'm trying to use FreeRTOS. By default, firmware is compiled for the first slot... and there's no any problem in running this slot. However when the device starts firmware saved in the second slot, when RTOS starts its first task in prvPortStartFirstTask, then jumps to vPortSVCHandler it switches to the task in the first slot.
What am I doing wrong? I thought function addresses are relative after compilation, so there should be no difficulties running this application with 2 firmware slots.
EDIT
My flow during switching from bootloader to main application is as follows:
1. Check which firmware slot should be used.
2. Disable IRQs.
2. Copy vector table to RAM. That part of RAM is the same for both slots. During copying process I'm changing offset for each address, so they will be compatible with particular firmware slot. By default addresses don't have offset, it's removed in post-compiling stage.
3. Set stack pointer, according to the first word in vector table in RAM. That addresses is not changed while copying vector table to RAM.
4. Set SCB->VTOR.
5. Execute Data Sync Barrier DSB().
6. Jump to the Reset Handler from vector table copied to RAM.
EDIT 2
When I compile application with changed FLASH memory address range to the secondary slot, it works properly.
Is it possible compile code such that application will be PC independent, at least it will work in that case?
EDIT 3
# Generate position independent code.
-fPIC
# Access bss via the GOT.
-mno-pic-data-is-text-relative
# GOT is not PC-relative; store GOT location in a register.
-msingle-pic-base
# Store GOT location in r9.
-mpic-register=r9
However, now this slot stopped working.
I think my problem is similar to that one.
Generally, firmwares aren't built position independent, so I wouldn't trust that all "function addresses are relative after compilation". You compile firmware for a specific start location (either the first or the second firmware slot).
As for your main question, have you done anything to switch the interrupt handlers / interrupt vector from one firmware slot to the other? Or are you jumping to the first firmware's interrupt handlers when you call the SVC handler?
How to change the interrupt vector varies between architectures. For an stm32f429, you could perhaps look here
Related
The Vector Table offset register on a Cortex M7 allows to relocate the Vector Table.
I am wondering how the Vector Table is managed when it is relocated and a soft reset occurs.
The ARM programming manual mentions that the value of VTOR after reset is "unknown".
What reset handler is used after a soft reset: the "original" one from the vector table in Flash ? Or the "relocated" one set through VTOR ?
Same question for the Stack Pointer. The Programming manual states that "On reset, the processor loads the MSP with the value from address 0x00000000". Does that mean that the Stack Pointer in a relocated Vector Table is never used ?
Does that mean that the Stack Pointer in a relocated Vector Table is
never used ?
It is not used by the hardware. It is used by bootloader when launching the application.
What reset handler is used after a soft reset: the "original" one from
the vector table in Flash
The one selected by the boot pins & boot option bytes.
The ARM programming manual mentions that the value of VTOR after reset
is "unknown".
I do not think so, my programming manual shows:
Which is quite well defined :)
I am wondering how the Vector Table is managed when it is relocated
and a soft reset occurs.
Same as during the hardware reset.
What are the appropriate steps to write add a custom bootloader for stm32l0 in IAR? The following questions are not clear:
Do I make a new IAR Project?
If yes, do I write the bootloader like a normal project and just change my original .icf file so there is a small ROM and an small RAM region for the bootloader?
if no, what things do I have to configure in the IAR proejct apart from icf file and code?
what other things do I need to think of?
I'm having trouble starting into this.
So the icf would be for the main project:
__region_ROM_start__ = 0x08000000;
__region_ROM_end__ = 0x08008FFF;
So the icf would be for the bootloader project:
__region_Bootloader_ROM_start__ = 0x08009000;
__region_Bootloader_ROM_end__ = 0x08009FFF;
and the same thing for about 0xFF of RAM?
You do not need to restrict the RAM - you can use all of it because when you switch to the application a new run-time environment will be established and the RAM will be reused.
The flash you reserve for the bootloader must be a whole number of flash pages starting from the reset address The STM32L0 has very small flash pages so there should be minimal waste, but you don't want to have to change it if your bootloader grows, because then you will have to rebuild your application code for the new start address and old application images will no longer be loadable. So consider giving yourself a little headroom.
The bootloader can be built just like any other STM32L0xx project; the application code ROM configuration must start from an address above the bootloader. So for example say you have a 1Kbyte bootloader:
Boot ROM Start: 0x0800 0000
Boot ROM End: 0x0800 03FF
Application Start: 0x0800 0400
Application End: Part size dependent.
The bootloader itself must have a means of determining that an update is available, if an update is available it must then read the application data and write it to the application flash memory, it must then disable any interrupts that may have been enabled, it may also be necessary to deinitialise any peripherals used (if they remain active when the switch to the application is made it may cause problems), then the switch to the application code is made.
It is possible if the bootloader and application both run from the same clock configuration to minimise the configuration in the application and rely on the bootloader. This is a small space saving, but less flexible. If for example you make the bootloader run using the internal RC oscillator it will be portable across multiple hardware designs that may have differing application speed and clocking requirements and different external oscillator frequencies
The switch to the application is pretty simple on Cortex-M, it simply requires the vector table to be switched to the application's vector table, then the program-counter to be loaded - the latter requires a little assembly code. The following is for Cortex-M3, it may need some adaptation for M0+ but possibly not:
Given the following in-line assembly function:
__asm void boot_jump( uint32_t address )
{
LDR SP, [R0] ;Load new stack pointer address
LDR PC, [R0, #4] ;Load new program counter address
}
The bootloader switched to the application image thus:
// Switch off core clock before switching vector table
SysTick->CTRL = 0 ;
// Switch off any other enabled interrupts too
...
// Switch vector table
SCB->VTOR = APPLICATION_START_ADDR ;
//Jump to start address
boot_jump( APPLICATION_START_ADDR ) ;
Where APPLICATION_START_ADDR is the base address of the application area; this address is the start of the application's vector table, which starts with the initial stack pointer and reset vector, the boot_jump() function loads these into the SP and PC registers to start the application as if it had been started at reset. The application's reset vector contains the application's execution start address.
Your needs may vary, but in my experience a serial bootloader (using UART) using XMODEM and decoding an image in Intel Hex format takes about 4Kb of Flash. On an STM32L0 you may want to use something simpler - 1Kb is probably feasible if you simply stream raw binary the data and use hardware flow control (you need to control data flow because erasing and programming the flash takes time and also stops the CPU from running because you cannot on STM32 write flash memory while simultaneously fetching instructions from it).
See also: How to jump between programs in Stellaris
I have splitted software into two parts: Bootloader(without RTX), Application image with RTX.
But the bootloader could not load the application image with RTX.
The Flash settings are:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
start address size
IROM 1: 0x08000000 0x2800 - Bootloader (without RTX)
IROM 2: 0x08002800 0xD000 - Application Image (with RTX)
I have test 3 ways:
(1) Use another App without RTX. The bootloader could load the app successfully.
(2) Change the application with RTX project IROM setting. I change the application project IROM start address from 0x08002800 to 0x08000000. And I download the application image into flash from the address 0x08000000. Ihe image could run from 0x08000000 successfully.
(3) The application image IROM start address setting is 0x08002800. After downloading bootloader and app image into flash, I debug the app project in keil step by step. I found that there is a "osTimerthread stack overflow" error. Then the main thread stack is also overflowed. I have tried to increase the stack size, but it doesn't work.
I found that the app starks in the RTX kernel switching. All threads are in the waiting state, and are not running.
Ps, when I am debugging in the keil,test item(2) also have stack overflow errors during kernel initialization. The item(2) works fine till now. So I just put any information needed here.
This is the debugging picture for item (3).
Are you actually changing the linker script to link starting at 0x08002800 when using the bootloader or just loading the application (linked at 0x08000000) at an offset of 0x2800? Double check this (look in the map file) for your linked output to ensure that all your symbols are not linked in the 0x08000000 - 0x08002800 range.
Additionally, make sure you are using the correct entry point and stack pointer. The application's stack pointer should be at 0x08002800, and the reset vector will be at 0x08002804. Your bootloader will need to setup the MSP register with the correct stack pointer before jumping to the application. Here is some example code from ST's USB DFU bootloader:
typedef void (*pFunction)(void);
pFunction JumpToApplication;
uint32_t JumpAddress;
/* Jump to user application */
JumpAddress = *(__IO uint32_t*) (USBD_DFU_APP_DEFAULT_ADD + 4);
JumpToApplication = (pFunction) JumpAddress;
/* Initialize user application's Stack Pointer */
__set_MSP(*(__IO uint32_t*) USBD_DFU_APP_DEFAULT_ADD);
JumpToApplication();
Additionally, depending on how much your bootloader configures before jumping to the application, you may need to 'deconfigure' certain peripherals. As an example, if you setup your clocks in the bootloader before deciding to jump to the application, you may run into problems in your application if it assumes that the clocks are in the default configuration already. Similar things can happen with the NVIC and SysTick if your bootloader is using these before jumping to the application.
Lastly, along the same lines as the previous section, the application may be making assumptions about the state of peripherals being default, but it also may be making assumptions that the peripheral defaults are correct. For example: SCB->VTOR has a default value (I believe it is always 0x00000000), and this points to the vector table. Your bootloader will be linked to have its vector table at that location. You'll need to make sure that when your application is starting up, it updates the VTOR register to point to the actual location of its vector table.
Hopefully one of these sections helps you identify the problem.
My goal is to let my own kernel start an application cpu. It uses the same mechanism as the linux kernel:
Send asserting and level triggered init-IPI
Wait...
Send deasserting and level triggered init-IPI
Wait...
Send up to two startup-IPIs with vector number (0x40000 >> 12) (the entry code for the application processor lies there)
Currently I'm just interested in making it work with QEMU. Unfortunately, instead of jumping to 0x40000, the application cpu jumps to 0x0 with the cs register set to 0x4000. (I checked with gdb).
The Intel MultiProcessor Specification (B.4.2) explains that the behavior that I noticed is valid if the target processor is halted immediately after RESET or INIT. But shouldn't this also apply to the code of the linux kernel? It sends the startup-IPI after the init-IPI. Or do I misunderstand the specification?
What can I do to have the application processor jump to 0x000VV000 and not to 0x0 with the cs register set to 0xVV00? I really can't see, where linux does something that changes the behavior.
It seems that I really misunderstood the specification: Since the application cpu is started in real mode 0x000VV000 is equivalent to 0xVV00:0x0000. It is not possible to represent the address just in the 16 bit ip register. Therefore a segment offset for the code segment is required.
Additionally, debugging real mode code with gdb is comparable complicated because it does not respect the segment offset. When required to see the disassembled code of the trampoline at the current position, it is necessary to calculate the physical location:
x/20i $eip+0xVV000
This makes gdb print the next 20 instructions at 0xVV00:$eip.
I am working on a boot loader for Stellaris LM3S1607 chip.
I am using Keil MicroVision4 C compiler.
The idea is to create 2 independent firmware that one will update another.
In firmware1 i downloaded firmware2 file and write it to flash in address 0x3200. untill here it is working. i also verifed that the data is being written to flash correct.
Now i have in flash two applications. one is my uip boot loader and the seoncd one is my main project.
i want to know how can i jump from the first program to the second program located in 0x3200.
If someone can help me to jump it will be great.
Thanks
This will work on any Cortex-M part...
Create an assembler function like:
__asm void boot_jump( uint32_t address )
{
LDR SP, [R0] ;Load new stack pointer address
LDR PC, [R0, #4] ;Load new program counter address
}
In-line assembler syntax varies; this example is Keil ARM-MDK / ARM RealView.
Then at the end of your bootloader:
// Switch off core clock before switching vector table
SysTick->CTRL = 0 ;
// Switch off any other enabled interrupts too
...
// Switch vector table
SCB->VTOR = APPLICATION_START_ADDR ;
//Jump to start address
boot_jump( APPLICATION_START_ADDR ) ;
Note that APPLICATION_START_ADDR in this case is the base or location address of your linked application code (0x3200 in this case), not the entry point indicated in the link map. The application vector table is located at this address, and the start of the vector table contains the application's initial stack pointer address and program counter (the actual code entry point).
The boot_jump() function loads a stack pointer and program counter from the application's vector table, simulating what happens on reset where they are loaded from the base of Flash memory (the bootloader's vector table).
Note that you must have set the start address in your application code's linker settings to the same as that which the bootloader will copy the image. If you are using the Keil debugger, you will not be able to load and run the application in the debugger without the bootloader present (or at least without manually setting the SP and PC correctly or using a debugger script), because the debugger loads the reset vector addresses rather than the application vector addresses.
It is important that interrupts are disabled before switching the vector table, otherwise any interrupt that occurs before the application is initialised will vector to the application's handler, and that may not be ready.
Be careful of any peripherals that you use in both the application and boot code, any assumptions about reset conditions may not hold if the peripheral registers have already been set by the boot code.