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Flash

Update target to support bootloader.

Update linker script.
Add required metadata to targets.json.
Implement mbed_start_application.
Implement flash HAL API.
Verify changes with tests.

Linker script updates

When building a bootloader application or an application that uses a bootloader, the Arm Mbed OS build system automatically defines values for the start of application flash, MBED_APP_START, and size of application flash, MBED_APP_SIZE, when preprocessing the linker script. When updating a target to support this functionality, linker scripts must place all flash data in a location starting at MBED_APP_START and must limit the size of that data to MBED_APP_SIZE. This change must occur for the linker scripts of all toolchains - GCC Arm (.ld), Arm (.sct) and IAR (.icf). You can find examples of this for the k64f, stm32f429, odin-w2.

Use these 2 defines in place of flash start and size for a target:

MBED_APP_START - defines an address where an application space starts.
MBED_APP_SIZE - the size of the application.

Note: When an application does not use any of the bootloader functionality, then MBED_APP_START and MBED_APP_SIZE are not defined. For this reason, the linker script must define default values that match flash start and flash size..

An example of how a target could define MBED_APP_START and MBED_APP_SIZE in the linker script file:

#if !defined(MBED_APP_START)
  #define MBED_APP_START 0
#endif

#if !defined(MBED_APP_SIZE)
  #define MBED_APP_SIZE 0x100000
#endif

Be careful with these defines because they move the application flash sections. Therefore, you should move any sections within flash sectors accordingly.

Note: The VTOR must be relative to the region in which it is placed. To confirm, search for NVIC_FLASH_VECTOR_ADDRESS and SCB->VTOR, and ensure the flash address is not hardcoded.

Problematic declaration of flash VTOR address:

#define NVIC_RAM_VECTOR_ADDRESS   (0x20000000)
#define NVIC_FLASH_VECTOR_ADDRESS (0x00000000)

Bootloader-ready declaration of flash VTOR address:

#define NVIC_RAM_VECTOR_ADDRESS   (0x20000000)
#if defined(__ICCARM__)
    #pragma section=".intvec"
    #define NVIC_FLASH_VECTOR_ADDRESS   ((uint32_t)__section_begin(".intvec"))
#elif defined(__CC_ARM)
    extern uint32_t Load$$LR$$LR_IROM1$$Base[];
    #define NVIC_FLASH_VECTOR_ADDRESS   ((uint32_t)Load$$LR$$LR_IROM1$$Base)
#elif defined(__GNUC__)
    extern uint32_t vectors[];
    #define NVIC_FLASH_VECTOR_ADDRESS   ((uint32_t)vectors)
#else
    #error "Flash vector address not set for this toolchain"
#endif

`targets.json` metadata

The managed and unmanaged bootloader builds require some target metadata from CMSIS Packs. Add a "device_name" attribute to your target as Adding and configuring targets describes.

Start application

The mbed_start_application implementation exists only for Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M7. You can find it in the Arm Mbed_application code file. If mbed_start_application does not support your target, you must implement this function in the target HAL.

Flash HAL

For a bootloader to perform updates, you must implement the flash API. This consists of implementing the function in flash_api.h and adding the correct fields to targets.json.

There are two options to implement flash HAL:

Option 1: CMSIS flash algorithm routines

These are quick to implement. They use CMSIS device packs and scripts to generate binary blobs. Because these flash algorithms do not have well-specified behavior, they might disable cache, reconfigure clocks and other actions you may not expect. Therefore, proper testing is required. First, make sure CMSIS device packs support your device. Run a script in mbed-os to generate flash blobs. Check the flash blobs into the target's HAL. Arm provides an example of how to do this.

To enable a CMSIS flash algorithm common layer, a target should define FLASH_CMSIS_ALGO. This macro enables the wrapper between CMSIS flash algorithm functions from the flash blobs and flash HAL.

"TARGET_NAME": {
    "extra_labels": [FLASH_CMSIS_ALGO]
}

The CMSIS algorithm common layer provides a trampoline, which uses a flash algorithm blob. It invokes CMSIS FLASH API, which the CMSIS-Pack Algorithm Functions page defines.

Option 2: Your own HAL driver

If CMSIS packs do not support a target, you can implement flash HAL by writing your own HAL driver.

Functions to implement:

int32_t flash_init(flash_t *obj);
int32_t flash_free(flash_t *obj);
int32_t flash_erase_sector(flash_t *obj, uint32_t address);
int32_t flash_program_page(flash_t *obj, uint32_t address, const uint8_t *data, uint32_t size);
uint32_t flash_get_sector_size(const flash_t *obj, uint32_t address);
uint32_t flash_get_page_size(const flash_t *obj);
uint32_t flash_get_start_address(const flash_t *obj);
uint32_t flash_get_size(const flash_t *obj);

To enable flash HAL, define FLASH in targets.json file inside device_has:

"TARGET_NAME": {
   "device_has": ["FLASH"]
}

Finally, to indicate that your device fully supports bootloaders, set the field bootloader_supported to true for the target in the targets.json file:

"bootloader_supported": true

Tests

The following tests for the FlashIAP class and flash HAL are located in the mbed-os/TESTS folder.

Flash IAP unit tests: tests-mbed_drivers-flashiap.
Flash HAL unit tests: tests-mbed_hal-flash.

They test all flash API functionality. To run the tests, use these commands:

Flash IAP: mbed test -m TARGET_NAME -n tests-mbed_drivers-flashiap.
Flash HAL: mbed test -m TARGET_NAME -n tests-mbed_hal-flash.

Troubleshooting

For targets with VTOR, a target might have a VTOR address defined to a hardcoded address as mentioned in the Linker script updates section.
Using Flash IAP might introduce latency as it might disable interrupts for longer periods of time.
Program and erase functions might operate on different sized blocks - page size might not equal to a sector size. The function erase erases a sector, the program function programs a page. Use accessor methods to get the values for a sector or a page.
Sectors might have different sizes within a device.