mbed-os-examples
The Mbed OS file system example
Getting started with the Mbed OS file system
This example demonstrates how to use the Mbed OS file system.
You can find more information about the Mbed OS file system and other related pieces of the Mbed OS storage stack in the storage overview.
Table of contents:
- Hardware requirements
- Usage
- Import the example
- Compile the example
- Run the example
- Troubleshooting - Changing the file system
- Changing the block device
- Tested configurations
Hardware requirements
This example uses a block device as storage. This can be one of:
- A built-in SPI flash, such as on the FRDM-K82F.
- An external block device (one of SPI flash, DataFlash or an SD card).
- Simulated on a heap block device on boards with enough RAM.
This example uses an instance of the LittleFileSystem API (LittleFS) on external SPI flash.
The changing the block device section describes
how to change the file system or block device in the example.
Usage
Import the example
Make sure you have an Mbed development environment set up. Get started with Mbed OS
to set everything up.
From the command-line, import the example:
mbed import mbed-os-example-filesystem
cd mbed-os-example-filesystem
Compile the example
Invoke mbed compile, and specify the name of your platform and your favorite
toolchain (GCC_ARM, ARM, IAR). For example, for the ARM toolchain:
mbed compile -m K64F -t ARM
Your PC may take a few minutes to compile your code. At the end, you see the
following result:
[snip]
| Module | .text |.data | .bss |
|---------------------|--------|------|--------|
| [lib]/c_w.l | 13137 | 16 | 348 |
| [lib]/fz_wm.l | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| [lib]/libcppabi_w.l | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| [lib]/m_wm.l | 48 | 0 | 0 |
| anon$$obj.o | 32 | 0 | 197888 |
| main.o | 2406 | 0 | 256 |
| mbed-os/components | 5568 | 0 | 0 |
| mbed-os/drivers | 2700 | 0 | 1136 |
| mbed-os/events | 1716 | 0 | 3108 |
| mbed-os/features | 16586 | 0 | 509 |
| mbed-os/hal | 1622 | 4 | 67 |
| mbed-os/platform | 7009 | 64 | 542 |
| mbed-os/rtos | 12132 | 168 | 6634 |
| mbed-os/targets | 19773 | 12 | 985 |
| Subtotals | 82807 | 264 | 211473 |
Total Static RAM memory (data + bss): 211737 bytes
Total Flash memory (text + data): 83071 bytes
Image: ./BUILD/K64F/ARM/mbed-os-example-filesystem.bin
Run the example
- Connect your Mbed Enabled device to the computer over USB.
- Copy the binary file to the Mbed Enabled device.
- Press the reset button to start the program.
- Open the UART of the board in your favorite UART viewing program. For
example,screen /dev/ttyACM0.
Note: The default serial port baud rate is 9600 bit/s.
Expected output:
--- Mbed OS filesystem example ---
Mounting the filesystem... Fail :(
No filesystem found, formatting... OK
Opening "/fs/numbers.txt"... Fail :(
No file found, creating a new file... OK
Writing numbers (10/10)... OK
Seeking file... OK
Incrementing numbers (10/10)... OK
Closing "/fs/numbers.txt"... OK
Opening the root directory... OK
root directory:
.
..
numbers.txt
Closing the root directory... OK
Opening "/fs/numbers.txt"...OK
numbers:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Closing "/fs/numbers.txt"... OK
Unmounting... OK
Mbed OS filesystem example done!
You can also reset the board to see the data persist across boots. Each boot
increments the numbers stored on disk:
--- Mbed OS filesystem example ---
Mounting the filesystem... OK
Opening "/fs/numbers.txt"... OK
Incrementing numbers (10/10)... OK
Closing "/fs/numbers.txt"... OK
Opening the root directory... OK
root directory:
.
..
numbers.txt
Closing the root directory... OK
Opening "/fs/numbers.txt"...OK
numbers:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Closing "/fs/numbers.txt"... OK
Unmounting... OK
Mbed OS filesystem example done!
If you find yourself with a corrupted file system, you can reset the storage
by pressing BUTTON1:
Initializing the block device... OK
Erasing the block device... OK
Deinitializing the block device... OK
Note that if you press the reset button at the wrong time, you may corrupt
a file system that is not power resilient!
Troubleshooting
If you have problems, you can review the documentation
for suggestions on what could be wrong and how to fix it.
Changing the file system
In Mbed OS, a C++ classes that inherits from the FileSystem
interface represents each file system. You can change the file system in the
example by changing the class declared in main.cpp.
- LittleFileSystem fs("fs");
+ FATFileSystem fs("fs");
Note: Different file systems require different minimum numbers of storage
blocks to function. For the FATFileSystem, this example requires a minimum of
256 blocks, and for the LittleFileSystem, this example requires a minimum of 6
blocks. You can find the number of blocks on a block device by dividing the
block device’s size by its erase size.
Mbed OS has two options for the file system:
- LittleFileSystem -
The little file system is a fail-safe file system we designed
for embedded systems, specifically for microcontrollers that use flash
storage.
cpp
LittleFileSystem fs("fs");
-
Bounded RAM/ROM - This file system works with a limited amount of memory.
It avoids recursion and limits dynamic memory to configurable
buffers. -
Power-loss resilient - We designed this for operating systems
that may have random power failures. It has strong copy-on-write
guarantees and keeps storage on disk in a valid state. -
Wear leveling - Because the most common form of embedded storage is
erodible flash memories, this file system provides a form of dynamic wear
leveling for systems that cannot fit a full flash translation layer. -
FATFileSystem - The FAT file system is a well-known file system that you
can find on almost every system, including PCs. The Mbed OS implementation of
the FAT file system is based on ChanFS and is optimized for small embedded systems.
cpp
FATFileSystem fs("fs");
- Portable - Almost every operating system supports the FAT file system,
which is the most common file system found on portable storage, such as SD
cards and flash drives. The FAT file system is the easiest way to support
access from a PC.
Changing the block device
In Mbed OS, a C++ classes that inherits from the BlockDevice
interface represents each block device. You can change the filesystem in the
example by changing the class declared in main.cpp.
-SPIFBlockDevice bd(
- MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_MOSI,
- MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_MISO,
- MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_CLK,
- MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_CS);
+SDBlockDevice bd(
+ MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_MOSI,
+ MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_MISO,
+ MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_CLK,
+ MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_CS);
Note: Most block devices require pin assignments. Double check that the
pins in <driver>/mbed_lib.json are correct. For example, to change the pins for the SD driver, open sd-driver/config/mbed_lib.json, and change your target platform to the correct pin-out in the target_overrides configuration:
"target_overrides": {
...
"NUCLEO_F429ZI": {
"SPI_MOSI": "PC_12",
"SPI_MISO": "PC_11",
"SPI_CLK": "PC_10",
"SPI_CS": "PA_15"
},
...
}
The pins macros define above can be override at the application configuration file using the driver prefix before the parameter name.
"target_overrides": {
...
"NUCLEO_F429ZI": {
"spif-driver.SPI_MOSI": "PC_12",
"spif-driver.SPI_MISO": "PC_11",
"spif-driver.SPI_CLK": "PC_10",
"spif-driver.SPI_CS": "PA_15"
},
...
}
or
"target_overrides": {
...
"NUCLEO_F429ZI": {
"sd.SPI_MOSI": "PC_12",
"sd.SPI_MISO": "PC_11",
"sd.SPI_CLK": "PC_10",
"sd.SPI_CS": "PA_15"
},
...
}
Mbed OS has several options for the block device:
- SPIFBlockDevice - Block device driver for NOR-based SPI flash devices that
support SFDP. NOR-based SPI flash supports byte-sized read and writes, with an
erase size of about 4kbytes. An erase sets a block to all 1s, with successive
writes clearing set bits.
cpp
SPIFBlockDevice bd(
MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_MOSI,
MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_MISO,
MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_CLK,
MBED_CONF_SPIF_DRIVER_SPI_CS);
Starting mbed-os 5.10 the SPIFBlockDevice is a component under mbed-os. In order to add a component to the application use the following target_overrides configuration at the application configuration file:
"target_overrides": {
...
"NUCLEO_F429ZI": {
"target.components_add": ["SPIF"],
...
},
...
}
- DataFlashBlockDevice - Block device driver for NOR-based SPI flash devices
that support the DataFlash protocol, such as the Adesto AT45DB series of
devices. DataFlash is a memory protocol that combines flash with SRAM buffers
for a programming interface. DataFlash supports byte-sized read and writes, with
an erase size of about 528 bytes or sometimes 1056 bytes. DataFlash provides
erase sizes with an extra 16 bytes for error correction codes (ECC), so a flash
translation layer (FTL) may still present 512 byte erase sizes.
cpp
DataFlashBlockDevice bd(
MBED_CONF_DATAFLASH_SPI_MOSI,
MBED_CONF_DATAFLASH_SPI_MISO,
MBED_CONF_DATAFLASH_SPI_CLK,
MBED_CONF_DATAFLASH_SPI_CS);
Starting mbed-os 5.10 the DataFlashBlockDevice is a component under mbed-os. In order to add a component to the application use the following target_overrides configuration at the application configuration file:
"target_overrides": {
...
"NUCLEO_F429ZI": {
"target.components_add": ["DATAFLASH"],
...
},
...
}
- SDBlockDevice - Block device driver for SD cards and eMMC memory chips. SD
cards or eMMC chips offer a full FTL layer on top of NAND flash. This makes the
storage well-suited for systems that require a about 1GB of memory.
Additionally, SD cards are a popular form of portable storage. They are useful
if you want to store data that you can access from a PC.
cpp
SDBlockDevice bd(
MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_MOSI,
MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_MISO,
MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_CLK,
MBED_CONF_SD_SPI_CS);
Starting mbed-os 5.10 the SDBlockDevice is a component under mbed-os. In order to add a component to the application use the following target_overrides configuration at the application configuration file:
"target_overrides": {
...
"NUCLEO_F429ZI": {
"target.components_add": ["SD"],
...
},
...
}
- HeapBlockDevice -
Block device that simulates storage in RAM using the heap. Do not use the heap
block device for storing data persistently because a power loss causes
complete loss of data. Instead, use it fortesting applications when a storage
device is not available.
cpp
HeapBlockDevice bd(1024*512, 512);
Additionally, Mbed OS contains several utility block devices to give you better
control over the allocation of storage.
-
SlicingBlockDevice -
With the slicing block device, you can partition storage into smaller block
devices that you can use independently. -
ChainingBlockDevice -
With the chaining block device, you can chain multiple block devices together
and extend the usable amount of storage. -
MBRBlockDevice -
Mbed OS comes with support for storing partitions on disk with a Master Boot
Record (MBR). The MBRBlockDevice provides this functionality and supports
creating partitions at runtime or using preformatted partitions configured
separately from outside the application. -
ReadOnlyBlockDevice - With the read-only block device, you can wrap a
block device in a read-only layer, ensuring that user of the block device does
not modify the storage. -
ProfilingBlockDevice - With the profiling block device, you can profile
the quantity of erase, program and read operations that are incurred on a
block device. -
ObservingBlockDevice - The observing block device grants the user the
ability to register a callback on block device operations. You can use this to
inspect the state of the block device, log different metrics or perform some
other operation. -
ExhaustibleBlockDevice - Useful for evaluating how file systems respond to
wear, the exhaustible block device simulates wear on another form of storage.
You can configure it to expire blocks as necessary.
Tested configurations
- K64F + Heap + LittleFS
- K64F + Heap + FATFS
- K64F + SD + LittleFS
- K64F + SD + FATFS
- K64F + SPIF (requires shield) + LittleFS
- K64F + SPIF (requires shield) + FATFS
- K64F + DataFlash (requires shield) + LittleFS
- K64F + DataFlash (requires shield) + FATFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + Heap + LittleFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + Heap + FATFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + SD + LittleFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + SD + FATFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + SPIF (requires shield) + LittleFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + SPIF (requires shield) + FATFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + DataFlash (requires shield) + LittleFS
- UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 [1] + DataFlash (requires shield) + FATFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + Heap + LittleFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + Heap + FATFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + SD (requires shield) + LittleFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + SD (requires shield) + FATFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + SPIF (requires shield) + LittleFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + SPIF (requires shield) + FATFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + DataFlash (requires shield) + LittleFS
- NUCLEO_F429ZI + DataFlash (requires shield) + FATFS
[1]: Note: The UBLOX_EVK_ODIN_W2 SPI pins conflict with the default serial
pins. A different set of serial pins must be selected to use SPI flash with
serial output.
// Connect Tx, Rx, and ground pins to a separte board running the passthrough example:
// https://os.mbed.com/users/sarahmarshy/code/SerialPassthrough/file/2a3a62ee17fa/main.cpp/
Serial pc(TX, RX);
pc.printf("..."); // Replace printf with pc.printf in the example
License and contributions
The software is provided under Apache-2.0 license. Contributions to this project are accepted under the same license. Please see contributing.md for more info.
This project contains code from other projects. The original license text is included in those source files. They must comply with our license guide.