redboot on STM32f4-discovery board

[Oleg Uzenkov <o dot uzenkov at unicore dot co dot ua>]

Hello All,

I have tried to run redboot on a custom board (very similar to 
STM32f4-discovery board, so let's say that we have discovery in question).

I do understand that there is a little point to run redboot on a board 
without external RAM (due to memory limitations).

At this moment, I am not looking at loading and storing images via 
redboot (this would be the next step, the images will be small).

I just would like to get redboot working on a board without external RAM.

These are my findings so far:

1. I built redboot for ROM startup (applied relevant adjustings from 
stm3240g_eval's  redboot_rom.ecm)

2. flashed the board with redboot at 0x08000000

3.
when CYGOPT_REDBOOT_FIS == 0 redboot loads, but is very unstable, can 
stop working any time... But, without Flash Image System I do not see 
how to use redboot to load and store and run images.

when CYGOPT_REDBOOT_FIS == 1  redboot hangs.  It happens when 
do_flash_init() runs (problem in memcpy , probably illigal memory access)

A question, can actually redboot work without external ram?

If yes, how to fit it properly? (the board has stm32f407VE with 128+64 
KB of internal ram, 512KB internal flash)

I would appreciate any input on this.

Oleg



> On 03.10.2014 13:40, John Dallaway wrote:
> > Hi Oleg
> >
> > On 02/10/14 09:47, Oleg Uzenkov wrote:
> >
> > > I am working with eCos on STM32f4-discovery board.
> > >
> > > I would like to build a redboot loader that could choose and load
> > > binaries (eCos+app) stored in internal flash at power on.
> > >
> > > The eCos port for STM32f4-discovery has got a redboot option under
> > > Packages list in Templates. However it seems to be very minimalistic and
> > > also not functional. Also there is no specific configuration file like
> > > redboot_ROM.ecm.
> > >
> > > Please, could you give me directions as to making a functional redboot
> > > loader for STM32f4-discovery board.
> > >
> > > Would it make sense to build redboot for stm32x0g_eval board (redboot
> > > seems to be working) and adapt it for STM32f4-discovery board?
> > >
> > > I would appreciate any input on this.
> > To be clear, there is no support for RedBoot in the STM32F4-Discovery
> > platform HAL at present. The STM32F4-Discovery board offers only 128KiB
> > of contiguous on-chip RAM, so loading applications into RAM prior to
> > execution would limit the size of your applications quite considerably.
> > RedBoot would also consume some of the available RAM for its own data
> > structures.
> >
> > If you are still interested in using RedBoot to load and launch your
> > applications, you will need to add the following to the
> > STM32F4-Discovery platform HAL package:
> >
> > a) CDL items and memory layout files for RAM startup
> > b) CDL items for behaving as a ROM monitor and for working with a ROM
> >     monitor
> > c) RedBoot-specific CDL items and data structures
> >
> > You will find examples of all the above in the STM32x0G_EVAL platform
> > HAL package, but keep in mind that the STM32x0G_EVAL boards feature
> > external RAM. The naming of memory regions and startup types is
> > therefore different. The STM32x0G_EVAL "ROMINT" and "SRAM" startup types
> > are broadly equivalent to the STM32F4-Discovery "ROM" and (proposed)
> > "RAM" startup types respectively.
> In addition, for example of RedBoot on a platform with only internal RAM
> you can look at Kinetis.
>
> Ilija
>
> > I hope this helps...
> >
> > John Dallaway
> > eCos maintainer
> > http://www.dallaway.org.uk/john


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