Bonding randomly loss after DFU

[Moh]

Hi there,

I am using nrf connect sdk v2.6.0. I have noticed that after DFU update, I am seeing ble bonding lost randomly on firmware side. I did uncheck Erase Application Settings before DFU and I tried on both Device Manager app as well as nrf connect app and on both Android/IOS. I am attaching dts snippet and prj.conf for reference.

Thanks M

&flash0 {

	partitions {
		compatible = "fixed-partitions";
		#address-cells = <1>;
		#size-cells = <1>;

		boot_partition: partition@0 {
			label = "mcuboot";
			reg = <0x00000000 0x0000C000>;
		};
		slot0_partition: partition@c000 {
			label = "image-0";
			reg = <0x0000C000 0x00076000>;
		};
		slot1_partition: partition@82000 {
			label = "image-1";
			reg = <0x00082000 0x00076000>;
		};

		/*
		 * The flash starting at 0x000f8000 and ending at
		 * 0x000fffff is reserved for use by the application.
		 */

		/*
		 * Storage partition will be used by FCB/LittleFS/NVS
		 * if enabled.
		 */

		app_storage_partition: partition@f8000 {
			label = "appstorage";
			reg = <0x000f8000 0x00006000>;
		};
		storage_partition: partition@fe000 {
			label = "storage";
			reg = <0x000fe000 0x00002000>;
		};
	};
};

6786.prj.conf

[Amanda Hsieh]

Hi, 

I am seeing ble bonding lost randomly on firmware side.

Did you add the related codes as this course https://academy.nordicsemi.com/courses/bluetooth-low-energy-fundamentals/lessons/lesson-5-bluetooth-le-security-fundamentals/topic/blefund-lesson-5-exercise-2/?

I did uncheck Erase Application Settings before DFU and I tried on both Device Manager app as well as nrf connect app and on both Android/IOS.

Did you check if the "Erase application settings" is disabled every time?

Regards,
Amanda H.

[Moh]

Hi Amanda,

Yes I did and I did uncheck "Erase application settings" everytime in the app before DFU.

Regards,
M

[Amanda Hsieh]

Could you remove the partition in dts and let the partition manager automatically generate it to see it can help or not?

[Moh]

Hi , If I remove from dts, It doesn't get build. FYI I do have static partition defined too. 

app:
  address: 0xc200
  end_address: 0xfe000
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0xf1e00
external_flash:
  address: 0xf2000
  end_address: 0x400000
  region: external_flash
  size: 0x30e000
mcuboot:
  address: 0x0
  end_address: 0xc000
  placement:
    before:
      - mcuboot_primary
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0xc000
mcuboot_pad:
  address: 0xc000
  end_address: 0xc200
  placement:
    align:
      start: 0x1000
    before:
      - mcuboot_primary_app
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0x200
mcuboot_primary:
  address: 0xc000
  end_address: 0xfe000
  orig_span: &id001
    - app
    - mcuboot_pad
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0xf2000
  span: *id001
mcuboot_primary_app:
  address: 0xc200
  end_address: 0xfe000
  orig_span: &id002
    - app
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0xf1e00
  span: *id002
mcuboot_secondary:
  address: 0x0
  device: DT_CHOSEN(nordic_pm_ext_flash)
  end_address: 0xf2000
  placement:
    align:
      start: 0x4
  region: external_flash
  share_size:
    - mcuboot_primary
  size: 0xf2000
app_storage_partition:
  address: 0xf8000
  end_address: 0xfc000
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0x6000
settings_storage:
  address: 0xfe000
  end_address: 0x100000
  placement:
    align:
      start: 0x1000
    before:
      - end
  region: flash_primary
  size: 0x2000
sram_primary:
  address: 0x20000000
  end_address: 0x20040000
  region: sram_primary
  size: 0x40000

[Thibaud]

Hello

I am facing the same issue. I feel like it is related to the application size even if the settings partition is exactly the same in both partitions manager.

I explain myself : I programmed 2 different versions (47 and 50) of my BLE peripheral application in 2 application slots of 1 product. Both versions have differences, not related to advertising or pairing, but they ended up not having the same size. I connect my product in v50 to my phone with bounding etc, everything is fine I can reset either my phone or my product and they re connect automaticaly.  When I swap my product in v47 with nRF Connect application for smartphone I can't connect to my phone anymore, I have disconencted reason 19 in the log of my product meaning bouding informations have been lost. But if i swap back my product to v50 I can connect again. 

Here is screenshots illustrating my words : 

Screenshot from the programmer of nRF Connect for Desktop, showing both application are of different sizes.

 

v47 partitions manager

v50 partitions manager

My applications are based on sdk v2.5.0.

May the issue come from the settings_load() function ? Maybe instead of looking to a particular address it is using the difference between the end of the application and the beginning of settings storage partition ?

[Moh]

Great. You seeing same issue. If we have defined settings at a fixed address, do you think it should always look at the exact address everytime regardless of slot 0 or slot 1 application?