Zephyr and OpenThread join support

[Louis]

While attempting to join a network formed by the OpenThread border router reference implementation and an external commissioner using the Android app, my zephyr end device (based on the lwm2m client sample) ends up failing an assertion:

assertion "awaited_property == AWAITED_PROPERTY_NONE" failed: file "WEST_TOPDIR/zephyr/modules/hal_nordic/nrf_802154/serialization/platform/nrf_802154_spinel_response_notifier.c", line 63, function: nrf_802154_spinel_response_notifier_lock_before_request

I'm not sure I'm doing this properly. CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_CUSTOM_PARAMETERS has to be set in order to be able to link the binary which I think is a little suspicious and not documented as far as I know:

CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_JOINER=y
CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_CUSTOM_PARAMETERS="OPENTHREAD_CONFIG_JOINER_ENABLE=1"
CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_JOINER_AUTOSTART=y
CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_JOINER_PSKD="J01NU5"
CONFIG_MBEDTLS_HEAP_SIZE=10240

[Carl Richard]

Hello, Louis!

Are you using Zephyr standalone or the nRF Connect SDK, based on Zephyr? In the latter we provide a OpenThread configuration guide and samples that should be more straightforward to setup with our devices. 

I will ask the developers about the issue you're seeing here.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

[Louis]

Thanks,

I'm using the nRF SDK. I tried to add join support to the cli sample. Configuring the application with OPENTHREAD_JOINER_AUTOSTART didin't do anything (no failed assertion but no join either). So I added a "join button" (project here) and ended up with the same failed assertion.

[Carl Richard]

Hello again!

Thanks for the information. I reached out to the developers regarding your issue and got back that the CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_CUSTOM_PARAMETERS="OPENTHREAD_CONFIG_JOINER_ENABLE=1" should not be necessary as the flag is enabled by CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_JOINER. However, the actual issue is related to network core communication. Could you try to enable logging on the network core and provide the output here? You can read more about logging from the network core in the nRF53 series documentation.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

[Louis]

CONFIG_NET_CORE_LOG_LEVEL_DBG=y

doesn't produce more output :

E: No response within timeout 500
assertion "awaited_property == AWAITED_PROPERTY_NONE" failed: file "WEST_TOPDIR/zephyr/modules/hal_nordic/nrf_802154/serialization/platform/nrf_802154_spinel_response_notifier.c", line 63, function: nrf_802154_spinel_response_notifier_lock_before_request
exit

Is that what you had in mind?

[Carl Richard]

Hi!

I thinking about logs from the code running on the network core of the nRF5340. You should have the "hci_rpmsg" sample running on it. Logging should be enabled by default in the sample, but for increased verbosity you can add:

CONFIG_LOG_DEFAULT_LEVEL=4
CONFIG_BT_DEBUG_LOG=y

Please notify me if anything is unclear!

Best regards,
Carl Richard

[Louis]

Hi Carl,

I think there's a misunderstanding. The issue is with the OpenThread stack. However, those were indeed the logs from the application core. Those from the network core (first tty) are empty. 

I tried :

CONFIG_LOG_DEFAULT_LEVEL=4

but it actually triggers a boot loop with the OpenThread CLI sample from nRF Connect SDK. 

[Carl Richard]

Hello again!

I was informed by the developers that the assertion you're seeing here likely is related to problems with the communication between the network and the application core. My instructions for logging earlier were wrong, as I was unaware that a different sample is running on the network core for 802154 applications. New instructions follows:
1. Create a new directory "child_image" in the project folder.
2. Create a file in the directory with the name "802154_rpmsg.conf".
3. Add the following configurations to the file:

CONFIG_SERIAL=y
CONFIG_UART_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_LOG=y
CONFIG_NRF_802154_SER_LOG=y

4. Rebuild the project as "pristine" and flash. If you are using Segger Embedded Studio reopen the project with a "Clean Build Folder" before building and flashing.

This should result in verbose logging from the network core. Please notify me if anything is unclear! And by the way; which version of the nRF Connect SDK are you using?

Best regards,
Carl Richard