nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

RE: nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

Simonr — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 08:37:41 GMT

1. If you want to connect the SPI flash directly to the NET core that should be possible too, but I think the easiest would be to only connect it to the app core and do it via the application core. Is there a specific reason to transmit directly to the NET core in your case? It is definitely possible as you say, so you're welcome to implement it if you'd like.

2. When updating both cores the memory partitions must be defined so you have partitions for both the application and network core image slots. The pcd_sram partition is used for command exhange between the app and net core. This is supported by enabling the CONFIG_PCD_APP

Best regards,

Simon

RE: nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

yang.hu — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 08:38:47 GMT

> 1. Yes, a SPI flash connected to the nRF53 (app core) it can forward NET core firmware to the NET core to do the DFU from the SPI flash to the NET core, and then the app core afterwards.

Do you mean app core get NET core firmware from spi flash, and then send it to NET core over shared SRAM?

Maybe I didn't describe it clearly, english is not my native language.

About this case, my idea is NET core only get the "upgrade" command from app core over shared SRAM, then the NET core get NET core firmware from spi flash directly.

NET core has its own bootloader named B0n, and SPI peripherals it can be accessed.

This problem can be equivalent to, does B0n can get firmware from its own SPI peripherals?

> I'm not sure I understand this question. You will need to have more than one image for your different cores,

In this case, I see multi-image DFU allows the updating of both the application core and the network core in one go.

But app core firmware and NET core firmware use the same image slot. So when the app core is updated, the old app core firmware will be deleted when the NET core is updating.

So how does app core reverse in this status?

Best regards,

HuYang

RE: nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

Simonr — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 06:48:16 GMT

1. Yes, a SPI flash connected to the nRF53 (app core) it can forward NET core firmware to the NET core to do the DFU from the SPI flash to the NET core, and then the app core afterwards.

2. I think you only can update one core at a time from the same SPI peripheral, so one will be waiting for the other to finish I imagine.

3. I'm not sure I understand this question. You will need to have more than one image for your different cores, etc. https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/latest/mcuboot/design.html#image-slots

Best regards,

Simon

RE: nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

yang.hu — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 03:38:21 GMT

During the boot process, the network core bootloader Bon and MCUboot interact using shared SRAM including "netcore firmware".

I want the B0n to get the firmware through the spi flash instead of the shared SRAM.

RE: nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

yang.hu — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 02:36:08 GMT

Hi:

Thank you for your reply.

> By "upgrading it" do you mean doing a Device Firmware upgrade over the air?

Yes.

I want to confirm these three points.

> 1. I hope to upgrade appcore and netcore via spi flash, can the two core have access to the same spi flash?
> 2. What is another core doing when the one is upgrading, only waiting or processing its own things?
> 3. Image reversion,the two core use the same image slot. How does image reverse?

I see nRF5340 netcore has SPI peripheral，so i want to do a Device Firmware upgrade via spi flash not appcore flash.

Best regards,

yang

RE: nRF5340 FOTA using external spi flash

Simonr — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 13:42:36 GMT

By "upgrading it" do you mean doing a Device Firmware upgrade over the air? Multi image DFU is explained here in the nRF Connect SDK. Please check it out, as it should indeed be possible to do DFU for both NET and APP cores on the nRF5340.

Best regards,

Simon