52840 SDK v17.1 Linker Errors Building DFU Bootloader

[davidb]

I am working on a 52840 platform DFU bootloader.

I get linker errors I cant seem to fix:

undefined reference to `crc32_compute', 

Bootloader/nrf_bootloader_info.o:C:\dev\\sdk\components\libraries\bootloader/nrf_bootloader_info.c:57: undefined reference to `_vectors'

in function `Reset_Handler': undefined reference to `nRFInitialize'

undefined reference to `nrfx_spi_init'

Lots of other errors not shown.

I attached flash placement file.

I'm using SEGGER IDE v5.42a

Fullscreen 0842.flash_placement.xml Download

<!DOCTYPE Linker_Placement_File>
<Root name="Flash Section Placement">
  <MemorySegment name="FLASH" start="$(FLASH_PH_START)" size="$(FLASH_PH_SIZE)">
    <ProgramSection load="no" name=".reserved_flash" start="$(FLASH_PH_START)" size="$(FLASH_START)-$(FLASH_PH_START)" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="0x100" load="Yes" name=".vectors" start="$(FLASH_START)" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".init" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".init_rodata" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".text" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".log_const_data" inputsections="*(SORT(.log_const_data*))" address_symbol="__start_log_const_data" end_symbol="__stop_log_const_data" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".dfu_trans" inputsections="*(SORT(.dfu_trans*))" address_symbol="__start_dfu_trans" end_symbol="__stop_dfu_trans" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".svc_data" inputsections="*(.svc_data*)" address_symbol="__start_svc_data" end_symbol="__stop_svc_data" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".sdh_ble_observers" inputsections="*(SORT(.sdh_ble_observers*))" address_symbol="__start_sdh_ble_observers" end_symbol="__stop_sdh_ble_observers" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".sdh_req_observers" inputsections="*(SORT(.sdh_req_observers*))" address_symbol="__start_sdh_req_observers" end_symbol="__stop_sdh_req_observers" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".sdh_state_observers" inputsections="*(SORT(.sdh_state_observers*))" address_symbol="__start_sdh_state_observers" end_symbol="__stop_sdh_state_observers" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".sdh_stack_observers" inputsections="*(SORT(.sdh_stack_observers*))" address_symbol="__start_sdh_stack_observers" end_symbol="__stop_sdh_stack_observers" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".sdh_soc_observers" inputsections="*(SORT(.sdh_soc_observers*))" address_symbol="__start_sdh_soc_observers" end_symbol="__stop_sdh_soc_observers" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".nrf_sections" address_symbol="__start_nrf_sections" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".log_dynamic_data"  inputsections="*(SORT(.log_dynamic_data*))" runin=".log_dynamic_data_run"/>
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".fs_data"  inputsections="*(.fs_data*)" runin=".fs_data_run"/>
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".dtors" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".ctors" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".rodata" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" name=".ARM.exidx" address_symbol="__exidx_start" end_symbol="__exidx_end" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" runin=".fast_run" name=".fast" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" runin=".data_run" name=".data" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="Yes" runin=".tdata_run" name=".tdata" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".nrf_balloc" inputsections="*(.nrf_balloc*)" address_symbol="__start_nrf_balloc" end_symbol="__stop_nrf_balloc" />
  </MemorySegment>
  <MemorySegment name="RAM1" start="$(RAM_PH_START)" size="$(RAM_PH_SIZE)">
    <ProgramSection load="no" name=".reserved_ram" start="$(RAM_PH_START)" size="$(RAM_START)-$(RAM_PH_START)" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="0x100" load="No" name=".vectors_ram" start="$(RAM_START)" address_symbol="__app_ram_start__"/>
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".nrf_sections_run" address_symbol="__start_nrf_sections_run" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".log_dynamic_data_run" address_symbol="__start_log_dynamic_data" end_symbol="__stop_log_dynamic_data" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".fs_data_run" address_symbol="__start_fs_data" end_symbol="__stop_fs_data" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".nrf_sections_run_end" address_symbol="__end_nrf_sections_run" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="No" name=".fast_run" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="No" name=".data_run" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="No" name=".tdata_run" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="No" name=".bss" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="No" name=".tbss" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" load="No" name=".non_init" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" size="__HEAPSIZE__" load="No" name=".heap" />
    <ProgramSection alignment="8" size="__STACKSIZE__" load="No" place_from_segment_end="Yes" name=".stack"  address_symbol="__StackLimit" end_symbol="__StackTop"/>
    <ProgramSection alignment="8" size="__STACKSIZE_PROCESS__" load="No" name=".stack_process" />
  </MemorySegment>
  <MemorySegment name="bootloader_settings_page" start="0x0007F000" size="0x1000">
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".bootloader_settings_page" address_symbol="__start_bootloader_settings_page" end_symbol="__stop_bootloader_settings_page" start = "0x0007F000" size="0x1000" />
  </MemorySegment>
  <MemorySegment name="mbr_params_page" start="0x0007E000" size="0x1000">
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="No" name=".mbr_params_page" address_symbol="__start_mbr_params_page" end_symbol="__stop_mbr_params_page" start = "0x0007E000" size="0x1000" />
  </MemorySegment>
  <MemorySegment name="uicr_bootloader_start_address" start="0x10001014" size="0x4">
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".uicr_bootloader_start_address" address_symbol="__start_uicr_bootloader_start_address" end_symbol="__stop_uicr_bootloader_start_address" start = "0x10001014" size="0x4" />
  </MemorySegment>
  <MemorySegment name="uicr_mbr_params_page" start="0x10001018" size="0x4">
    <ProgramSection alignment="4" keep="Yes" load="Yes" name=".uicr_mbr_params_page" address_symbol="__start_uicr_mbr_params_page" end_symbol="__stop_uicr_mbr_params_page" start = "0x10001018" size="0x4" />
  </MemorySegment>
</Root>

[davidb]

I had to make two changes to sdk_config.h:

// <i> Choose memory allocator used by nrf_crypto. Default is alloca if possible or nrf_malloc otherwise. If 'User macros' are selected, the user has to create 'nrf_crypto_allocator.h' file that contains NRF_CRYPTO_ALLOC, NRF_CRYPTO_FREE, and NRF_CRYPTO_ALLOC_ON_STACK.
// <0=> Default
// <1=> User macros
// <2=> On stack (alloca)
// <3=> C dynamic memory (malloc)
// <4=> SDK Memory Manager (nrf_malloc)

#ifndef NRF_CRYPTO_ALLOCATOR
#define NRF_CRYPTO_ALLOCATOR 2

I chose 2 (On stack). The example file has 1 (User macros) defined which cause a compile fail.

#define NRF_LOG_ENABLED 1 

Changed to 1 from 0 to enable logging. Also would then not compile until I added nrf_log_default_backends.c to project.

These changes don't appear to add significant flash space.

[davidb]

I built the project as you did and it builds with no errors. FLASH1 is 99.9% used. Not much room left for adding anything.

RAM is only 14% used.

Any suggestions on how to safely change FLASH1 layout to make space for my apps?

[Einar Thorsrud]

Hi,

davidb said:

#define NRF_LOG_ENABLED 1 

Changed to 1 from 0 to enable logging. Also would then not compile until I added nrf_log_default_backends.c to project.

Yes, that is expected. For most example bootloader projects, there is a corresponding "_debug" project. The main addition here is logging. And for that reason, it also has more memory reserved (and a lower start address). The normal projects (without the "_debug" suffix) does not include the logger dependencies, nor is there room for the logger.

davidb said:

I built the project as you did and it builds with no errors. FLASH1 is 99.9% used. Not much room left for adding anything.

RAM is only 14% used.

Any suggestions on how to safely change FLASH1 layout to make space for my apps?

The way this is shown in SES gives the wrong impression. This means that the bootloader uses almost everything of the allocated flash, but that is not the same as all the flash. See the screenshot from my previous post where i highlighted the linker configuration for the flash memory. In that case, the bootloader start address is 0xF8000, and everything there can be used for other things (like SoftDevice, application and persistent storage). See memory layout in the bootloader documentation for a better overview.

Regarding RAM the bootloader and application does not run at the same time, so the RAM usage of the bootloader does not have any impact on what is available for the application (it can overlap).

[davidb]

Issue is solved now with correct linker settings.