MCUBoot fails to load if using CMake Overlay Config

[vcbz]

I am developing an app with the MCUBoot and a main applicaton. I followed the SMP SVR tutorial and modified it to my needs.

I have noticed that if I use a config overlay for MCUBoot (in CMake), it fails to set the config CONFIG_PARTITION_MANAGER_ENABLED and CONFIG_FLASH_MAP_CUSTOM=y, which then makes the bootloader fail. (Note: I am using a custom static partition yaml filee)

If I declare all my overlay configurations in child_image/mcuboot.conf or as CMake defines as mcuboot_CONFIG_HELLO, it works.

I need an overlay config since only when I am in a certain build configuration I want to activate them

This is how the CMake snippet looks like

if(MYCONDITION_FOR_USING_OVERLAY)
    set(mcuboot_OVERLAY_CONFIG ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/child_image/mcuboot_my_overlay.conf)
endif()

And the file child_image/mcuboot_my_overlay.conf looks as follows

CONFIG_LOG=y

CONFIG_SERIAL=y

CONFIG_CONSOLE=y

CONFIG_UART_CONSOLE=y

Log error message

*** Booting Zephyr OS build v3.0.99-ncs1  ***
I: Starting bootloader
W: Failed reading sectors; BOOT_MAX_IMG_SECTORS=128 - too small?
W: Cannot upgrade: not a compatible amount of sectors
E: Image in the primary slot is not valid!
E: Unable to find bootable image

However, if I use CMake options or declare everything in the child_image_name/child_image.conf dir (i.e., child_image/mcuboot.conf) it works:

if(MYCONDITION_FOR_USING_OVERLAY)
    set(mcuboot_CONFIG_SERIAL y)
    set(mcuboot_CONFIG_LOG y)
    set(mcuboot_CONFIG_CONSOLE y)
    set(mcuboot_CONFIG_UART_CONSOLE y)
endif()

Am I missing something that makes the build not include my static partition and thus making the bootloader fail?

I used as reference this:

developer.nordicsemi.com/.../ug_multi_image.html

[Susheel Nuguru]

Can you please verify that his configurations are actually set by checking the build/mcuboot/zephyr/include/generated/autoconf.h or by running "menuconfig" inside build/mcuboot.

My colleague says he had some issues with paths inside CMakeLists.txt. Can you do "message(mcuboot_OVERLAY_CONFIG)" after setting it, to double check inside CMakeList.txt also.

See this for how to escape the paths:

set(mcuboot_CONFIG_BOOT_SIGNATURE_KEY_FILE \\"${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/custom_key_dir/custom_priv.pem\\")

[vcbz]

I will try to check by printing the mcuboot_OVERLAY_CONFIG variable in cmake after setting it.  The way I know that specifcally the config CONFIG_PARTITION_MANAGER_ENABLED  and CONFIG_FLASH_MAP_CUSTOM are different is because I compared the .config and autonf.h files of the childimage (mcuboot) with winmerge. 

About escaping characters I will have a look about this, because I am also using a private key and know about this issue. Actually I had to escape characters three times  when I was using a private key , anyhow that is not my problem but will see if escaping characters as well for the MCUBoot overlay config solves this.

set(mcuboot_CONFIG_BOOT_SIGNATURE_KEY_FILE \\\"${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/keys/mcuboot_sign.pem\\\")

[vcbz]

Well escaping the characters did not help, Zephyr interpreted it as

file not found:
C:/ncs/v2.0.0/bootloader/mcuboot/boot/zephyr/"C:/MY_PROJECT_PATH/child_image/mcuboot_Debug.conf"

The variable is set correctly here is the outpt

message(SEND_ERROR "overlay config is ${mcuboot_OVERLAY_CONFIG}" )

overlay config is
  C:/MY_PROJECT_PATH/child_image/mcuboot_Debug.conf

What I dont understand is why zephyr ignores my partition_static.yml when using the overlay config... The problem is not related to the MCuboot config not being passed or merged in the build process but rather that when using the mcuboot overlay as discussed above those two specifc defines for partition configuration are not set anymore. Note that these configurations are not set by me but I guess they are selected with the partition manager script.

I also checked the partition manager script output and seems correct

-- Found partition manager static configuration: C:/MY_PROJECT_PATH/pm_static.yml
Partition 'mcuboot' is not included in the dynamic resolving since it is statically defined.
Partition 'mcuboot_pad' is not included in the dynamic resolving since it is statically defined.
Partition 'mcuboot_primary' is not included in the dynamic resolving since it is statically defined.
Partition 'mcuboot_primary_app' is not included in the dynamic resolving since it is statically defined.
Partition 'mcuboot_secondary' is not included in the dynamic resolving since it is statically defined.
Partition 'nvs_storage' is not included in the dynamic resolving since it is statically defined.

[Susheel Nuguru]

I need to ask my colleague to help me with this. Please wait until I get some more insights from him.

[Susheel Nuguru]

From Multi-Image builds, Image Specific Variables:

The build system grabs the Kconfig fragment or configuration file
specified in a CMake argument relative to that image’s application
directory.
For example, the build system uses nrf/samples/bootloader/my-fragment.conf when building with the -Db0_OVERLAY_CONFIG=my-fragment.conf option, whereas -DOVERLAY_CONFIG=my-fragment.conf grabs the fragment from the main application’s directory, such as zephyr/samples/hello_world/my-fragment.conf.

So the fix would be to use mcuboot_CONF_FILE instead. Keep in mind that with mcuboot_CONF_FILE, you need to re-specify the whole config file and not just overlay, so the easier way is just to use child_image/mcuboot.conf