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faq [2019/09/24 22:02]
127.0.0.1 external edit
faq [2020/03/09 12:44]
voorburg
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 Bootloaders are quite tricky and are critical for the overal functioning and reliability of the system. If the bootloader is not running correctly, it could become impossible to update the user program or, even worse, no longer starts the actual user program once programmed. Bootloaders are quite tricky and are critical for the overal functioning and reliability of the system. If the bootloader is not running correctly, it could become impossible to update the user program or, even worse, no longer starts the actual user program once programmed.
  
-[[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​services.php|Feaser]] offers professional engineering services to integrate, customize and port OpenBLT to your specific requirements. Feel free to contact Feaser to discuss details and possibilities.+[[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​services.php|Feaser]] offers professional engineering services to integrate, customize and port OpenBLT to your specific requirements. Feel free to contact Feaser to discuss details and possibilities. If you prefer to give it a try yourself, [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​blog/?​p=352|this blog article]] contains detailed instructions on how to adjust the OpenBLT bootloader to your microcontroller system.
  
 **__What licensing options are available?​__** \\  ​ **__What licensing options are available?​__** \\  ​
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 **__How do I obtain a commercial license for the bootloader?​__** ​ \\  **__How do I obtain a commercial license for the bootloader?​__** ​ \\ 
  
-Contact ​[[http://​www.feaser.com|Feaser]] to request a quote for commercial license. ​Also let them know what type of microcontroller you intend to use, because ​ a commercial license ​is tied to specified microcontroller family (i.e. STM32F1).+Using the [[http://​www.feaser.com/​en/​quote.php|online quote generator]], you can obtain both pricing information and the actual ​quote for your OpenBLT ​commercial license. ​To obtain the commercial license, simply submit ​purchase order to Feaser using the instructions found on the quote.
  
 Note that all revenues generated from commercial licenses is invested back into keeping the OpenBLT project alive. It enables us to spend more time on development and maintenance. Note that all revenues generated from commercial licenses is invested back into keeping the OpenBLT project alive. It enables us to spend more time on development and maintenance.
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 Tips and tricks on further reducing the ROM footprint of the bootloader can be found in [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​blog/?​p=174|this blog article]]. Tips and tricks on further reducing the ROM footprint of the bootloader can be found in [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​blog/?​p=174|this blog article]].
 +
 +**__What are the ROM footprints of the OpenBLT add-on modules??​__** ​ \\ 
 +
 +The [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​addons.php#​encryption|firmware encryption]] module requires about 1800 bytes, the [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​addons.php#​checksum|improved checksum]] module about 700 bytes and the [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​addons.php#​gateway|master/​slave gateway]] module about 900 bytes. We dedicated an entire [[https://​www.feaser.com/​en/​blog/?​p=347|blog article]] to this topic to give you more details.
  
 **__What communication protocol is used during firmware updates?​__** ​ \\  **__What communication protocol is used during firmware updates?​__** ​ \\ 
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 The XCP protocol was selected because it contains everything you could wish for in a communication protocol for a bootloader: The XCP protocol was selected because it contains everything you could wish for in a communication protocol for a bootloader:
   * It includes features for non-volatile memory programming.   * It includes features for non-volatile memory programming.
-  * It supports multiple transport layers such as UART, CAN, USB, TCP/IP and be easily be embedded inside other transport layers.+  * It supports multiple transport layers such as RS232, CAN, USB, TCP/IP and be easily be embedded inside other transport layers.
   * It features a build-in seed/key security mechanism for restricting access.   * It features a build-in seed/key security mechanism for restricting access.
   * The protocol distinguishes between mandatory commands and optional commands. This allows the implementation to have a low ROM footprint by stripping out those optional commands that are not needed for the purpose of a firmware update. ​   * The protocol distinguishes between mandatory commands and optional commands. This allows the implementation to have a low ROM footprint by stripping out those optional commands that are not needed for the purpose of a firmware update. ​
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 **__How fast is the bootloader?​__** ​ \\  **__How fast is the bootloader?​__** ​ \\ 
  
-When configured to use UART wtih 57600 bits per second as the communication speed then the programming rate of the bootloader is typically around 3 to 3.5 kilobyte per second. The flash driver tasked with erasing and programming the flash EEPROM is optimized for run-time efficiency, however flash EEPROM operations do take time.+When configured to use RS232 wtih 57600 bits per second as the communication speed then the programming rate of the bootloader is typically around 3 to 3.5 kilobyte per second. The flash driver tasked with erasing and programming the flash EEPROM is optimized for run-time efficiency, however flash EEPROM operations do take time.
  
 **__How does the bootloader know if a valid user program is present?​__** ​ \\  **__How does the bootloader know if a valid user program is present?​__** ​ \\ 
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 **__How do I change the communication interface?​__** ​ \\  **__How do I change the communication interface?​__** ​ \\ 
  
-The configuration interface used by OpenBLT is configured in file blt_conf.h through the configurables BOOT_COM_XXX_ENABLE,​ where XXX specifies the communication interface, such as UART or CAN.+The configuration interface used by OpenBLT is configured in file blt_conf.h through the configurables BOOT_COM_XXX_ENABLE,​ where XXX specifies the communication interface, such as RS232 or CAN.
  
 Thanks to OpenBLT'​s flexible architecture,​ new communication interfaces can be added. [[http://​www.feaser.com|Feaser]] offers engineering services to add functionality to support any communication interface you desire. For example USB or TCP/IP. It is even possible for OpenBLT to load the new user program image from an SD-card. ​ Thanks to OpenBLT'​s flexible architecture,​ new communication interfaces can be added. [[http://​www.feaser.com|Feaser]] offers engineering services to add functionality to support any communication interface you desire. For example USB or TCP/IP. It is even possible for OpenBLT to load the new user program image from an SD-card. ​
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 **__During a firmware update, is the firmware first downloaded to RAM?​__** ​ \\  **__During a firmware update, is the firmware first downloaded to RAM?​__** ​ \\ 
  
-Short answer: No. The new firmware is communicated to the bootloader and programmed into flash memory in small chunks of data. Typically 7 to 64 bytes, depending on the used communication interface (CAN, UART, USB, etc). Thanks to this feature, the bootloader can also run on low-end microcontrollers with limited RAM.+Short answer: No. The new firmware is communicated to the bootloader and programmed into flash memory in small chunks of data. Typically 7 to 64 bytes, depending on the used communication interface (CAN, RS232, USB, etc). Thanks to this feature, the bootloader can also run on low-end microcontrollers with limited RAM.
  
 **__How does a firmware update work?​__** ​ \\  **__How does a firmware update work?​__** ​ \\ 
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   - The flash memory, which is to be rewritten, is erased.   - The flash memory, which is to be rewritten, is erased.
-  - The new firmware is communicated to the bootloader and programmed into flash memory in small chunks of data. Typically 7 - 64 bytes, depending on the used communication interface (CAN, UART, USB etc).+  - The new firmware is communicated to the bootloader and programmed into flash memory in small chunks of data. Typically 7 - 64 bytes, depending on the used communication interface (CAN, RS232, USB etc).
   - As the last programming step, a checksum value is programmed into flash memory at a fixed location. This is not a checksum of the entire firmware, but typically just a checksum of the vector table. It serves as a marker to determine if the firmware was completely programmed or not.   - As the last programming step, a checksum value is programmed into flash memory at a fixed location. This is not a checksum of the entire firmware, but typically just a checksum of the vector table. It serves as a marker to determine if the firmware was completely programmed or not.
   - Once done, the new software program is started after performing a checksum verification.   - Once done, the new software program is started after performing a checksum verification.
faq.txt ยท Last modified: 2024/02/15 14:43 by voorburg