How to config the SDK to download filesystem image to external flash?

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Anonymous
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Hi,

I'm testing on a BCM4343W platform.

By default, build image will download filesystem image to internal flash.

How to config the SDK to download filesystem image to external flash?

The same question for OTA/FR application images.

Is there any documentation or example for such configuration?

Note, I already have download_apps in my build command, but it still download

filesystem to internal flash. Only DCT and WIFI_FIRMWARE in external flash.

Thanks.

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1 Solution
Anonymous
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You cannot do this because this platform doesn't have enough RAM to run from external sflash. 

View solution in original post

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6 Replies
Anonymous
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You cannot do this because this platform doesn't have enough RAM to run from external sflash. 

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Anonymous
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If my understanding is correct, you mean APP0/OTA/FR must be in internal flash.

Then is it possible to move filesystem to external flah?

In additional, where can I find the offset to write APP0/OTA/FR to internal

flash? I'd like to reserve more space for APP0 than current image has.

Is it possible?

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Anonymous
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No. Only APP0 has to be in internal Flash

OTA and FR are in external flash automatically

Basically anything that has to have executable code in runtime has to be in internal Flash

The filesystem - depends on what is kept here. Resources can be moved to external flash and loaded. WIFI firmware is kept in external flash as well.

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Anonymous
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Hi nsankar,

1)

How can I know the offset to write image to internal flash.

The problem is in our experience, if a new version of image has bigger size.

It's possible to override other section during OTA, so I have to reserve more space

than the current image has.

For external flash, I know the offset can be overrided by setting XXX__SECTOR_START.

For internal flash, I don't know how to set offset.

2) For the filesystm, it mainly contains the web pages so I think it's fine to be

   put to external flash, but I still don't know how to move it to external flash.

3) I thought FR is executable and should be in internal flash but it's put in external flash.

   Did I misunderstand something?

Thanks for your prompt response.

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Anonymous
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#1 Use OTA2 which will be available in the next SDK release, and this should not happen. In general you shouldn't manually move things around. The platform files and the makefiles do the right thing. You can change how big sections are using the same APIs - wiced_waf_ if you really want to.

#2 You can specify a FS_IMAGE that has all the filesystem resources and pass download_all_resources to the make command

#3 The FR app is executable and is small and is loaded and run from RAM and then uses the FR image to reprogam the internal flash

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Anonymous
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hi nsankar

Since you mentioned OTA2 will be available in next release.

Can you make sure it supports FreeRTOS+LwIP?

I had asked this question in

https://community.broadcom.com/message/22671#22671

Our product using FreeRTOS+LwIP so we need OTA2 work on LwIP build.

I just read the WICED-OTA2.pdf.

I think BCM4343W is the "Internal + External FLASH" case, will OTA2 support

this case in next release?

BTW, I don't understand you said that "FR app is executable and is small",

I thought FR app is the same as production app initially.

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