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Embedded LinuxFrom KOVAN
Embedded Linux Development on KOBOT's Imaging SubsystemThis document describes the development of KOBOT's imaging subsystem and is intended to expand as the project progresses. After reading this document, you will learn:
BasicsAn Overview of Embedded SystemsAn embedded system is a set of hardware and software designed to be used for a specific purpose. Some examples of embedded systems are cell phones, mp3 players and such.
The embedded system architecture above is from an open source cellular phone project called tuxPhone. The computing engine consists of a Gumstix Connex board running Linux. The RF module is a Telit GM862 that supports GPRS, voice, SMS, fax and camera. An LCD is easy to connect as the PXA255 microcontroller has an integrated LCD controller which can be drived easily through Linux. The tuxPhone is a nice example of how a general purpose hardware and an operating system can be used as the basis for a dedicated system.x Cross-DevelopmentCross-development is a key concept when developing embedded software. It is developing software on a host system with different properties(a different architecture, or an operating system) than the target system that the software is being developed for. Due to hardware limitations on the target system, it is more suitable, and sometimes mandatory, to develop the software on a more resource-rich environment. A correctly established cross-development environment is essential for the success of the embedded project.
The figure above is a classical case of embedded systems development. Due to the target having no display, it's output is directed to the serial port. Also a telnet or ssh connection could be obtained through ethernet or usb. So a developer can write his software on his own machine, compile it and upload it to the target through these mediums. Even better, if there is a bootloader that lets you mount NFS filesystems, you can mount a filesystem on your host which acts as a filesystem on your target. Embedded LinuxYou've probably heard stories on uses of Linux running on routers, robots, PDAs besides it's well-known desktop and server usage. There are a few important points that should let you consider the usage of Linux on your embedded project:
Building a cross-compiler using GNU softwareAlthough a more rigid method for building a cross-compiler will be told about when going through buildroot, the following sites can be consulted to see how a GNU based cross-compiler is built manually. [http://cross-lfs.org/view/clfs-2.0/arm/cross-tools/introduction.html] [http://www.kegel.com/crosstool/] Das U-BootA bootloader in an Embedded Linux system is responsible for the role of the BIOS on a standard desktop PC. As stated in Documentation/arm/Booting, after power-up the bootloader must provide the following:
The tagged list should be stored in system RAM. The tagged list must be placed in a region of memory where neither the kernel decompressor nor initrd 'bootp' program will overwrite it. The recommended placement is in the first 16KiB of RAM.
This is where Das U-Boot, also called the universal bootloader, comes into play. It is one of the most popular bootloaders in the Embedded Linux scene(with the other being Redboot). It supports a wide range of CPUs, and has a well-established user base. Now, let's jump into the code and see how U-Boot performs those listed tasks for the PXA255 microcontroller, which is also the MCU used in KOBOT.
/* Step 1 - Enable CP6 permission */
mrc p15, 0, r1, c15, c1, 0 @ read CPAR
orr r1, r1, #0x40
mcr p15, 0, r1, c15, c1, 0
CPWAIT r1
/* Step 2 - Mask ICMR & ICMR2 */
mov r1, #0
mcr p6, 0, r1, c1, c0, 0 @ ICMR
mcr p6, 0, r1, c7, c0, 0 @ ICMR2
/* turn off all clocks but the ones we will definitly require */
ldr r1, =CKEN
ldr r2, =( CKEN6_FFUART | CKEN9_OST | CKEN20_IM | CKEN22_MEMC )
str r2, [r1]
After going through the reset sequence, the critical initialization is performed. This part consists of enabling coprocessor register 6 so that software can use power and clocking modes. Afterwards, the ICMR registers are cleared so that no interrupts are left pending. Then all the clocks except the ones that will be used are disabled. The clocks that we are going to need are for FFUART(Full Function UART), watchdog, idle mode and memory controller.
ldr r0, =GPSR0
ldr r1, =CFG_GPSR0_VAL
str r1, [r0]
ldr r0, =GPCR0
ldr r1, =CFG_GPCR0_VAL
str r1, [r0]
ldr r0, =GPDR0
ldr r1, =CFG_GPDR0_VAL
str r1, [r0]
ldr r0, =GAFR0_L
ldr r1, =CFG_GAFR0_L_VAL
str r1, [r0]
ldr r0, =GAFR0_U
ldr r1, =CFG_GAFR0_U_VAL
str r1, [r0]
;; The init sequence for only 1 GPIO pin is shown above
ldr r0, =PSSR
ldr r1, =CFG_PSSR_VAL
str r1, [r0]
clock_setup:
/* Disable the peripheral clocks, and set the core clock frequency */
/* Write the preferred values for L, N, PPDIS, and CPDIS to CCCR */
ldr r1, =CCCR
ldr r2, =CCCR_VAL
str r2, [r1]
/* Set CLKCFG[F] and turn on turbo mode */
mrc p14, 0, r2, c6, c0, 0
orr r2, r2, #0x3 /* Turbo, freq. change */
mcr p14, 0, r2, c6, c0, 0
/* Re-read CCCR then check cp14,6 until it says it's set */
ldr r0, [r1]
memory_setup:
/* Write MSC0, MSC1, MSC2 */
ldr r3, =MSC0 /* Configures /CS0 and /CS1 */
ldr r2, =0x033C35D8 /* From P30-PXA270 design guide */
str r2, [r3]
ldr r2, [r3] /* When programming a different memory type in an MSC register, ensure that the new value has
* been accepted and programmed before issuing a command to that memory. To do this, read the
* MSC register before accessing the memory. */
/* Write MECR, MCMEM0, MCMEM1, MCATT0, MCATT1, MCIO0, MCIO1 */
ldr r3, =MEMC_BASE
/* MECR: Memory Expansion Card Register */
ldr r2, =CFG_MECR_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MECR_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MECR_OFFSET]
/* MCMEM0: Card Interface slot 0 timing */
ldr r2, =CFG_MCMEM0_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MCMEM0_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MCMEM0_OFFSET]
/* MCMEM1: Card Interface slot 1 timing */
ldr r2, =CFG_MCMEM1_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MCMEM1_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MCMEM1_OFFSET]
/* MCATT0: Card Interface Attribute Space Timing, slot 0 */
ldr r2, =CFG_MCATT0_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MCATT0_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MCATT0_OFFSET]
/* MCATT1: Card Interface Attribute Space Timing, slot 1 */
ldr r2, =CFG_MCATT1_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MCATT1_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MCATT1_OFFSET]
/* MCIO0: Card Interface I/O Space Timing, slot 0 */
ldr r2, =CFG_MCIO0_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MCIO0_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MCIO0_OFFSET]
/* MCIO1: Card Interface I/O Space Timing, slot 1 */
ldr r2, =CFG_MCIO1_VAL
str r2, [r3, #MCIO1_OFFSET]
ldr r2, [r3, #MCIO1_OFFSET]
/* FLYCNFG (skip on gumstix) */
/* Reset the system appropriately. Configure, but do not enable, each SDRAM partition pair
* by clearing the enable bits MDCNFG[DEx] when writing to the MDCNFG register. */
ldr r0, =MDCNFG_VAL_13_10 /* Load the value for MDCNFG */
memory_timing_setup:
ldr r3, =MDCNFG /* Load the SDRAM Configuration register. Must not be enabled yet. */
str r0, [r3] /* Write to MDCNFG register */
ldr r0, [r3]
/* Set MDREFR[K0RUN]. Properly configure MDREFR[K0DB2] and MDREFR[K0DB4].
* Retain the current values of MDREFR[APD] (clear) and MDREFR[SLFRSH] (set).
* MDREFR[DRI] must contain a valid value (not all 0s). If required, MDREFR[KxFREE]
* can be de-asserted. */
ldr r3, =MDREFR
ldr r2, [r3] /* read MDREFR value */
ldr r1, =0xfff
bic r2, r2, r1
orr r2, r2, #0x001 /* configure a valid SDRAM Refresh Interval (DRI) */
/* SDCLK0 n/c *
/* SDCLK1 goes to SDRAM */
bic r2, r2, #(MDREFR_K2FREE | MDREFR_K1FREE | MDREFR_K0FREE) /* Clear free run */
str r2, [r3]
/* In systems that contain synchronous flash memory, write to the SXCNFG to configure all
* appropriate bits, including the enables. While the synchronous flash banks are being
* configured, the SDRAM banks must be disabled and MDREFR[APD] must be de-asserted
* (auto-power-down disabled). (skip on gumstix)*/
/* In systems that contain SDRAM, toggle the SDRAM controller through the following state
* sequence: self-refresh and clock-stop to self-refresh to power-down to PWRDNX to NOP. */
orr r2, r2, #(MDREFR_K1RUN|MDREFR_K2RUN) /* assert K1RUN (and K2RUN) */
bic r2, r2, #(MDREFR_K1DB2|MDREFR_K2DB2) /* clear K1DB2 (and K2DB2) */
str r2, [r3] /* change from "self-refresh and clock-stop" to "self-refresh" state */
bic r2, r2, #MDREFR_SLFRSH /* clear SLFRSH bit field */
str r2, [r3] /* change from "self-refresh" to "Power-down" state */
orr r2, r2, #MDREFR_E1PIN /* set the E1PIN bit field */
str r2, [r3] /* change from "Power-down" to "PWRDNX" state */
nop /* no action is required to change from "PWRDNX" to "NOP" state */
/* Appropriately configure, but do not enable, each SDRAM partition pair.
* SDRAM partitions are disabled by keeping the MDCNFG[DEx] bits clear.
* (note: already done, but manuall repeats the instruction, so what do I know?) */
ldr r3, =MDCNFG /* Load the SDRAM Configuration register. Must not be enabled yet. */
str r0, [r3] /* Write to MDCNFG register */
ldr r0, [r3]
/* For systems that contain SDRAM, wait the NOP power-up waiting period required by the
* SDRAMs (normally 100-200 μsec) to ensure the SDRAMs receive a stable clock with a NOP
* condition. */
ldr r3, =OSCR /* reset the OS Timer Count to zero */
mov r2, #0
str r2, [r3]
ldr r4, =0x300 /* really 0x28a is about 200usec, so 0x300 should be plenty */
20:
ldr r2, [r3]
cmp r4, r2
bgt 20b
/* Ensure the XScale core memory-management data cache (Coprocessor 15, Register 1, bit 2) is
* disabled. If this bit is enabled, the refreshes triggered by the next step may not be passed
* properly through to the memory controller. Coprocessor 15, register 1, bit 2 must be re-
* enabled after the refreshes are performed if data cache is preferred. */
mrc p15, 0, r0, c1, c0, 0 /* Read the register */
bic r0, #0x4 /* turn data cache off */
mcr p15, 0, r0, c1, c0, 0
CPWAIT /* wait for co-processor */
/* On hardware reset in systems that contain SDRAM, trigger a number (the number required by
* the SDRAM manufacturer) of refresh cycles by attempting non-burst read or write accesses to
* any disabled SDRAM bank. Each such access causes a simultaneous CBR for all four banks,
* which in turn causes a pass through the CBR state and a return to NOP. On the first pass, the
* PALL state is incurred before the CBR state. */
ldr r3, =CFG_DRAM_BASE
mov r2, #2 /* now must do 2 or more refresh or CBR commands before the first access */
CBR_refresh1:
str r2, [r3]
subs r2, r2, #1
bne CBR_refresh1
/* Can re-enable DCACHE if it was disabled above (skip on gumstix) */
/* In systems that contain SDRAM, enable SDRAM partitions by setting MDCNFG[DEx] bits. */
ldr r3, =MDCNFG /* sdram config -- sdram enable */
ldr r2, [r3]
orr r2, r2, #(MDCNFG_DE0|MDCNFG_DE1) /* enable partitions 0,1 */
orr r2, r2, #(MDCNFG_DE2|MDCNFG_DE3) /* enable partitions 2,3 */
str r2, [r3] /* write to MDCNFG */
/* In systems that contain SDRAM, write the MDMRS register to trigger an MRS command to
* all enabled banks of SDRAM. For each SDRAM partition pair that has one or both partitions
* enabled, this forces a pass through the MRS state and a return to NOP. The CAS latency is the
* only variable option and is derived from what was programmed into the MDCNFG[MDTC0]
* and MDCNFG[MDTC2] fields. The burst type and length are always programmed to
* sequential and four, respectively. */
ldr r3, =MDMRS /* write the MDMRS */
ldr r2, =0x00320032 /* CAS latency = 3 */
str r2, [r3]
/* In systems that contain SDRAM or synchronous flash, optionally enable auto-power-down by
* setting MDREFR[APD]. */
ldr r3, =MDREFR /* enable auto-power-down */
ldr r2, [r3]
orr r2, r2, #MDREFR_APD /* set the APD bit */
str r2, [r3] /* write to MDREFR */
/* Now we check to make sure we got the column/row addressing right by checking for mirrors
* in low SDRAM. If we find a mirror, then the location of the mirror will clue us to
* what the alignment should actually be. We start off configuring for 13x10 then scale down */
mov r0, #0x00000800
mov r1, #CFG_DRAM_BASE
str r1, [r1] /* Write the address to base of RAM */
str r0, [r1, r0] /* Write the offset to the location */
ldr r1, [r1] /* Read back base of RAM */
cmp r0, r1 /* See if we found a mirror */
bne end_of_memsetup
/* If we get here, we found a mirror, so restart RAM with different settings and try again */
ldr r0, =MDCNFG_VAL_13_9
b memory_timing_setup
end_of_memsetup:
Then we initialize GPIO pins, set the core clock frequency, and configure the memory controller. The exception vectors for undefined instruction, software interrupt, prefetch abort, data abort, irq, fiq and reset are set.
stack_setup:
ldr r0, _MALLOC_DRAM_BASE /* malloc area top in SDRAM */
sub r0, r0, #CFG_MALLOC_LEN /* malloc area */
sub r0, r0, #CFG_GBL_DATA_SIZE /* bdinfo */
#ifdef CONFIG_USE_IRQ
sub r0, r0, #(CONFIG_STACKSIZE_IRQ+CONFIG_STACKSIZE_FIQ)
#endif
sub sp, r0, #12 /* leave 3 words for abort-stack */
clear_bss:
ldr r0, _bss_start /* find start of bss segment */
ldr r1, _bss_end /* stop here */
mov r2, #0x00000000 /* clear */
clbss_l:str r2, [r0] /* clear loop... */
add r0, r0, #4
cmp r0, r1
ble clbss_l
ldr pc, _start_armboot
As we set up the memory controller, this means that we now have a usable RAM. At this point U-Boot initializes and sets up a stack at the RAM and copies itself there. This also means that, we now have established a C runtime environment, and that we're rid of all the assembler mess and can progress using C. Next function that is called is a function called start armboot. This function is a generic function in the U-Boot framework. What it does is call your board specific functions, through the help of a struct init_fnc_ t. These board specific functions are:
Afterwards, console is initialized and the U-Boot banner is displayed. The Linux KernelThe Linux kernel is a monolithic kernel, consisting of approximately 20000 files including the kernel subsystems(memory manager, scheduler, filesystems, etc...) and drivers for zillions of devices. Currently, Linux is the leader on the number of CPU architectures supported. To see the supported architectures you can consult the arch dir under the Linux kernel source tree. The source code is hosted at http://www.kernel.org. At first, it might seem like an impossible task to get a grasp of the source tree. Using the right tools, reading a few books(see App. A: References), and spending some time reading the source code can help a developer to get on track. The source tree consists of:
The Kernel ProperBefore going further on how a kernel is built, it's more appropriate to examine the output of the build. When you successfully compile a Linux Kernel, you get a file named vmlinux as a result. That file is a stand-alone statically linked ELF file which contains all the kernel code(and drivers, if you have chosen them to be built statically instead of modules). Instead of using the Kernel Build System, you could've compiled each of the kernel source files by hand then link them using ld by hand to obtain an equivalent of the vmlinux binary. Now, to cross-compile a kernel, configure your kernel by issuing: make ARCH=arm [menuconfig|config|xconfig] make ARCH=arm CROSSCOMPILE=arm-linux- Root File SystemRoot file system is the '/' directory that the kernel will bind at system startup. It contains all the post-bootload software. It contains the binary versions of GNU utilities, dev directory for the device nodes, etc directory for the configuration files, dynamic libraries, and the Linux kernel. Buildroot: Cross-development Toolchain and Root File System Building Made Easy Buildroot is a system that consists of Makefiles and patches to ease the building of a rootfs and a cross-development toolchain. It lets you build the cross-toolchain including binutils, gcc, a C library. You can also build a root file system that includes busybox customized to your own requirements. BusyboxBusybox is a tool that contains stripped down versions of the mostly used Unix tools that are widely used on Linux based embedded systems. It is very easy to configure and compile. Has a footprint of approximately 450k when compiled with the uClibc library and the common tools. It includes:
The package can be obtained from http://www.busybox.net/downloads The configuration for the busybox is similar to the Linux kernel configuration as they both use an ncurses based configuration screen. To configure busybox you simply type: make menuconfig make You can set your desired compiler to use from Busybox settings -> Build Options. After completing the configuration you simply issue the 'make' command from the shell and , there it is! A binary named busybox is created. This single binary contains all the tools that have been selected in the configuration screen. If you've chosen an installation prefix you can see soft links created with the utility names, which are all linked to the busybox binary. Dissecting KOBOT's EyesHardwareThe motherboard used in KOBOT is a Gumstix Waysmall board with:
Connected to that motherboard is a daughterboard designed by Mehmet Durna, which includes an OmniVision 6620 video sensor and an Averlogic frame buffer. Both of the peripherals are connected to the PXA255 through GPIO pins. Inside the FlashThe default rootfs in the gumstix board comes with:
Camera DriverThe camera driver for the KOBOT consists of two modules. One module is used for accessing the configuration registers of the camera through the SCCB(Serial Camera Control Bus), which is an equivalent bus to the i2c bus invented by Philips. The other module is used to implement the camera initialization function, interrupt handler and the read function that is used to interface the kernel data with the userspace. i2ci2c is a serial bus used for attaching peripherals to a microcontroller. It is 8-bit oriented, and can support transfer speeds of upto 3.4 Mbit/s in its High-speed mode. To write an i2c driver for Linux you need to have two structs that link your device and the i2c subsystem. The first one is the struct i2c driver. You give function pointers to this struct to define how it behaves. Functions for attaching a device, detaching a device, shutdown, suspend, resume and command could be bound to the struct. The next struct called struct i2c client, holds device specific data. So a struct i2c driver contains device-specific generic hooks that the device uses, and the struct i2c client holds the data for a unique device. video sensorThe Omnivision video sensor has the following properties:
When the video sensor module is loaded, it first initializes the frame buffer that resides on the daughterboard. Then the irq handler function for the video sensor's FODD signal. the irq handler function does is asserting the write enable signal on the framebuffer when a transition in FODD happens from low to high so that the camera can write to it, and when the FODD transition goes from high to low it disables it. When a read request from userspace is made, the function that corresponds to the read system call reads the image data to a buffer that resides in the kernel and passes it to the userspace.
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