CN100426233C - Method for automatically configurating programmable device by inlaid CPU - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for automatically configuring a programmable device by an embedded CPU, which includes the following steps: the CPU is connected to a programmable device, and the programmable pin of the programmable device is used to indicate whether to configure, configured The programmable device outputs a low level at this pin, and when the general-purpose input and output pin of the CPU detects a low level, it indicates that the programmable device has been downloaded; otherwise, the configuration file is automatically downloaded when the power is turned on; Hardware configuration files are stored in the boot memory, including file system information entries stored in the program space, file information entries, and analysis processing programs for generating boot memory images. Because the method of the present invention automatically downloads the CPLD configuration file after the single board is powered on, the process in the production is reduced; and the remote upgrade and update function can be provided to make the upgrade and maintenance simple and easy to operate; the use of storage space is more reasonable, and it is convenient for independent development of software and hardware. Upgrade independently.

Description

A Method of Automatically Configuring Programmable Devices by Embedded CPU

technical field

The invention relates to a method for configuring a programmable device (CPLD) by a CPU in an embedded application, in particular to a method involving CPLD configuration file storage, automatic download and remote update.

Background technique

With the widespread and in-depth application of programmable devices, in order to reduce costs, reduce processes, and increase remote configurable features, more and more embedded devices use single-board CPUs to download configuration files of programmable devices. Generally, in the production process of a single board, it is necessary to first burn the boot program into the boot memory, and then download the logic of the programmable device for each board. By electrical judgment and automatic download of configuration files, a process of manually downloading programmable logic can be saved.

To realize CPLD power-on and download, the premise is that the CPU can run independently without relying on the CPLD, that is to say, the CPU reset logic, boot memory and DRAM chip select read and write can be used normally when the CPLD pin is high impedance. Therefore, the configuration file should be stored in the boot memory, so that the automatic download of the CPLD is less dependent on the hardware. The boot memory generally uses NORFLASH with a smaller capacity, which is called the boot memory BOOT FLASH.

At present, there are two main methods for storing hardware configuration files on BOOT FLASH:

The first is to convert the configuration file into a static array, which is compiled into the program. The advantage of this method is that the configuration file is closely combined with the BOOT program, but the disadvantage is also obvious. The configuration file loses its independence, and the configuration file needs to be recompiled every time it is upgraded, and it cannot be updated dynamically.

The second is to partition in BOOT FLASH and place configuration files in a separate area. This method satisfies the independence of the configuration file, but it is loosely combined with the BOOT program, and cannot make full use of the memory space.

Therefore, there are defects in the prior art and need to be improved and developed.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for automatically configuring a programmable device by an embedded CPU, which can automatically configure the CPLD after the single board is powered on, and can remotely update the CPLD through commands;

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for automatically configuring programmable devices by an embedded CPU, which is suitable for a unified solution for storing hardware configuration files in BOOT FLASH in embedded applications, so that multiple hardware configuration files are closely combined with the CPU boot image, so that The space it occupies is minimized;

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for automatically configuring programmable devices by an embedded CPU, to realize the integrity detection mechanism, file backup mechanism, compression mechanism, configuration information, etc. of the hardware configuration files stored on the BOOT FLASH.

Technical scheme of the present invention comprises:

A method for automatically configuring a programmable device by an embedded CPU, comprising the following steps:

The CPU is connected to a programmable device, the programmable pin of the programmable device is used to indicate whether to configure, the configured programmable device outputs a low level at this pin, and the general input and output pin of the CPU detects When it reaches a low level, it means that the programmable device has been downloaded; otherwise, the configuration file is automatically downloaded when the power is turned on;

The hardware configuration file is stored in the boot memory of the CPU, including file system information entries, file information entries and analysis processing programs for generating boot memory images stored in the program space.

The method, wherein the analysis processing program for generating the boot memory image further includes the steps of:

A. Read in the bootloader image file, and judge whether there is file system information, if not, output a prompt message, and end the process;

B, if there is file system information, then read in the file and its file system information and file information that need to be stored in the boot memory;

C. Judging whether there are enough file information entries and storage space, if not, then output a prompt message, and end the process; if so, generate a new boot memory image file; and judge whether there are other files, and if so, proceed sequentially Loop to process each file; otherwise, end the process.

The method, wherein, the programmable pin of the programmable device is connected with a light emitting diode, which is used to indicate the configuration file download status of the programmable device.

The method, wherein, also includes the steps of:

B1. If compression is required, the file is compressed to reduce storage space; and the CRC check value of the file is calculated.

Said method, wherein, said entry of file system information and entry of file information are located in the program space, and the address of the table will not change with the recompilation of the program.

The method described above, wherein the file system information entries include the number of file information entries and the address field information of the first table.

The method, wherein the method also includes a remote upgrade process of the configuration file, including:

A1, the analysis processing program generates a new boot memory image;

B1. The host re-downloads the programmable device configuration file through a remote network management command.

Compared with the prior art, the method for automatically configuring programmable devices provided by the embedded CPU in the present invention reduces the process in production because the CPLD configuration file is automatically downloaded after the single board is powered on; and it can provide remote The upgrade and update function makes the upgrade and maintenance simple and easy to operate; the use of storage space is more reasonable, and the stored files are relatively independent of the BOOT program, which is convenient for independent development and independent upgrade of software and hardware.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the hardware connection schematic diagram of the inventive method;

Fig. 2 is the BOOT FLASH storage structure schematic diagram of the inventive method;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of host analysis processing of the method of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The invention provides a method for automatically configuring a programmable device by an embedded CPU, which can automatically configure a CPLD after the single board is powered on, and remotely update the CPLD through commands; the method of the invention is suitable for booting memory BOOT FLASH in embedded applications A unified solution for storing hardware configuration files in the middle, which is characterized in that multiple hardware configuration files can be closely combined with the CPU boot image to minimize the space it occupies; at the same time, the method of the present invention provides a complete hardware configuration file stored on the BOOT FLASH. The advantages of the two methods in the prior art are retained, and the defects of the prior art are overcome.

The method of the invention is suitable for storing hardware configuration files in the boot memory, including file system information entries, file information entries and analysis processing programs for generating BOOT FLASH images stored in the program space. The file system information table item and file information table item are located in the program space, and the table address will not change position with the recompilation of the program, including field information such as the number of file information table items and the address of the first table. The file information entry includes fields such as file valid field, file storage address, file length, file name, generation time, version, CRC check value, compression format, and hardware-related identification.

The file system information table item field is determined according to needs during compilation, and the file information table item is filled in by the analysis and processing program according to the added file information. The analysis processing program is located in the host computer so as to generate the entire BOOT FLASH image.

The remote upgrade update described in the present invention is divided into two steps: one is to generate a new BOOTFLASH image file with the analysis processing program, and remotely download it to the target single board through FTP and other methods, and update the BOOTFLASH; Download the new CPLD configuration file.

As shown in Figure 1, in the hardware circuit system of the inventive method, the JTAG interface of CPLD is connected on the GPIO pin of CPU, downloads CPLD configuration file by CPU simulation JTAG sequence, and connecting line therebetween connects external downloading circuit and connection simultaneously. plugin. Another CPLD I/O pin indicates whether the device has been configured, and the pin is programmed to output a low level, so if the configuration is successful, the CPU can detect the low level, otherwise because the pin itself is a high-impedance resistor R1 and light-emitting diode HL1 are connected in series to VCC, and the CPU will detect a high level. HL1 will light up after a normal download, if there is no download or the HL1 is off during the download process, it can be used to indicate the download status, and the status display of HL1 provides convenience for board maintenance.

The method of the present invention uses a CPLD programmable pin to indicate whether it is configured, and the configured CPLD outputs a low level at the pin, and the light-emitting diode turns on and emits light. When the general input and output pin (GPIO) of the CPU detects a low level, it indicates that the CPLD Already downloaded, otherwise the configuration file will be downloaded automatically when power on.

The configuration file of the inventive method is closely combined with the BOOT program, and has relative independence simultaneously, therefore defines the system information and the file information table of the file, as shown in Figure 2, specifically as follows:

File system information and file information must have a fixed address, so that the analysis program and the embedded program that implements file operations can correctly add, modify, and read files. For this reason, place JMP (unconditional transfer) at the BOOT entry point of the program segment or after the necessary operation, then define the file system information and file information, and store the files corresponding to each file information, and set it as BOOT between all file information and all files program. The program from the BOOT entry address to the JMP instruction is generally not easily changed, so the address of the file system information table is fixed as follows:

The first address of the information table = BOOT entry address + the length of the instruction space before the information table

Since the BOOT entry program is generally written in assembly language, the definition of the file system table is also compiled in the form of assembly. Here, only specific examples of field information are described.

The file system information table fields may include:

1. FILE_SYS_VALID: File system valid flag, different application systems can use different flags.

2. FILE_HEAD_NUM: The number of file tables that can be accommodated.

3. FIRST_FILEH_ADDR: The address of the first file information table.

The file information fields:

1. FILE_VALID: indicates whether it is a file or directory, or empty information.

2. FILE_ADDR: file address.

3.FILE_LENTH: file length.

4. FILE_NAME: file name.

5. FILE_CREATE_TIME: File creation time.

6. FILE_VERSION: file version.

7. FILE_COMPRESS: File compression method, if it is 0, it means no compression.

8. FILE_CRC_VALUE: CRC check value.

9. FILE_HARDWARE: Hardware-related information, which can be the bit number corresponding to the configuration device.

The file system information table fields and file information fields of the method of the present invention can be appropriately added or deleted as required, as long as they are consistent with the definition of the analysis and processing program.

The file system information is defined by pseudo-assembly, and the file information field is only defined in the assembly program to occupy space, and the specific information is written by the analysis and processing program when adding files. The analysis and processing program of the method of the present invention exists as a tool on the host machine, and if the analysis program is located in the target machine and the BOOT space is writable, the stored files can be dynamically rewritten.

The application program in the method of the present invention can access all file information in the storage space through a predefined function, including file system information, file information, and file content.

The method of the present invention can expand the subdirectory in the form of files, which is generally not necessary on the BOOTFLASH with a small capacity, and it is enough to define enough file information tables. In the method of the present invention, two files are also defined, which can serve as mutual backups to enhance data security.

The remote upgrade of the CPLD in the method of the present invention can adopt the same method as that of the BOOT program upgrade, which is convenient for unified management, and the remote upgrade of the CPLD can issue an update command through the network management.

The host analysis process of the method of the present invention is as shown in Figure 3, which includes steps:

After the process starts, first read in the BOOT program image file, and judge whether there is file system information, if not, output a prompt message, and end the process.

If there is file system information, read in the files and their information that need to be stored in BOOT FLASH. If compression is required, compress the files to reduce storage space; and calculate the CRC check value of the files to prevent file errors.

Judging whether there are enough file information entries and storage space, if not, output a prompt message and end the process. If so, then generate a new BOOT FLASH image file; then judge whether there are other files, and if so, process each file in turn. Otherwise, end the process.

The method of the present invention automatically configures the programmable device by the embedded CPU, since the CPLD is automatically downloaded after the single board is powered on, the process in the production is reduced; and the remote upgrade and update function can be provided to make the upgrade and maintenance simple and easy to operate; the storage space is used More reasonable, the stored files are relatively independent from the BOOT program, which is convenient for independent development and independent upgrade of software and hardware.

It should be understood that the above descriptions for specific embodiments are relatively detailed, and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the patent protection of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the patent protection of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims (6)

1, a kind of method by the automatic configurating programmable device of embedded type CPU, it may further comprise the steps:

Described CPU connects a programming device, the programmable pin of described programming device is used to indicate whether configuration, the programming device that has disposed is in this pin output low level, represents when the general input and output pin of described CPU detects low level that this programming device downloads; Otherwise automatic download configuration file when powering on;

In the bootstrap memory of described CPU, deposit hardware profile, comprise filesystem information list item, fileinfo list item that is stored in the program space and the analysis and processing program that generates the bootstrap memory reflection;

Wherein, the analysis and processing program of described generation bootstrap memory reflection also comprises step:

A, read in the boot image file, and to whether having filesystem information to judge, as otherwise the output information, and process ends;

If B has filesystem information, then read in file and the filesystem information and the fileinfo that need leave in the bootstrap memory;

C, judge whether enough fileinfo list item and storage space,, then export information as not, and process ends; In this way, then generate new bootstrap memory image file; And judge whether alternative document in addition, if any then circulating successively each file is handled; Otherwise, process ends.

2, method according to claim 1 is characterized in that, the programmable pin of described programming device is connected with a light emitting diode, is used to indicate the configuration file of described programming device to download situation.

3, method according to claim 1 is characterized in that, after the described step B, also comprises step before the step C:

B1, as need compressions, file is compressed, to reduce storage space; And calculation document CRC check value.

4, method according to claim 1 is characterized in that, the list item of described filesystem information and the list item of fileinfo are positioned at the program space, and its table address can not change the position along with the recompility of program.

5, method according to claim 1 is characterized in that, the list item of described filesystem information comprises the quantity and the first table address field information of fileinfo list item.

6, method according to claim 1 is characterized in that, also comprises the remote upgrade procedure of described configuration file after the described step C, specifically comprises:

D1, described analysis and processing program generate new bootstrap memory reflection;

D2, described main frame are downloaded the programming device configuration file again by the remote network management order.

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