Method for Serial Loader to track application version?

[jackking]

I am looking at using a version number on my application to see if the Serial Loader should perform an update, instead of doing a byte for byte check of flash to compare the current application with the incoming file to see if they are the same.

Is there already this concept built into the Serial Loader?   

Otherwise, I will look at modifying the application header to include a version in the update file and check this against the application in flash with a modified Serial Loader.

thanks
JK

[mark]

Hi

How is the incoming data being received?

When running the (stand-alone) boot loader, the original application is first deleted before receiving and so differences can't be checked - the exception is when loading form SD card or memory stick where the new code is first compared with the original.

If you have a application header I assume you are using an XiP image, where it would be a good idea to put an application version at a defined location in this. Otherwise, the header (with project number, application length and CRC) could also be used since changes to the application would (normally) be recognised by a change in its size and/or CRC).

Regards

Mark

[jackking]

Mark,

I have customized all loader methods (SD card, USB-MSD host and device and Serial) to store the incoming application into SDRAM first (since the part I am using does have a large SDRAM area).  Then I perform the update of Flash from the SDRAM data.  I can check the application version as part of this process, to perform a fast check before using a longer flash comparison and CRC calculation.  This would be compared to the existing application version in Flash.

I just didn't know if the "standard" uTasker application tools also had some way to add a version number when creating the application file, or whether I should handle this in my own way.

Thanks
JK

[jackking]

I added a version to the boot_header file and then modified the loader to handle it for checking the version number and file validity (since it was looking for 0xff in those bytes).  Now I can quickly check if a new application is a newer version vs. doing a byte for byte compare every time.

Code: [Select]

// We add 760 bytes of padding between the header and the start of code in order to
// align the code on a 1k byte boundary (ensures on-the-fly decryption compatibility,
// library compatibility and also allows interrupt vectors to remain in code)

02f8                   // first two bytes specify the length
0f0000        // specify DTC/ITC and OCR
00010000               // version 00 01 00 00   = version 01.00
ffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff

ffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff

ffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffff