TMS570LC4357: ethernet tftp bootloader and SPI

UPDATE: the exception is generated from the get request that I make after the put request. What is blocking the process indeed is the uP not sending the ack to data packets during the put request. For the first packets the ack is sent, after a while (the number of packets isn't always the same) the ack is missing.

Hello Valentina,

I am not sure if my understanding is correct:
1. 2 MCUs (LC43x) in your system, They communicate each other through the MibSPI
2. MCU1 downloads code through the TFTP bootloader
3. MCU1 transfer the code to MCU2 using MibSPI

If MCU1 uses SPI1 to write data to a SPI slave, and MCU2 writes to a slave using SPI3, tftp bootloader works ok
but
If MCU1 uses SPI3 to write data to a SPI slave, and MCU2 writes to a slave using SPI1, tftp bootloader stops working

Hello Qj Wang,
Thanks for your reply. Yes your understanding is correct. In particular in working conditions uP1 is the master and uses SPI 1 while uP2 is the slave and uses SPI3. When i try to Exchange the role of the two uPs the error occurs. In my sw the updating procedure us done in two steps: Fist using tftp to write uP1 and second using SPI to write uP2.What I can't explain is why the error occurs when using only the tftp.
Thanks
Valentina

Hello Mr Wang,

I have some updates: I did some tests and it seems that the problem is the microcontroller is missing some data message reception during TFTP PUT request. Found this out, I tried to overcome the problem making some changes in my HMI; when, after a while, the HMI doesn't receive the ack from the microcontroller it sends the same data packet again. In this way I can finish the PUT request successfully.

The thing is my software after writing all the 1st microcontroller memory has to verify the procedure reading back all the memory again and resending all the data with a TFTP GET request. In this configuration I'm having the same issue: the microcontroller is missing some acknowledge message and stops sending the data. Unluckly I haven't manage to fix this in my software yet besides I need to find out why all of this happens only configuring a defined SPI (SPI3) and not using another one(SPI1).

Do you think it could be something related to interrupt priority? Or something related to how the SPI are physically done? (I'm referring to the fact that one of the SPI can have more than 1 SIMO/SOMI pin while the other can't). I would also like to understand if the problem could come from the other microcontroller or not.

Any clue about tests I can do is appreciated.

thanks.

Valentina

Hello Mr Wang,
thanks for replying. Yes, In my system there are 2 MCUs (LC43x). They communicate ehach other using SPI. MCU1 is the master while MCU2 is the slave. MCU1 is programmed using tftp, MCU2 is programmed using SPI.
If I use MCU1 as master with SPI1 and MCU2 as slave with SPI1 everything works.
If I use MCU1 as master with SPI3 and MCU2 as slave with SPI3 the tftp programming procedure stops becuase the MCU1 doesn't receive all the ethernet messages.

Hello Mr Wang,
I did another test to verify the interrupt priority issue: I uses the function vimChannelMap to move the rx ethernet interrupt from index 79 to index 37; viceversa I used the same function to move mibspi3HighInterruptLevel from 37 to 79. The result is: nothing changed; the microcontroller still looses some ethernet messages.
At the moment i don't know what else could be the reason for such behaviour.
Thanks.
Regards
Valentina

Hello QJ,

thank you for you help. I actually did not solve my problem; I run some more test with SPI1 and 3 and what I noticed is there are missing data in both cases; using SPI1 it just happens more often. 

Besides my software does: 

1. initialize SPI and EMAC

2. start to communicate on SPI to check the connection with the other microcontroller

3. pauses this communication and starts the ethernet communication with pc

4. once the ethernet comminucation is over, restart the spi communication

the missing data error happens during step 3. 

Thank you.

Best Regards

Valentina