MSP430F2619S-HT: Automatic loading of program and symbols from different files after post-build step for CRC calcualtion.

For CCS to add the CRC, it seems you can refer to this 

https://software-dl.ti.com/codegen/docs/tiarmclang/compiler_tools_user_guide/compiler_manual/linker_description/09_linker_generated_crc_tables/the-crc-table-operator-stdz0756966.html#stdz0752409 

For CCS to add the CRC, it seems you can refer to this 

https://software-dl.ti.com/codegen/docs/tiarmclang/compiler_tools_user_guide/compiler_manual/linker_description/09_linker_generated_crc_tables/the-crc-table-operator-stdz0756966.html#stdz0752409 

Thanks Gary, I have read all this - that's exactly what I meant by "too much junk". I don't need the whole table, only the CRC16 value for the given memory region. What I'm trying to do is save just the CRC16 into a dedicated location and nothing else.

Ok, I will move this thread to our tools team to see if any help there

Thanks Gary.

A related question - is there any way to insert a symbol assigned by linker (e.g. using last() operator) into an output section? I don't want to access it from the application using the symbol name, rather via a specific location in the memory.

Thanks.

Michal Durec said:

The linker doesn't seem to offer the right options (it only provides CRC tables that add too much junk into the output file - every byte counts here)

Unfortunately, that is the only method available in the linker for computing the CRC and putting it in the executable .out file.

Michal Durec said:

I haven't found a way to automagically load the program from the updated HEX file

Just for now, ignore the automatic part of this.  How do you load the hex file now?  Do you use this load memory feature?  I'm pretty sure that command can be automated to occur whenever you load the program.

Michal Durec said:

is there any way to insert a symbol assigned by linker (e.g. using last() operator) into an output section?

To see how to access a linker created symbol, such as one created by the last operator, please search the MSP430 assembly tools manual for the sub-chapter titled Using Linker Symbols in C/C++ Applications. I suspect you already know about this method, and it doesn't work for you.  Please explain the overall problem you want to solve, while ignoring how it might be implemented.  

Thanks and regards,

-George

Hi George,

For loading the HEX image and symbols (from .out file), I currently use the commands from the Run/Load menu in CCS Debug perspective:

Re the linker symbol, I need to place its value into the image at a specific address to be able to access it from different parts of the FW. I have a bootloader that will not know the value from the linker symbol (the value will change when the main application is rebuilt), but it can read it from a fixed address once the image is loaded into flash.

Thanks.

Michal Durec said:

Re the linker symbol, I need to place its value into the image at a specific address to be able to access it from different parts of the FW. I have a bootloader that will not know the value from the linker symbol (the value will change when the main application is rebuilt), but it can read it from a fixed address once the image is loaded into flash.

Presume the MEMORY directive in the linker command file has a line similar to ...

    MEM              : origin = 0x0200, length = 0xFDE0, LAST(last_symbol)

Then you could have C code similar to ...

#define HCA 0xe000      /* Hard Coded Address */
extern int last_symbol;
__attribute__((location(HCA)))
const int boot_loader_symbol = (int) &last_symbol;

This creates a variable named boot_loader_symbol.  It is located at the address given by the preprocessor symbol HCA.  The contents are the value of last_symbol.

Regarding how to automate loading the hex file, I will change responsibility for this thread over to an expert on CCS.

Thanks and regards,

-George

Thanks George & great idea!

A slight modification to use a section defined in the linker script instead of the HCA in the C source; also the retain attribute is required if the constant is not referenced:

extern uint32_t last_symbol; /* The type here is irrelevant. */
__attribute__((retain, section(".last_address")))
const uint32_t app_last_addr = (uint32_t) &last_symbol;