Release Notes Print

 

Overview

This is the Linux BSP (Board Support Package) for the STMicroelectronics STM32F429 Discovery board.

The BSP provides a software development environment for evaluation and development of Linux on the Cortex-M4 processor core of the STM32F429 microcontroller using the STMicroelectronics STM32F429 Discovery board as a hardware platform.

Supported Features

The following list summarizes the features and capabilities of this release of the STM32F429 Discovery BSP:

  • U-Boot firmware:
    • U-Boot v2010.03;
    • Target initialization from power-on / reset;
    • Runs from the internal Flash and internal SRAM (no external memory required for standalone operation);
    • Serial console;
    • Ethernet driver for loading images to the target;
    • Serial driver for loading images to the target;
    • Device driver for internal Flash and self-upgrade capability;
    • Device driver for storing environment and Linux images in internal Flash;
    • Autoboot feature, allowing boot of OS images from Flash or other storage with no operator intervention;
    • Persistent environment in internal Flash for customization of target operation;
    • Sophisticated command interface for maintenance and development of the target.
  • Linux:
    • uClinux kernel v2.6.33;
    • Ability to run critical kernel code from integrated Flash of STM32F4;
    • Serial device driver and Linux console;
    • Ethernet device driver and networking (ping, NFS, Telnet, FTP, ntpd, etc.);
    • busybox v1.17;
    • POSIX pthreads;
    • Hardened exception handling; an exception triggered by a process affects only the offending process;
    • Loadable kernel modules;
    • Support for the hardware FPU;
    • Secure shell (dropbear) daemon;
    • Web server;
    • SPI controller master-mode device driver;
    • I2C device driver;
    • GPIO device driver.
  • Development tools:
    • ARMv7-optimized GNU toolchain from CodeSourcery (2010q1) is used for development of U-Boot, Linux and user-space applications (toolchain must be downloaded separately from the CodeSourcery web site);
    • Cross GDB for debugging user-space applications over TCP/IP or UART;
    • mkimage tool used by the Linux kernel build process to create a Linux image bootable by U-Boot.
  • Development environment:
    • Linux-hosted cross-development environment;
    • Development of multiple projects (embedded applications) from a single installation;
    • hello sample project ("Hello, world!" single-process configuration);
    • networking sample project (basic shell and networking demonstration);
    • developer sample project(template project that can be used to jump-start development of custom user-space applications and loadable kernel modules).

New and Changed Features

This section lists new and changed features of this release:

  1. Support SD Card in Linux STM32F4.
    ID: RT:107790
  2. Improve STM32 I2C driver for errors handling.
    ID: RT:108659
  3. Support hardware FPU code in pthreaded applications in uClinux on Cortex-M.
    ID: RT: 110109
  4. Configure STM32F4-SOM for 180 MHz. Initial support for FDT.
    ID: RT: 112561
  5. Make SPI driver to work in interrupt-driven mode.
    ID: RT: 84870
  6. Support GPIO interrupts for STM32F4.
    ID: RT: 106183
  7. Support Fast Mode in STM32F4 I2C driver.
    ID: RT: 104209
  8. Allow building the STM32F4 kernel if the Ethernet driver puts its buffer descriptors and DMA buffers into on-chip SRAM.
    ID: RT: 103656
  9. Support GPIO Bank I on STM32F4.
    ID: RT: 95496

Known Problems & Limitations

This section lists known problems and limitations of this release:

  1. CONFIG_KERNEL_IN_ENVM requires disabling CONFIG_ARM_UNWIND and CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK .
    ID: RT 74683.
    Workaround: When enabling CONFIG_KERNEL_IN_ENVM in the kernel, disable CONFIG_ARM_UNWIND and CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK .