Embedded Programming
with the GNU Toolchain
Vijay Kumar B.
vijaykumar@[Link]
Zilogic Systems 1
What?
C Application
OS C Application
Hardware Hardware
Conventional C Programs Our Case
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Why?
● Embedded Firmware Development
● RTOS development – eCOS, RTEMS, ...
● Bootloader development – U-Boot, ...
● Programming DSPs
● Testing Microprocessors cores
implemented in ASICs / FPGAs
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How?
● 3 Example Scenarios
● Hello Embedded World – Add 2 numbers
in registers in assembly
● Add 2 numbers from memory in assembly
● Add 2 numbers from memory in C
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Scenario I - Overview
● Cortex-M3 Processor
● Writing Assembly Programs
● Emulating Cortex-M3 with Qemu
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ARMv7
● Latest revision of ARM architecture –
ARMv7
● Cortex Processor – ARMv7
implementation
● Profiles
– A Profile – GPOS and applications
– R Profile – optimized for realtime systems
– M Profile – optimized for low cost embedded
systems
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Cortex-M3 Features
● Thumb-2 Instruction Set
● Bit Banding
● Integrated Peripherals
– NVIC
– Memory Protection Unit
(MPU)
– Debug Peripherals
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CM3 SoCs
● SoC vendors license CM3 from ARM
● SoC vendors use it as building block
● Licensees
– TI – Stellaris processors
– Atmel – ATSAM3U series
– STMicroelectronics – STM32
– NXP - LPC1700
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LM3S811
● Cortex-M3 core
● Memory
– 64KB Flash
– 8KB RAM
● Peripherals
– 10 bit ADCs
– I2C, SPI, UARTs, PWM
– 32 GPIOs
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Registers
● Load Store
Architecture
● Data processing
instructions –
register operands
● Large register file –
16 32-bit registers
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Registers (Contd.)
R0 R8
● R0 – R12
R1 R9 – General Purpose
R2 R10
R3 R11 ● R13
R4 R12
R5 R13 (SP)
– Stack Pointer
R6
R7
R14 (LR)
R15 (PC)
● R14
– Link Register
PSR PRIMASK
FAULTMASK
● R15
CONTROL BASEPRI
– Program Counter
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Memory Map
● CM3 has a fixed
memory map
● Easy to port
software
Peripherals
0x4000_0000
● 4GB Address Space
SRAM
● LM3S811
0x2000_0000
– 64KB Flash
Flash
0x0000_0000
– 8KB SRAM
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Reset
● SP from address 0x0
● PC from address 0x4
● Address is mapped
to Flash
Reset Vec.
0x0004
Initial SP
0x0000
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Assembly
label: instruction @comment
● label: convenient way to refer to the
memory location
● instruction: ARM instruction or assembler
directive
● comment: starts with @
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Hello Embedded World
.thumb
.syntax unified
sp: .word 0x100
reset: .word start+1
start:
mov r0, #5
mov r1, #4
add r2, r1, r0
stop: b stop
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Toolchain
Assembler Source (.s)
Assembler (as)
Object File (.o)
Linker (ld)
Executable (.elf)
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Toolchain (Contd.)
$ arm-none-eabi-as -mcpu=cortex-m3 -o add.o add.s
● Cross toolchain prefix - arm-none-eabi-
● -mcpu=cortex-m3 Specifies the CPU
● -o Specifies the output file
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Toolchain (Contd.)
$ arm-none-eabi-ld -Ttext=0x0 -o [Link] add.o
● Cross toolchain prefix - arm-none-eabi-
● -Ttext=0x0 Addresses should be
assigned to instructions starting from 0.
● -o Specifies the output file
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Toolchain (Contd.)
$ arm-none-eabi-nm [Link]
...
00000004 t reset
00000000 t sp
00000008 t start
00000014 t stop
● List symbols from object file
● Verify initial SP and reset vector are
located at required address
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Toolchain (Contd.)
● ELF file format contains meta information
for OS
● Binary format contains consecutive bytes
starting from an address
● Convenient for flashing tools
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Toolchain (Contd.)
$ arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary [Link] [Link]
● objcopy – converts between different
executable file formats
● -O specifies that output file format
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Qemu
● Open source machine emulator - the
processor and the peripherals
● Architectures – i386, ARM, MIPS, SPARC ...
● Used by various open source projects
– OLPC
– OpenMoko
– Linux Kernel Testing
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Emulating in Qemu
$ qemu-system-arm -M lm3s811evb -kernel [Link]
● -M lm3s811evb specifies the machine to
be emulated
● -kernel specifies data to be loaded in
Flash from address 0x0
● monitor interface – control and status
● can be used to view the registers
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Review
● Writing simple assembly programs
● Building and linking them using GNU
Toolchain
● Emulating Cortex-M3 processor using
Qemu
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Scenario II - Overview
● Role of Linker
● Linker Scripts
● Placing data in RAM
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Linker
a.s assembler a.o
linker abc.o
b.s assembler b.o
c.s assembler c.o
● In multi-file programs – combines multiple
object files to form executable
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Linker (Contd.)
Linker
Symbol
Relocation
Resolution
Section Section
Merging Placement
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Linker (Contd.)
Linker
Symbol
Relocation
Resolution
Section Section
Merging Placement
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Symbol Resolution
● Functions are
defined in one file
● Referenced in
another file
● References are
marked unresolved
by the compiler
● Linker patches the
references
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Linker
Linker
Symbol
Relocation
Resolution
Section Section
Merging Placement
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Relocation
● Code generated
assuming it starts
from address X
● Code should start
from address Y
● Change addresses
assigned to labels
● Patch label
references
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Sections
● Placing related bytes at a particular
location.
● Example:
– instructions in Flash
– data in RAM
● Related bytes are grouped together using
sections
● Placement of sections can be specified
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Sections (Contd.)
● Most programs have atleast two sections,
.text and .data
● Data or instructions can be placed in a
section using directives
● Directives
– .text
– .data
– .section
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Sections (Contd.)
● Source – sections can be interleaved
● Bytes of a section – contiguous addresses
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Linker
Linker
Symbol
Relocation
Resolution
Section Section
Merging Placement
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Section Merging
● Linker merges sections in the input files
into sections in the output file
● Default merging – sections of same name
● Symbols get new addresses, and
references are patched
● Section merging can be controlled by
linker script files
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Linker
Linker
Symbol
Relocation
Resolution
Section Section
Merging Placement
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Section Placement
● Bytes in each section is given addresses
starting from 0x0
● Labels get addresses relative to the start
of section
● Linker places section at a particular
address
● Labels get new address, label references
are patched
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strlen
Linker Script
Linker
Symbol
Relocation
Resolution
Can be controlled
through Linker scripts.
Section Section
Merging Placement
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Simple Linker Script
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
} 0xFFFF
SECTIONS {
.text : {
abc.o (.text);
def.o (.text);
} > FLASH def.o (.text)
}
abc.o (.text)
0x0
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Simple Linker Script
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
}
SECTIONS {
.text : { Section Merging
abc.o (.text);
def.o (.text);
} > FLASH
}
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Simple Linker Script
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
}
SECTIONS {
.text : {
abc.o (.text);
def.o (.text);
} > FLASH Section Placement
}
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Making it Generic
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
}
SECTIONS {
.text : {
* (.text); Wildcards to represent .text
} > FLASH form all input files
}
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Multiple Sections
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
}
0xFFFF
SECTIONS {
.text : { Dealing with
* (.text); mutiple sections
} > FLASH
.rodata : { .rodata
* (.rodata);
} > FLASH .text
0x0
}
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Data in RAM
● Add two numbers from memory
● Assembly source
● Linker Script
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RAM is Volatile!
● RAM is volatile
● Data cannot be made available in RAM at
power-up
● All code and data should be in Flash at
power-up
● Startup code – copies data from Flash to
RAM
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RAM is Volatile! (Contd.)
● .data section should be present in Flash at
power-up
● Section has two addresses
– load address (aka LMA)
– run-time address (aka VMA)
● So far only run-time address – actual
address assigned to labels
● Load address defaults to run-time address
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Linker Script Revisited
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
} 0x20001FFF
SECTIONS { SRAM
.text : { .data
0x20000000
* (.text);
} > FLASH
0x0000FFFF
.data : {
Flash
* (.data);
} > SRAM .text
0x00000000
}
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Linker Script Revisited
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
} 0x20001FFF
SECTIONS { SRAM
.text : { .data
0x20000000
* (.text);
} > FLASH
0x0000FFFF
.data : {
Flash .data
* (.data);
} > SRAM AT> FLASH .text
0x00000000
}
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Linker Script Revisited
MEMORY {
FLASH (rx) : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 0x10000
SRAM (rwx) : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 0x2000
}
SECTIONS {
.text : {
edata
* (.text); .data
etext = .; sdata
} > FLASH
.data : {
sdata = .;
* (.data); .data
edata = .; etext
.text
} > SRAM AT> FLASH
}
Zilogic Systems 53
Data in RAM
● Copy .data from Flash to RAM
start:
ldr r0, =sdata @ Load the address of sdata
ldr r1, =edata @ Load the address of edata
ldr r2, =etext @ Load the address of etext
copy: ldrb r3, [r2] @ Load the value from Flash
strb r3, [r0] @ Store the value in RAM
add r2, r2, #1 @ Increment Flash pointer
add r0, r0, #1 @ Increment RAM pointer
cmp r0, r1 @ Check if end of data
bne copy @ Branch if not end of data
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Review
● Linker Script can control
– Section Merging
– Section Placement
● .data placed in RAM, .text in Flash
● RAM is volatile
● at load time .data is in Flash
● at startup .data is copied from Flash to
RAM
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Scenario III - Overview
● C Environment Requirements
● C Sections
● C Source Code
● Linker Script
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Doing it in C
● Environment has to
be setup
– Stack pointer
– Non-initalized
global variables,
initialized to zero
– Initialized global
variables must
have their initial
value
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C Sections
● Sections created by GCC
– .text – for functions
– .data – for initialized global data
– .bss – for uninitialized global data
– .rodata – for strings and global variables
defined as const
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Credits
● Cash Register – Nikola Smolenski
● Cerebral Cortex - [Link]
● Reset Button – flattop341
[Link]
● Church Relocation – Fletcher6
[Link]
● Rope Image - Markus Bärlocher
[Link]
Zilogic Systems 59
Further Reading
● Embedded Programming using the GNU
Toolchain -
[Link]
● GNU Linker Manual
● GNU Assembler Manual
Zilogic Systems 60
