User's Manual

5 Firmware Overview
CSR’s BlueCore ICs contain control software (called firmware). Firmware in BlueCores with flash can be updated
using tools in BlueSuite:
■
BlueFlash
(see Section 7.2) is used during development to update your BlueCore's firmware using the Serial
Peripheral Interface (SPI) debugging interface.
TestFlash (part of TrueTest , see Section 8) can be used for
the same purpose on the production line.
■
DFUWizard
(see Section 7.9) can sometimes be used to upgrade the firmware both in development and in
the field.
DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) is a USB standard that allows end users to upgrade the BlueCore's
firmware over the USB or UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) interface.
DFUWizard requires some firmware (the loader) to already be present in the device. The loader can only
be updated by BlueFlash.
The firmware version number is an important piece of information. You can identify your current firmware version
using BlueFlash, see Section 7.2.
5.1 Firmware File Formats
Table 5.1 describes the different firmware file formats you may encounter.
File Extension(s)
Description
.xpv/.xdv
The standard BlueCore firmware file format holds the
binary data for firmware releases in two separate files,
each of which hold part of the data.
.xuv
This firmware file format is one file containing the
contents of both the .xpv file and the .xdv file.
.xhv
Chips with integrated flash have firmware files
containing extra production information about the flash.
.dfu
File format for use with DFUWizard .
Note:
DFUTools
, see Section 7.12, can convert .xpv
and .xdv files into a .dfu file.
Table 5.1: Firmware File Formats
The .dfu file format is a flexible container format that can hold multiple different firmware images (for BlueCore2
and later chips) and multiple versions of the Persistent Store. This means you can have a universal .dfu file that
works for multiple hardware devices.
See
BlueCore Device Firmware Upgrade Overview for a description of what DFU is and how it is used.
5.2 Persistent Store
As well as containing the firmware image (i.e. control software), firmware files can also contain configuration
information known as Persistent Store (PS). DFU files can contain information for a partial or full update of the PS.
Any areas of the PS that are not in the DFU file will remain as they were before the update. Other firmware files
cannot contain partial information; they either preserve or replace the PS.
Firmware upgrades from the CSR support website do not contain any PS settings, thus the current settings are
preserved. Firmware dumps that you make contain PS settings, and so will overwrite any existing ones if you upgrade
using a previously dumped file.
Firmware Overview
CS-212058-UGP1
© Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited 2011
This material is subject to CSR’s non-disclosure agreement.
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