1 // This file is part of the Doyxgen Developer Manual
2 /** @page tasks Pending and Open Tasks
4 This page lists pending and open tasks being considered or worked upon
5 by the OpenOCD community.
7 @section thelist The List
9 Most items are open for the taking, but please post to the mailing list
10 before spending much time working on anything lists here. The community
11 may have evolved an idea since it was added here.
13 Feel free to send patches to add or clarify items on this list, too.
15 @section thelisttcl TCL
17 This section provides possible things to improve with OpenOCD's TCL support.
19 - Fix problem with incorrect line numbers reported for a syntax
20 error in a reset init event.
22 - organize the TCL configurations:
23 - provide more directory structure for boards/targets?
24 - factor configurations into layers (encapsulation and re-use)
26 - Isolate all TCL command support:
27 - Pure C CLI implementations using --disable-builtin-tcl.
28 - Allow developers to build new dongles using OpenOCD's JTAG core.
29 - At first, provide only low-level JTAG support; target layer and
30 above rely heavily on scripting event mechanisms.
31 - Allow full TCL support? add --with-tcl=/path/to/installed/tcl
32 - Move TCL support out of foo.[ch] and into foo_tcl.[ch] (other ideas?)
33 - See src/jtag/core.c and src/jtag/tcl.c for an example.
34 - allow some of these TCL command modules to be dynamically loadable?
36 @section thelistjtag JTAG
38 This section list issues that need to be resolved in the JTAG layer.
40 @subsection thelistjtagcore JTAG Core
42 The following tasks have been suggested for cleaning up the JTAG layer:
44 - use tap_set_state everywhere to allow logging TAP state transitions
45 - rename other tap_states to use standard JTAG names (suggested by ML)
46 - Encapsulate cmd_queue_cur_state and related varaible handling.
47 - add slick 32 bit versions of jtag_add_xxx_scan() that avoids
48 buf_set_u32() calls and other evidence of poor impedance match between
49 API and calling code. New API should cut down # of lines in calling
50 code by 100's and make things clearer. Also potentially be supported
51 directly in minidriver API for better embedded host performance.
53 The following tasks have been suggested for adding new core JTAG support:
55 - autodetect devices present on the scan chain
56 - implement 'discover_taps' command
58 - (ab)use bit-banging JTAG interfaces to emulate SPI/UART
59 - allow SPI to program flash, MCUs, etc.
61 @subsection thelistjtaginterfaces JTAG Interfaces
63 The following tasks have been suggeted for improving OpenOCD's JTAG
66 - rework USB communication to be more robust. Two possible options are:
67 -# use libusb-1.0.1 with libusb-compat-0.1.1 (non-blocking I/O wrapper)
68 -# rewrite implementation to use non-blocking I/O
70 - fix to work with long scan chains, such as R.Doss's svf test.
72 - make performance comparable to alternatives
73 - make usability comparable to alternatives
75 The following tasks have been suggested for adding new JTAG interfaces:
77 - TCP driver: allow client/server for remote JTAG interface control.
79 @section thelistswd Serial Wire Debug
81 - implement Serial Wire Debug interface
83 @section thelistbs Boundary Scan Support
88 A few possible options for the above:
89 -# Fake a TCL equivalent?
90 -# Integrate an existing library?
91 -# Write a new C implementation a la Jim?
93 Once the above are completed:
94 - add support for programming flash using boundary scan techniques
95 - add integration with a modified gerber view program:
96 - provide means to view the PCB and select pins and traces
97 - allow use-cases such as the following:
99 -# Double-click on a pin (or trace) with the mouse.
101 -# The trace starts blinking, and
102 -# OpenOCD toggles the pin(s) 0/1.
104 @section thelisttargets Target Support
106 - general layer cleanup: @par
107 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006590.html
108 - regression: xscale does not place debug_handler.bin into the right spot. workaround:
109 use -s option on command line to place xscale/debug_handler.bin in search path @par
110 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-July/009338.html
111 - bug: either USBprog is broken with new tms sequence or there is a general
112 problem with XScale and the new tms sequence. Workaround: use "tms_sequence long"
114 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-July/009426.html
115 - regression: "reset halt" between 729(works) and 788(fails): @par
116 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-July/009206.html
118 - reset run/halt/step is not robust; needs testing to map out problems.
119 - ARM11 improvements (MB?)
120 - fix single stepping (reported by ØH). Need to automatically
121 use hardware stepping if available.
122 - hunt down and add timeouts to all infinite loops, e.g. arm11_run_instr_no_data would
123 lock up in infinite loop if e.g. an "mdh" command tries to read memory from invalid memory location.
124 Try mdh 0x40000000 on i.MX31 PDK
125 - mdb can return garbage data if read byte operation fails for
126 a memory region(16 & 32 byte access modes may be supported). Is this
127 a bug in the .MX31 PDK init script? Try on i.MX31 PDK:
128 mdw 0xb80005f0 0x8, mdh 0xb80005f0 0x10, mdb 0xb80005f0 0x20. mdb returns
130 - implement missing functionality (grep FNC_INFO_NOTIMPLEMENTED ...)
131 - thumb support is missing: ISTR ARMv6 requires Thumb.
132 ARM1156 has Thumb2; ARM1136 doesn't.
133 - Cortex A8 support (ML)
134 - add target implementation (ML)
135 - MC1322x support (JW/DE?)
136 - integrate and test support from JW (and DE?)
137 - get working with a known good interface (i.e. not today's jlink)
139 - improvements for unknown-board-atmel-at91sam9260.cfg (RD)
141 - improvements to str912.cfg to be more general purpose
143 - independently verify implementation
144 - incrementally improve working prototype in trunk. (SQ)
145 - work out how to debug this target
146 - AVR debugging protocol.
148 - Altera Nios Soft-CPU support
149 - Coldfire (suggested by NC)
150 - can we draw from the BDM project? @par
151 http://bdm.sourceforge.net/
153 or the OSBDM package @par
154 http://forums.freescale.com/freescale/board/message?board.id=OSBDM08&thread.id=422
156 @section thelistsvf SVF/XSVF
158 - develop SVF unit tests
159 - develop XSVF unit tests
161 @section thelistflash Flash Support
163 - finish documentation for the following flash drivers:
170 @subsection thelistflashcfi CFI
172 - finish implementing bus width/chip width handling (suggested by NC)
173 - factor vendor-specific code into separate source files
174 - add new callback interface for vendor-specific code
175 - investigate/implement "thin wrapper" to use eCos CFI drivers (ØH)
177 @section thelistdebug Debugger Support
179 - breakpoints can get lost in some circumstances: @par
180 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-June/008853.html
181 - integrate Keil AGDI interface to OpenOCD? (submitted by Dario Vecchio)
183 @section thelisttesting Testing Suite
185 This section includes several related groups of ideas:
186 - @ref thelistunittests
187 - @ref thelistsmoketests
188 - @ref thelisttestreports
189 - @ref thelisttestgenerichw
191 @subsection thelistunittests Unit Tests
193 - add testing skeleton to provide frameworks for adding tests
194 - implement server unit tests
195 - implement JTAG core unit tests
196 - implement JTAG interface unit tests
197 - implement flash unit tests
198 - implement target unit tests
200 @subsection thelistsmoketests Smoke Test Tools
202 -# extend 'make check' with a smoketest app
203 - checks for OOCD_TEST_CONFIG, etc. in environment (or config file)
204 - if properly set, runs the smoke test with specified parameters
205 - openocd -f ${OOCD_TEST_CONFIG}
206 - implies a modular test suite (see below)
207 - should be able to run some minimal tests with dummy interface:
208 - compare results of baseline sanity checks with expected results
210 -# builds a more complete test suite:
211 - existing testing/examples/ look like a great start
212 - all targets should be tested fully and for all capabilities
213 - we do NOT want a "lowest common denominator" test suite
214 - ... but can we start with one to get going?
215 - probably requires one test configuration file per board/target
216 - modularization can occur here, just like with targets/boards/chips
217 - coverage can increase over time, building up bundles of tests
219 -# add new 'smoketest' Makefile target:
220 - calls 'make check' (and the smoketest app)
221 - gather inputs and output into a report file
223 @subsection thelisttestreports Test Feedback Tools
225 These ideas were first introduced here: @par
226 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006358.html
228 - provide report submission scripts for e-mail and web forms
229 - add new Makefile targets to post the report:
230 - 'checkreportsend' -- send to list via e-mail (via sendmail)
231 - 'checkreportpost' -- send web form (via curl or other script)
233 @subsection thelisttestgenerichw Generic Hardware Tester
235 - implement VHDL to use for FPGA-based JTAG TAP testing device
236 - develop test suite that utilizes this testing device
238 @section thelistautotools Autotools Build System
240 - make entire configure process require less user consideration:
241 - automatically detect the features that are available, unless
242 options were specifically provided to configure
243 - provide a report of the drivers that will be build at the end of
244 running configure, so the users can verify which driverswill be
245 built during 'make' (and their options) .
246 - eliminate sources of confusion in @c bootstrap script:
247 -# Make @c bootstrap call 'configure --enable-maintainer-mode \<opts\>'?
248 -# Add @c buildstrap script to assist with boostrap and configure steps.
249 - automatically build tool-chains required for cross-compiling
250 - produce mingw32, arm-elf, others using in-tree scripts
251 - build all required target code from sources
252 - make JTAG and USB debug output a run-time configuration option
254 @section thelistarchitecture Architectural Tasks
256 The following architectural tasks need to be accomplished and should be
257 fairly easy to complete:
259 - clean-up code to match style guides
260 - factor code to eliminate duplicated functionality
261 - rewrite code that uses casts to access 16-bit and larger types
262 from unaligned memory addresses
263 - libopenocd support: @par
264 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006405.html
265 - review and clean up interface/target/flash APIs
267 The following strategic tasks will require ambition, knowledge, and time
270 - overhaul use of types to improve 32/64-bit portability
271 - types for both host and target word sizes?
272 - can we use GDB's CORE_TYPE support?
273 - Allow N:M:P mapping of servers, targets, and interfaces
274 - loadable module support for interface/target/flash drivers and commands
275 - support both static and dynamic modules.
276 - should probably use libltdl for dynamic library handing.
278 @section thelistadmin Documentation Tasks
280 - Develop milestone and release guidelines, processes, and scripts.
281 - Develop "style" guidelines (and scripts) for maintainers:
283 - committing to Subversion
284 - Review The Guide for OpenOCD Users for documentation errors or omissions
285 - Update The Manual for OpenOCD Developerrs:
286 - Add documentation describing the architecture of each module
287 - Provide more Technical Primers to bootstrap contributor knowledge
291 This file contains the @ref thelist page.