NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L #25136

ahasztag · 2025-10-20T14:51:24Z

This PR enables the CONFIG_SB_CLEANUP_RAM option by default for nRF54L. To achieve that, it disables the conflicting EXT_API-s functionality for nRF54L, where it is not used and wasn't functional. Backwards compatibility for nRF52 and nRF53 is ensured.
Also, tests are added to verify the functionality works as expected.

NordicBuilder · 2025-10-20T14:54:56Z

CI Information

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Build number: 15

Inputs:

Sources:

sdk-nrf: PR head: d7a355a7aab148a8eb0025b8db176ef037324851

more details

sdk-nrf:

PR head: d7a355a7aab148a8eb0025b8db176ef037324851
merge base: e440814366666e0652cd80c8846016094c49e91f
target head (main): e440814366666e0652cd80c8846016094c49e91f
Diff

Github labels

Enabled	Name	Description
	ci-disabled	Disable the ci execution
	ci-all-test	Run all of ci, no test spec filtering will be done
	ci-force-downstream	Force execution of downstream even if twister fails
	ci-run-twister	Force run twister
	ci-run-zephyr-twister	Force run zephyr twister

List of changed files detected by CI (20)

doc
│  ├── nrf
│  │  ├── libraries
│  │  │  ├── security
│  │  │  │  ├── bootloader
│  │  │  │  │  │ fw_info.rst
samples
│  ├── bootloader
│  │  ├── prj.conf
│  │  │ prj_minimal.conf
subsys
│  ├── bootloader
│  │  ├── Kconfig
│  │  ├── bl_boot
│  │  │  │ bl_boot.c
│  ├── fw_info
│  │  ├── Kconfig
│  │  │ Kconfig.template.fw_info_ext_api
tests
│  ├── subsys
│  │  ├── bootloader
│  │  │  ├── b0_ram_cleanup
│  │  │  │  ├── CMakeLists.txt
│  │  │  │  ├── boards
│  │  │  │  │  │ nrf54l15dk_nrf54l15_cpuapp.overlay
│  │  │  │  ├── modules
│  │  │  │  │  ├── b0_cleanup_ram_test_prepare
│  │  │  │  │  │  ├── CMakeLists.txt
│  │  │  │  │  │  ├── src
│  │  │  │  │  │  │  │ b0_cleanup_ram_test_prepare.c
│  │  │  │  │  │  ├── zephyr
│  │  │  │  │  │  │  │ module.yml
│  │  │  │  ├── nrf54l15dk_nrf54l15_cpuapp_common.dtsi
│  │  │  │  ├── prj.conf
│  │  │  │  ├── src
│  │  │  │  │  │ main.c
│  │  │  │  ├── sysbuild.cmake
│  │  │  │  ├── sysbuild.conf
│  │  │  │  ├── sysbuild
│  │  │  │  │  ├── b0.conf
│  │  │  │  │  │ b0.overlay
│  │  │  │  │ testcase.yaml

Outputs:

Toolchain

Version: cfa6b06338
Build docker image: docker-dtr.nordicsemi.no/sw-production/ncs-build:cfa6b06338_bba2ea5f2e

Test Spec & Results: ✅ Success; ❌ Failure; 🟠 Queued; 🟡 Progress; ◻️ Skipped; ⚠️ Quarantine

◻️ Toolchain - Skipped: existing toolchain is used
✅ Build twister
- sdk-nrf test count: 828
✅ Integration tests
- ✅ test-fw-nrfconnect-chip
- ✅ test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_cloud
- ✅ test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_zephyr_lwm2m
- ✅ test-fw-nrfconnect-tfm
- ✅ test-sdk-find-my
- ✅ test-sdk-mcuboot
- ✅ test-sdk-dfu

Disabled integration tests

- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf_lrcs_positioning
- desktop52_verification
- test-fw-nrfconnect-apps
- test-fw-nrfconnect-ble_mesh
- test-fw-nrfconnect-ble_samples
- test-fw-nrfconnect-fem
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nfc
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_libmodem-nrf
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_lwm2m
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_samples
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_serial_lte_modem
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf-iot_thingy91
- test-fw-nrfconnect-nrf_crypto
- test-fw-nrfconnect-ps-main
- test-fw-nrfconnect-rpc
- test-fw-nrfconnect-rs
- test-fw-nrfconnect-thread-main
- test-low-level
- test-sdk-audio
- test-sdk-wifi
- test-secdom-samples-public

Note: This message is automatically posted and updated by the CI

github-actions · 2025-10-20T15:35:45Z

You can find the documentation preview for this PR here.

Preview links for modified nRF Connect SDK documents:

https://ncsdoc.z6.web.core.windows.net/PR-25136/nrf/libraries/security/bootloader/fw_info.html

doc/nrf/libraries/security/bootloader/fw_info.rst

subsys/fw_info/Kconfig.template.fw_info_ext_api

nordicjm · 2025-10-21T12:08:22Z

subsys/bootloader/Kconfig

 	bool "Perform RAM cleanup"
+	default y
 	depends on !FW_INFO_PROVIDE_ENABLE


Has the exact same issue as mcu-tools/mcuboot#2451 has including destroying any data sharing capabilities because it doesn't even clear the correct RAM range

It doesn't, as it has the dependency on FW_INFO_PROVIDE which is automatically selected by EXT_API-s. Perhaps instead FW_INFO_PROVIDE_ENABLE we should rather use a more generic Kconfig, like DATA_SHARING_ENABLED, but I do not see a point of adding it until other means of data sharing apart from EXT_API-s are added.

Note that for nRF52/nRF53 platforms this will be 'n' due to FW_INFO_PROVIDE

EXT_API is not panned to be used on nRF54l devices.

By data sharing, I mean data sharing in general, unrelated to ext APIs. E.g. a user can no longer have any memory retained between boots, nor can they share any information from application to bootloader or vice versa - and this is a feature customers and even FAEs are using

FAO @vidarbe

There is also the retention subsystem, but the current code won't erase the retention memory - I've added a build assert to ensure that: https://github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-nrf/pull/25136/files#diff-a58c0467d91771dc35ca94bb2297b3de0cd6f6330192c6924ca6f56ed973a4f3R26-R44

Also, I've added a test in this PR to verify that indeed the retention memory is not erased.

By the way, considering the boot loops in MCUBOOT, please see: mcu-tools/mcuboot#2451 (comment) - this issue is not present in NSIB, as we have CONFIG_MPU_STACK_GUARD=n - for now, I added a "depends on" so that we do not run into the issue.

PM does not support retention, it would be non-init RAM using a PM static file, e.g. https://github.com/CanvasDM/bt610_firmware/blob/main/pm_static.sb.bt610.yml#L114

I see, I will in fact remove the default y.
I just keep it for the time being to see which tests fail

OK. Removed the default y - it causes to much issues at the moment.

subsys/bootloader/bl_boot/bl_boot.c

nordicjm · 2025-10-24T10:38:16Z

subsys/bootloader/bl_boot/bl_boot.c

+#define REGIONS_OVERLAP(addr1, size1, addr2, size2) \
+	((addr1) < ((addr2) + (size2)) && (addr2) < ((addr1) + (size1)))
+
+#define RETAINED_RAM_ADDR(ret_ram_node) DT_REG_ADDR(DT_PARENT(ret_ram_node))
+#define RETAINED_RAM_SIZE(ret_ram_node) DT_REG_SIZE(DT_PARENT(ret_ram_node))
+
+
+#define CHECK_RETAINED_RAM_NO_SRAM_OVERLAP(ret_ram_node) \
+	BUILD_ASSERT(!REGIONS_OVERLAP(CONFIG_SRAM_BASE_ADDRESS, CONFIG_SRAM_SIZE * 1024, \
+	RETAINED_RAM_ADDR(ret_ram_node), RETAINED_RAM_SIZE(ret_ram_node)), \
+	"Retained RAM region overlaps with defined SRAM, cannot cleanup RAM")
+
+/* Ensure that the retained RAM region does not overlap with the defined SRAM region.
+ * Otherwise, the RAM cleanup would overwrite the retained RAM region.
+ */
+DT_FOREACH_STATUS_OKAY(zephyr_retained_ram, CHECK_RETAINED_RAM_NO_SRAM_OVERLAP);


note that this check is not really worth keeping since anyone that modifies the driver and changes the name will now get a false negative on this, likewise if they only define it in their application app.overlay file, let's not try to guess how things will work that fail basic sniff tests

Ok, removed

nordicjm · 2025-10-24T10:39:42Z

tests/subsys/bootloader/b0_ram_cleanup/modules/b0_cleanup_ram_test_prepare/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2025 Nordic Semiconductor
+#


why is this in a zephyr sub folder?

By mistake, moved

tests/subsys/bootloader/b0_ram_cleanup/nrf54l15dk_nrf54l15_cpuapp_common.dtsi

nordicjm · 2025-10-28T08:03:47Z

tests/subsys/bootloader/b0_ram_cleanup/CMakeLists.txt

+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20.0)
+
+find_package(Zephyr REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{ZEPHYR_BASE})
+project(NONE)


project name is missing i.e. b0_ram_cleanup

Fixed, seems to be a general issue in test/subsys/bootloader - that is why it was also here, I copied the test.
I will create a task to fix that throughout the whole directory

The SB_CLEANUP_RAM was being blocked by the EXT_APIs, which were enabled in the NSIB-s prj.conf There are currently no use cases for EXT_APIs for nRF54L and cleanup up RAM after NSIB finishes its work is an important feature, so the part enabling the EXT_APIs needed to be removed from the NSIB-s prj.conf However, backwards compatibility with applications working on nRF52 and nRF53 needed to be mantained, so the EXT_APIs are now enabled by default in KConfings for the NSIB image for these platforms. Note this change aligns with the EXT_APIs documentation - in the documentation it is not described how to enable the EXT_APIs in NSIB when adding a new custom EXT_API. Now, the template will ensure it is enabled in NSIB. Signed-off-by: Artur Hadasz <[email protected]>

This commit adds tests to verify if the NSIB RAM cleanup functionality works as expected. Signed-off-by: Artur Hadasz <[email protected]>

ahasztag requested review from a team as code owners October 20, 2025 14:51

NordicBuilder added doc-required PR must not be merged without tech writer approval. changelog-entry-required Update changelog before merge. Remove label if entry is not needed or already added. labels Oct 20, 2025

ahasztag marked this pull request as draft October 21, 2025 06:10

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ahasztag changed the title ~~NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L~~ [Do not review yet] NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L Oct 21, 2025

ahasztag force-pushed the NCSDK-34936_enable_SB_CLEANUP_RAM branch from acda681 to 96aa097 Compare October 21, 2025 06:55

ahasztag marked this pull request as ready for review October 21, 2025 06:56

ahasztag changed the title ~~[Do not review yet] NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L~~ NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L Oct 21, 2025

ahasztag force-pushed the NCSDK-34936_enable_SB_CLEANUP_RAM branch from 96aa097 to 27b6e00 Compare October 21, 2025 06:59

ahasztag changed the title ~~NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L~~ [Do not review yet] NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L Oct 21, 2025

ahasztag marked this pull request as draft October 21, 2025 07:00

ahasztag force-pushed the NCSDK-34936_enable_SB_CLEANUP_RAM branch from 27b6e00 to 388413f Compare October 21, 2025 07:09

ahasztag changed the title ~~[Do not review yet] NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L~~ NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L Oct 21, 2025

ahasztag marked this pull request as ready for review October 21, 2025 07:09

ahasztag requested review from adsz-nordic, michalek-no, nvlsianpu and tomchy October 21, 2025 07:10

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tests: bootloader: Add SB_CLEANUP_RAM tests

d7a355a

This commit adds tests to verify if the NSIB RAM cleanup functionality works as expected. Signed-off-by: Artur Hadasz <[email protected]>

ahasztag force-pushed the NCSDK-34936_enable_SB_CLEANUP_RAM branch from fa79724 to d7a355a Compare October 28, 2025 08:11

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tomchy merged commit 1b963fc into nrfconnect:main Oct 28, 2025
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NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L #25136

NSIB: Cleanup RAM fixes and tests - nRF54L #25136

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Outputs:

Toolchain

Test Spec & Results: ✅ Success; ❌ Failure; 🟠 Queued; 🟡 Progress; ◻️ Skipped; ⚠️ Quarantine

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