Overview

LinkFlash is a flash programming utility for executing flash operations using the graphical user interface. It can be opened from a terminal using ./LinkFlash or ./LinkServer gui flash.

This document describes all the functionalities provided by LinkFlash.

Application layout

The application window is composed of the following sections, in order from top to bottom:

• Menu bar

• Probe and Device options

• Flash commands

• Logs

• Status bar

Menu bar

The following actions are available from the menu bar:

• File

  • Load Configuration... : Load a configuration previously saved using Save Configuration....

  • Save Configuration... : Save the current configuration to a file.

  • Reset Configuration : Reset the configuration to the initial state.

• Help

  • About : Show information about this application.

Probe and Device options

Fields to select the probe, device, and connection options.

• Probe : A combobox that displays the currently connected LinkServer probes. The Refresh button triggers a new scan for probes. The probes are automatically scanned once when the application starts.

• Device : A text-combobox hybrid field that allows filtering. Once it is clicked, it displays a dropdown with all the available devices. Inputting text into the field filters the options. The ... button can also be used to toggle the dropdown.

• Protocol : Select the protocol to be used (SWD or JTAG). For most devices, only SWD option is available.

• Wirespeed : Wirespeed in Hertz. If the field is left empty, the default wirespeed specified in the device JSON configuration is used.

Flash commands

The flash command to execute is selected by clicking the different tabs. The options for the currently selected command are displayed under the tabs.

The following commands are available: Program, Erase, Resurrect, Save, Verify.

Command execution

The selected command is initiated when clicking the large button located below the command options. While executing, the button name changes to Cancel and it can be pressed to cancel the operation.

Input validation

The input fields are validated only after clicking the command execution button. If errors are found, the flash command is not executed and a pop-up message is shown with all the errors that must be fixed.

Possible errors include: empty required fields, nonexistent input files, badly formatted numbers, and so on.

Program

Program the flash with a file.

Options:

• File : File to be programmed. The Browse... button can be used to select a file using a file dialog. Alternatively, the file can be dragged and dropped onto the LinkFlash window.

• Address : Load address for the binary file. It can be hex (0x), binary (0b) or decimal. This field is enabled only when the extension of the file is not recognized as an ELF, HEX, or SREC file. In that case, the file is considered binary.

• Mass erase before programming : Erase all flash before programming.

• Reset target after programming : Start execution from reset after programming.

Erase

Use the radio buttons to select between mass-erasing the selected flash memory and erasing only flash sectors that overlap a specific range.

Mass-erase

Mass-erase selected flash memory.

Options:

• Flash memory to erase: Select the flash memories to mass-erase. By default, only the first flash memory is selected. For targets with TrustZone support, only the non-secure address ranges are shown, since secure and non-secure addresses are aliases for the same physical flash memory.

Erase Range

Erase all flash sectors overlapping the specified range. The range is expanded on both ends to align to the sector size.

Options:

• Address : Address to start erasing from. It can be hex (0x), binary (0b) or decimal.

• Size : Size of the region to erase. It can be hex (0x), binary (0b) or decimal.

Resurrect

Attempt to recover a locked device. This operation is applicable to MCXC and Kinetis series MCUs only.

Save

Save the flash region specified by address and size to a given file.

Options:

• Address : Address to start saving from. It can be hex (0x), binary (0b) or decimal.

• Size : Size of the region to save. It can be hex (0x), binary (0b) or decimal.

• File : File to save the binary data to. The Browse... button can be used to select a file using a file dialog.

Verify

Verify that the flash contents match a given file.

Options:

• File : File to verify. The Browse... button can be used to select a file using a file dialog.

• Address : Load address of the binary file. It can be hex (0x), binary (0b) or decimal. This field is enabled only when the extension of the file is not recognized as an ELF, HEX, or SREC file. In that case, the file is considered binary.

Logs

These tabs provide information about the executed commands. Two tabs are available:

• Log : Displays low-level information of the last executed flash command.

  

• Commands : Displays a history of all the flash commands executed in the current session. The commands invoke LinkServer and can be used from a terminal to replicate the operations performed in the graphical user interface.

  

Status bar

Displays the status of the last executed command.

Configuration

The configuration refers to the values selected for: probe, device, protocol, wirespeed, the options of each individual command, and the command itself.

Startup configuration

The current configuration is automatically saved into <path_to_user_home_folder>/.linkserver/.gui_flash_last_sess.json before exiting. This configuration is then automatically loaded when the application is re-launched.

A different configuration file can be loaded at startup using the --config FILE option. For saving configurations, see the File > Save Configuration... action from the Menu Bar.

Example: ./LinkServer gui flash --config my_saved_state.json

CLI options

Options for the ./LinkServer gui flash command:

• --config : Configuration file to load at startup.

• --help : Display the help for this command.