Hardware requirements

  • Mini/micro USB cable

  • EVK-MIMXRT595 board

  • Personal Computer

Board settings

This example project does not call for any special hardware configurations. Although not required, the recommendation is to leave the development board’s jumper settings and configurations in default state when running this example.

Prepare the Demo

  1. Connect a micro USB cable between the PC host and the CMSIS DAP USB port on the board

  2. Open a serial terminal with the following settings:

    • 115200 baud rate

    • 8 data bits

    • No parity

    • One stop bit

    • No flow control

  3. Use secure project to download the program to target board. Please refer to “TrustZone application debugging” below for details.

  4. Launch the debugger in your IDE to begin running the demo. Note: Refering to the “Getting started with MCUXpresso SDK for EVK-MIMXRT595” documentation for more information on how to build and run the TrustZone examples in various IDEs.

TrustZone Application Development in SDK

Every TrustZone based application consists of two independent parts - secure part/project and non-secure part/project.

The secure project is stored in <application_name><application_name>_s directory. The non-secure project is stored in <application_name><application_name>_ns directory.

The secure projects always contains TrustZone configuration and it is executed after device RESET. The secure project usually ends by jump to non-secure application/project. If IDE allows the two projects in single workspace, the user can also find the project with <application_name>. This project contains both secure and non-secure projects in one workspace (Keil MDK, IAR) and it allows to user easy transition from one to another project.

Project Structure

The all TrustZone files related to TrustZone are located in trustzone virtual directory. The files are:

  • tzm_config.c

  • tzm_config.h

  • nsc_functions.c

  • nsc_functions.h

File tzm_config.c, tzm_config.h

This file is used by secure project only. It contains one function BOARD_InitTrustZone(), which configures complete TrustZone environment. It includes SAU, MPU’s, AHB secure controller and some TrustZone related registers from System Control Block. This function is called from SystemInitHook() function, it means during system initialization.

File nsc_functions.c, nsc_functions.h

This file defines all secure functions (secure entry functions) exported to normal world. This file is located in secure project only. While header file is used by both secure and non-secure projects. The secure entry functions usually contain validation of all input parameters in order to avoid any data leak from secure world.

The files nsc_functions.h and <application_name>_s_import_lib.o or <application_name>_s_CMSE_lib.o create the connection between secure and non-secure projects. The library file is generated by linker during compilation of secure project and it is linked to the non-secure project as any other library.

TrustZone application compilation

Please compile secure project firstly since CMSE library is needed for compilation of non-secure project. After successful compilation of secure project, compile non-secure project.

TrustZone application debugging

  • Download both output file into device memory

  • Start execution of secure project since secure project is going to be executed after device RESET.

If IDE (Keil MDK, IAR) allows to manage download both output files as single download, the secure project is configured to download both secure and non-secure output files so debugging can be fully managed from secure project.

For IAR, please don’t choose Use flash loader option when download ram target output files.

If want to download secure and non-secure binary file into QSPI flash, should the following rules: Flash target: 1. secure binary download into 0x8000400 address. 2. non-secure binary download into 0x8100000 address. RAM target: 1. secure binary download into 0x8000400 address for IAR, download into 0x80000000 for other toolchains. 2. non-secure binary download into 0x8041000 address.

Device header file and secure/non-secure access to the peripherals

Both secure and non-secure project uses identical device header file. The access to secure and non-secure aliases for all peripherals is managed using compiler macro __ARM_FEATURE_CMSE.

For secure project using <PERIPH_BASE> means access through secure alias (address bit A28=1), using <PERIPH_BASE>_NS means access through non-secure alias(address bit A28=0) For non-secure project using <PERIPH_BASE> means access through non-secure alias (address bit A28=0). The non-secure project doesn’t have access to secure memory or peripherals regions so the secure access is not defined.