TODO

   1 // This file is part of the Doyxgen Developer Manual
   2 /** @page tasks Pending and Open Tasks
   3
   4 This page lists pending and open tasks being considered or worked upon
   5 by the OpenOCD community.
   6
   7 @section thelist The List
   8
   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.
  12
  13 Feel free to send patches to add or clarify items on this list, too.
  14
  15 @section thelisttcl TCL
  16
  17 This section provides possible things to improve with OpenOCD's TCL support.
  18
  19 - Fix problem with incorrect line numbers reported for a syntax
  20   error in a reset init event.
  21
  22 - organize the TCL configurations:
  23   - provide more directory structure for boards/targets?
  24   - factor configurations into layers (encapsulation and re-use)
  25
  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?
  35
  36 @section thelistjtag JTAG
  37
  38 This section list issues that need to be resolved in the JTAG layer.
  39
  40 @subsection thelistjtagcore JTAG Core
  41
  42 The following tasks have been suggested for cleaning up the JTAG layer:
  43
  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.
  52
  53 The following tasks have been suggested for adding new core JTAG support:
  54
  55 - autodetect devices present on the scan chain
  56   - implement 'discover_taps' command
  57 - SPI/UART emulation:
  58   - (ab)use bit-banging JTAG interfaces to emulate SPI/UART
  59   - allow SPI to program flash, MCUs, etc.
  60
  61 @subsection thelistjtaginterfaces JTAG Interfaces
  62
  63 The following tasks have been suggeted for improving OpenOCD's JTAG
  64 interface support:
  65
  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
  69 - J-Link driver:
  70   - fix to work with long scan chains, such as R.Doss's svf test.
  71 - FT2232 (libftdi):
  72   - make performance comparable to alternatives
  73   - make usability comparable to alternatives
  74
  75 The following tasks have been suggested for adding new JTAG interfaces:
  76
  77 - TCP driver: allow client/server for remote JTAG interface control.
  78
  79 @section thelistswd Serial Wire Debug
  80
  81 - implement Serial Wire Debug interface
  82
  83 @section thelistbs Boundary Scan Support
  84
  85 - add STAPL support?
  86 - add BSDL support?
  87
  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?
  92
  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:
  98     - @b Stimulus
  99       -# Double-click on a pin (or trace) with the mouse.
 100     - @b Effects
 101       -# The trace starts blinking, and
 102       -# OpenOCD toggles the pin(s) 0/1.
 103
 104 @section thelisttargets Target Support
 105
 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"
 113   @par
 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
 117 - ARM923EJS:
 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)
 121   - implement missing functionality (grep FNC_INFO_NOTIMPLEMENTED ...)
 122 - Cortex A8 support (ML)
 123   - add target implementation (ML)
 124 - MC1322x support (JW/DE?)
 125   - integrate and test support from JW (and DE?)
 126   - get working with a known good interface (i.e. not today's jlink)
 127 - AT91SAM92xx:
 128   - improvements for unknown-board-atmel-at91sam9260.cfg (RD)
 129 - STR9x: (ZW)
 130   - improvements to str912.cfg to be more general purpose
 131 - AVR: (SQ)
 132   - independently verify implementation
 133   - incrementally improve working prototype in trunk. (SQ)
 134   - work out how to debug this target
 135   - AVR debugging protocol.
 136 - FPGA:
 137   - Altera Nios Soft-CPU support
 138 - Coldfire (suggested by NC)
 139   - can we draw from the BDM project?  @par
 140     http://bdm.sourceforge.net/
 141
 142     or the OSBDM package @par
 143     http://forums.freescale.com/freescale/board/message?board.id=OSBDM08&thread.id=422
 144
 145 @section thelistsvf SVF/XSVF
 146
 147 - develop SVF unit tests
 148 - develop XSVF unit tests
 149
 150 @section thelistflash Flash Support
 151
 152 - finish documentation for the following flash drivers:
 153   - avr
 154   - ecosflash
 155   - pic32mx
 156   - ocl
 157   - str9xpec
 158
 159 @subsection thelistflashcfi CFI
 160
 161 - finish implementing bus width/chip width handling (suggested by NC)
 162 - factor vendor-specific code into separate source files
 163   - add new callback interface for vendor-specific code
 164 - investigate/implement "thin wrapper" to use eCos CFI drivers (ØH)
 165
 166 @section thelistdebug Debugger Support
 167
 168 - breakpoints can get lost in some circumstances: @par
 169   https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-June/008853.html
 170 - integrate Keil AGDI interface to OpenOCD? (submitted by Dario Vecchio)
 171
 172 @section thelisttesting Testing Suite
 173
 174 This section includes several related groups of ideas:
 175 - @ref thelistunittests
 176 - @ref thelistsmoketests
 177 - @ref thelisttestreports
 178 - @ref thelisttestgenerichw
 179
 180 @subsection thelistunittests Unit Tests
 181
 182 - add testing skeleton to provide frameworks for adding tests
 183 - implement server unit tests
 184 - implement JTAG core unit tests
 185 - implement JTAG interface unit tests
 186 - implement flash unit tests
 187 - implement target unit tests
 188
 189 @subsection thelistsmoketests Smoke Test Tools
 190
 191 -# extend 'make check' with a smoketest app
 192   - checks for OOCD_TEST_CONFIG, etc. in environment (or config file)
 193   - if properly set, runs the smoke test with specified parameters
 194     - openocd -f ${OOCD_TEST_CONFIG}
 195     - implies a modular test suite (see below)
 196   - should be able to run some minimal tests with dummy interface:
 197     - compare results of baseline sanity checks with expected results
 198
 199 -# builds a more complete test suite:
 200   - existing testing/examples/ look like a great start
 201   - all targets should be tested fully and for all capabilities
 202     - we do NOT want a "lowest common denominator" test suite
 203     - ... but can we start with one to get going?
 204   - probably requires one test configuration file per board/target
 205     - modularization can occur here, just like with targets/boards/chips
 206     - coverage can increase over time, building up bundles of tests
 207
 208 -# add new 'smoketest' Makefile target:
 209   - calls 'make check' (and the smoketest app)
 210   - gather inputs and output into a report file
 211
 212 @subsection thelisttestreports Test Feedback Tools
 213
 214 These ideas were first introduced here: @par
 215   https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006358.html
 216
 217 - provide report submission scripts for e-mail and web forms
 218 - add new Makefile targets to post the report:
 219   - 'checkreportsend' -- send to list via e-mail (via sendmail)
 220   - 'checkreportpost' -- send web form (via curl or other script)
 221
 222 @subsection thelisttestgenerichw Generic Hardware Tester
 223
 224 - implement VHDL to use for FPGA-based JTAG TAP testing device
 225 - develop test suite that utilizes this testing device
 226
 227 @section thelistautotools Autotools Build System
 228
 229 - make entire configure process require less user consideration:
 230   - automatically detect the features that are available, unless
 231     options were specifically provided to configure
 232   - provide a report of the drivers that will be build at the end of
 233     running configure, so the users can verify which driverswill be
 234     built during 'make' (and their options) .
 235 - eliminate sources of confusion in @c bootstrap script:
 236   -# Make @c bootstrap call 'configure --enable-maintainer-mode \<opts\>'?
 237   -# Add @c buildstrap script to assist with boostrap and configure steps.
 238 - automatically build tool-chains required for cross-compiling
 239   - produce mingw32, arm-elf, others using in-tree scripts
 240   - build all required target code from sources
 241 - make JTAG and USB debug output a run-time configuration option
 242
 243 @section thelistarchitecture Architectural Tasks
 244
 245 The following architectural tasks need to be accomplished and should be
 246 fairly easy to complete:
 247
 248 - clean-up code to match style guides
 249 - factor code to eliminate duplicated functionality
 250 - rewrite code that uses casts to access 16-bit and larger types
 251   from unaligned memory addresses
 252 - libopenocd support: @par
 253     https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006405.html
 254 - review and clean up interface/target/flash APIs
 255
 256 The following strategic tasks will require ambition, knowledge, and time
 257 to complete:
 258
 259 - overhaul use of types to improve 32/64-bit portability
 260   - types for both host and target word sizes?
 261   - can we use GDB's CORE_TYPE support?
 262 - Allow N:M:P mapping of servers, targets, and interfaces
 263 - loadable module support for interface/target/flash drivers and commands
 264   - support both static and dynamic modules.
 265   - should probably use libltdl for dynamic library handing.
 266
 267 @section thelistadmin Documentation Tasks
 268
 269 - Develop milestone and release guidelines, processes, and scripts.
 270 - Develop "style" guidelines (and scripts) for maintainers:
 271   - reviewing patches
 272   - committing to Subversion
 273 - Review The Guide for OpenOCD Users for documentation errors or omissions
 274 - Update The Manual for OpenOCD Developerrs:
 275   - Add documentation describing the architecture of each module
 276   - Provide more Technical Primers to bootstrap contributor knowledge
 277
 278 */
 279 /** @file
 280 This file contains the @ref thelist page.
 281 */