TODO

   1 /** @page tasks Pending and Open Tasks
   2
   3 This page lists pending and open tasks being considered or worked upon
   4 by the OpenOCD community.
   5
   6 @section thelist The List
   7
   8 Most items are open for the taking, but please post to the mailing list
   9 before spending much time working on anything lists here.  The community
  10 may have evolved an idea since it was added here.
  11
  12 Feel free to send patches to add or clarify items on this list, too.
  13
  14 @section thelisttcl TCL
  15
  16 This section provides possible things to improve with OpenOCD's TCL support.
  17
  18 - Fix problem with incorrect line numbers reported for a syntax
  19   error in a reset init event.
  20
  21 - organize the TCL configurations:
  22   - provide more directory structure for boards/targets?
  23   - factor configurations into layers (encapsulation and re-use)
  24
  25 - Isolate all TCL command support:
  26   - Pure C CLI implementations using --disable-builtin-tcl.
  27     - Allow developers to build new dongles using OpenOCD's JTAG core.
  28     - At first, provide only low-level JTAG support; target layer and
  29       above rely heavily on scripting event mechanisms.
  30   - Allow full TCL support? add --with-tcl=/path/to/installed/tcl
  31   - Move TCL support out of foo.[ch] and into foo_tcl.[ch] (other ideas?)
  32     - See src/jtag/core.c and src/jtag/tcl.c for an example.
  33     - allow some of these TCL command modules to be dynamically loadable?
  34
  35 @section thelistjtag JTAG
  36
  37 This section list issues that need to be resolved in the JTAG layer.
  38
  39 @subsection thelistjtagcore JTAG Core
  40
  41 The following tasks have been suggeted for cleaning up the JTAG layer:
  42
  43 - use tap_set_state everywhere to allow logging TAP state transitions
  44 - rename other tap_states to use standard JTAG names (suggested by ML)
  45 - Encapsulate cmd_queue_cur_state and related varaible handling.
  46
  47 The following tasks have been suggested for adding new core JTAG support:
  48
  49 - autodetect devices present on the scan chain
  50   - implement 'discover_taps' command
  51 - SPI/UART emulation:
  52   - (ab)use bit-banging JTAG interfaces to emulate SPI/UART
  53   - allow SPI to program flash, MCUs, etc.
  54
  55 @subsection thelistjtaginterfaces JTAG Interfaces
  56
  57 The following tasks have been suggeted for improving OpenOCD's JTAG
  58 interface support:
  59
  60 - rework USB communication to be more robust.  Two possible options are:
  61   -# use libusb-1.0.1 with libusb-compat-0.1.1 (non-blocking I/O wrapper)
  62   -# rewrite implementation to use non-blocking I/O
  63 - J-Link driver:
  64   - fix to work with long scan chains, such as R.Doss's svf test.
  65 - FT2232 (libftdi):
  66   - make performance comparable to alternatives
  67   - make usability comparable to alternatives
  68
  69 The following tasks have been suggested for adding new JTAG interfaces:
  70
  71 - TCP driver: allow client/server for remote JTAG interface control.
  72
  73 @section thelistswd Serial Wire Debug
  74
  75 - implement Serial Wire Debug interface
  76
  77 @section thelistbs Boundary Scan Support
  78
  79 - add STAPL support?
  80 - add BSDL support?
  81
  82 A few possible options for the above:
  83   -# Fake a TCL equivalent?
  84   -# Integrate an existing library?
  85   -# Write a new C implementation a la Jim?
  86
  87 Once the above are completed:
  88 - add support for programming flash using boundary scan techniques
  89 - add integration with a modified gerber view program:
  90   - provide means to view the PCB and select pins and traces
  91   - allow use-cases such as the following:
  92     - @b Stimulus
  93       -# Double-click on a pin (or trace) with the mouse.
  94     - @b Effects
  95       -# The trace starts blinking, and
  96       -# OpenOCD toggles the pin(s) 0/1.
  97
  98 @section thelisttargets Target Support
  99
 100 - general layer cleanup: @par
 101   https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006590.html
 102 - regression: "reset halt" between 729(works) and 788(fails): @par
 103 https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-July/009206.html
 104 - ARM923EJS:
 105   - reset run/halt/step is not robust; needs testing to map out problems.
 106 - ARM11 improvements (MB?)
 107   - fix single stepping  (reported by �H)
 108   - implement missing functionality (grep FNC_INFO_NOTIMPLEMENTED ...)
 109 - Cortex A8 support (ML)
 110   - add target implementation (ML)
 111 - MC1322x support (JW/DE?)
 112   - integrate and test support from JW (and DE?)
 113   - get working with a known good interface (i.e. not today's jlink)
 114 - AT91SAM92xx:
 115   - improvements for unknown-board-atmel-at91sam9260.cfg (RD)
 116 - STR9x: (ZW)
 117   - improvements to str912.cfg to be more general purpose
 118 - AVR: (SQ)
 119   - independently verify implementation
 120   - incrementally improve working prototype in trunk. (SQ)
 121   - work out how to debug this target
 122   - AVR debugging protocol.
 123 - FPGA:
 124   - Altera Nios Soft-CPU support
 125 - Coldfire (suggested by NC)
 126   - can we draw from the BDM project?  @par
 127     http://bdm.sourceforge.net/
 128
 129     or the OSBDM package @par
 130     http://forums.freescale.com/freescale/board/message?board.id=OSBDM08&thread.id=422
 131
 132 @section thelistsvf SVF/XSVF
 133
 134 - develop SVF unit tests
 135 - develop XSVF unit tests
 136
 137 @section thelistflash Flash Support
 138
 139 - finish documentation for the following flash drivers:
 140   - avr
 141   - ecosflash
 142   - pic32mx
 143   - ocl
 144   - str9xpec
 145
 146 @subsection thelistflashcfi CFI
 147
 148 - finish implementing bus width/chip width handling (suggested by NC)
 149 - factor vendor-specific code into separate source files
 150   - add new callback interface for vendor-specific code
 151 - investigate/implement "thin wrapper" to use eCos CFI drivers (�H)
 152
 153 @section thelistdebug Debugger Support
 154
 155 - breakpoints can get lost in some circumstances: @par
 156   https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-June/008853.html
 157 - integrate Keil AGDI interface to OpenOCD? (submitted by Dario Vecchio)
 158
 159 @section thelisttesting Testing Suite
 160
 161 This section includes several related groups of ideas:
 162 - @ref thelistunittests
 163 - @ref thelistsmoketests
 164 - @ref thelisttestreports
 165 - @ref thelisttestgenerichw
 166
 167 @subsection thelistunittests Unit Tests
 168
 169 - add testing skeleton to provide frameworks for adding tests
 170 - implement server unit tests
 171 - implement JTAG core unit tests
 172 - implement JTAG interface unit tests
 173 - implement flash unit tests
 174 - implement target unit tests
 175
 176 @subsection thelistsmoketests Smoke Test Tools
 177
 178 -# extend 'make check' with a smoketest app
 179   - checks for OOCD_TEST_CONFIG, etc. in environment (or config file)
 180   - if properly set, runs the smoke test with specified parameters
 181     - openocd -f ${OOCD_TEST_CONFIG}
 182     - implies a modular test suite (see below)
 183   - should be able to run some minimal tests with dummy interface:
 184     - compare results of baseline sanity checks with expected results
 185
 186 -# builds a more complete test suite:
 187   - existing testing/examples/ look like a great start
 188   - all targets should be tested fully and for all capabilities
 189     - we do NOT want a "lowest common denominator" test suite
 190     - ... but can we start with one to get going?
 191   - probably requires one test configuration file per board/target
 192     - modularization can occur here, just like with targets/boards/chips
 193     - coverage can increase over time, building up bundles of tests
 194
 195 -# add new 'smoketest' Makefile target:
 196   - calls 'make check' (and the smoketest app)
 197   - gather inputs and output into a report file
 198
 199 @subsection thelisttestreports Test Feedback Tools
 200
 201 These ideas were first introduced here: @par
 202   https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006358.html
 203
 204 - provide report submission scripts for e-mail and web forms
 205 - add new Makefile targets to post the report:
 206   - 'checkreportsend' -- send to list via e-mail (via sendmail)
 207   - 'checkreportpost' -- send web form (via curl or other script)
 208
 209 @subsection thelisttestgenerichw Generic Hardware Tester
 210
 211 - implement VHDL to use for FPGA-based JTAG TAP testing device
 212 - develop test suite that utilizes this testing device
 213
 214 @section thelistautotools Autotools Build System
 215
 216 - make entire configure process require less user consideration:
 217   - automatically detect the features that are available, unless
 218     options were specifically provided to configure
 219   - provide a report of the drivers that will be build at the end of
 220     running configure, so the users can verify which driverswill be
 221     built during 'make' (and their options) .
 222 - eliminate sources of confusion in @c bootstrap script:
 223   -# Make @c bootstrap call 'configure --enable-maintainer-mode \<opts\>'?
 224   -# Add @c buildstrap script to assist with boostrap and configure steps.
 225 - automatically build tool-chains required for cross-compiling
 226   - produce mingw32, arm-elf, others using in-tree scripts
 227   - build all required target code from sources
 228 - make JTAG and USB debug output a run-time configuration option
 229
 230 @section thelistarchitecture Architectural Tasks
 231
 232 The following architectural tasks need to be accomplished and should be
 233 fairly easy to complete:
 234
 235 - clean-up code to match style guides
 236 - factor code to eliminate duplicated functionality
 237 - rewrite code that uses casts to access 16-bit and larger types
 238   from unaligned memory addresses
 239 - libopenocd support: @par
 240     https://lists.berlios.de/pipermail/openocd-development/2009-May/006405.html
 241 - review and clean up interface/target/flash APIs
 242
 243 The following strategic tasks will require ambition, knowledge, and time
 244 to complete:
 245
 246 - overhaul use of types to improve 32/64-bit portability
 247   - types for both host and target word sizes?
 248   - can we use GDB's CORE_TYPE support?
 249 - Allow N:M:P mapping of servers, targets, and interfaces
 250 - loadable module support for interface/target/flash drivers and commands
 251   - support both static and dynamic modules.
 252   - should probably use libltdl for dynamic library handing.
 253
 254 @section thelistadmin Documentation Tasks
 255
 256 - Develop milestone and release guidelines, processes, and scripts.
 257 - Develop "style" guidelines (and scripts) for maintainers:
 258   - reviewing patches
 259   - committing to Subversion
 260 - Review The Guide for OpenOCD Users for documentation errors or omissions
 261 - Update The Manual for OpenOCD Developerrs:
 262   - Add documentation describing the architecture of each module
 263   - Provide more Technical Primers to bootstrap contributor knowledge
 264
 265 */
 266 /** @file
 267 This file contains the @ref thelist page.
 268 */