STM32MP15 MCU SRAM internal memory

Applicable for

STM32MP15x lines

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1 Article purpose

The purpose of this article is to:

• briefly introduce the MCU SRAM internal memory peripheral and its main features,
• indicate the peripheral instances assignment at boot time and their assignment at runtime (including whether instances can be allocated to secure contexts),
• list the software frameworks and drivers managing the peripheral,
• explain how to configure the peripheral.

2 Peripheral overview

The MCU SRAM peripheral is 384-Kbyte wide and physically near to the Cortex^®-M4 for optimized performances from this core. It is split into four separate banks:

• MCU SRAM1 (128 Kbytes)
• MCU SRAM2 (128 Kbytes)
• MCU SRAM3 (64 Kbytes)
• MCU SRAM4 (64 Kbytes)

Those banks have individual security control (see security support in the runtime assignment table below) and automatic clock gating (for power management optimization), but they are not supplied when the system goes to Standby low power mode, so their content is lost in that case.

Refer to the STM32MP15 reference manuals for the complete list of features, and to the software frameworks and drivers, introduced below, to see which features are implemented.

3 Peripheral usage

This chapter is applicable in the scope of the OpenSTLinux BSP running on the Arm^® Cortex^®-A processor(s), and the STM32CubeMPU Package running on the Arm^® Cortex^®-M processor.

3.1 Boot time assignment

3.1.1 On STM32MP15x lines 

The ROM code uses the MCU SRAM1 to store the USB context during a boot on USB for Flash programming (with STM32CubeProgrammer).

Linux remoteproc framework (running on the Cortex^®-A7) loads the Cortex^®-M4 firmware code into the MCU SRAM, except the exception table that must be loaded in the RETRAM since the Cortex^®-M4 is looking for its reset entry point at address 0x00000000. The overall memory mapping is shown in the platform memory mapping section.

Click on the right to expand the legend...

Check boxes illustrate the possible peripheral allocations supported by STM32 MPU Embedded Software:

• ☐ means that the peripheral can be assigned to the given boot time context.
• ☑ means that the peripheral is assigned by default to the given boot time context and that the peripheral is mandatory for the STM32 MPU Embedded Software distribution.
• ⬚ means that the peripheral can be assigned to the given boot time context, but this configuration is not supported in STM32 MPU Embedded Software distribution.
• ✓ is used for system peripherals that cannot be unchecked because they are hardware connected in the device.

The present chapter describes STMicroelectronics recommendations or choice of implementation. Additional possibilities might be described in STM32 MPU reference manuals.

Domain	Peripheral	Boot time allocation				Comment
		Instance	Cortex-A7 secure (ROM code)	Cortex-A7 secure (TF-A BL2)	Cortex-A7 non-secure (U-Boot)
Core/RAM	MCU SRAM	Any instance	✓	☑	☐

3.2 Runtime assignment

3.2.1 On STM32MP15x lines 

Click on the right to expand the legend...

STM32MP15 internal peripherals

Check boxes illustrate the possible peripheral allocations supported by STM32 MPU Embedded Software:

• ☐ means that the peripheral can be assigned to the given runtime context.
• ☑ means that the peripheral is assigned by default to the given runtime context and that the peripheral is mandatory for the STM32 MPU Embedded Software distribution.
• ⬚ means that the peripheral can be assigned to the given runtime context, but this configuration is not supported in STM32 MPU Embedded Software distribution.
• ✓ is used for system peripherals that cannot be unchecked because they are hardware connected in the device.

Refer to How to assign an internal peripheral to an execution context for more information on how to assign peripherals manually or via STM32CubeMX.
The present chapter describes STMicroelectronics recommendations or choice of implementation. Additional possiblities might be described in STM32MP15 reference manuals.

Domain	Peripheral	Runtime allocation				Comment
		Instance	Cortex-A7 secure (OP-TEE)	Cortex-A7 non-secure (Linux)	Cortex-M4 (STM32Cube)
Core/RAM	MCU SRAM	SRAM1	☐	☐	☐	Assignment (between A7 S and A7 NS / M4) Shareable (between A7 NS and M4)
		SRAM2	☐	☐	☐	Assignment (between A7 S and A7 NS / M4) Shareable (between A7 NS and M4)
		SRAM3	☐	☐	☐	Assignment (between A7 S and A7 NS / M4) Shareable (between A7 NS and M4)
		SRAM4	☐	☐	☐	Assignment (between A7 S and A7 NS / M4) Shareable (between A7 NS and M4)

4 Software frameworks and drivers

Below are listed the software frameworks and drivers managing the XXX peripheral for the embedded software components listed in the above tables.

• Linux^®: reserved memory, that is used by the dmaengine (for DMA buffers management) or RPMsg for interprocess communication with the coprocessor
• OP-TEE: OP-TEE
• STM32Cube: STM32Cube

Notice the and/or allocation between Cortex^®-A7 non-secure and Cortex^®-M4, meaning that it is possible to share banks between those cores, typically to realize inter process communication between RPMsg on Linux side and OpenAMP on STM32Cube side.

The default assignement set in STMicroelectronics distribution is in line with the platform memory mapping, that can be adapted by the platform user.

5 How to assign and configure the peripheral

The peripheral assignment can be done via the STM32CubeMX graphical tool (and manually completed if needed).
This tool also helps to configure the peripheral:

• partial device trees (pin control and clock tree) generation for the OpenSTLinux software components,
• HAL initialization code generation for the STM32CubeMPU Package.

The configuration is applied by the firmware running in the context in which the peripheral is assigned.

The several SRAM banks are accessible via different address ranges in order to benefit from the Cortex-M4 multiple ports.

Microcontroller unit (MCUs have internal flash memory and are intended to operate with a minimum amount of external support ICs. They commonly are a self-contained, system-on-chip (SoC) designs.)

Cortex^®

Board support package

Arm^® is a registered trademark of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the US and/or elsewhere.

Flash memory shortened to gain space in titles, tables and block diagrams

Linux^® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Read only memory

Trusted firmware for Arm^® Cortex^®-A

Boot loader stage 2

Das U-Boot -- the universal boot loader (see U-Boot)

Random access memory (Early computer memories generally hadserial access. Memories where any given address can be accessed when desired were then called "random access" to distinguish them from the memories where contents can only be accessed in a fixed order. The term is used today for volatile random-acces ssemiconductor memories.)

Open portable trusted execution environment

Hardware abstraction layer

Microcontroller unit (MCUs have internal flash memory and are intended to operate with a minimum amount of external support ICs. They commonly are a self-contained, system-on-chip (SoC) designs.)

Cortex^®

Board support package

Arm^® is a registered trademark of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the US and/or elsewhere.

Flash memory shortened to gain space in titles, tables and block diagrams

Linux^® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Read only memory

Trusted firmware for Arm^® Cortex^®-A

Boot loader stage 2

Das U-Boot -- the universal boot loader (see U-Boot)

Random access memory (Early computer memories generally hadserial access. Memories where any given address can be accessed when desired were then called "random access" to distinguish them from the memories where contents can only be accessed in a fixed order. The term is used today for volatile random-acces ssemiconductor memories.)

Open portable trusted execution environment

Hardware abstraction layer

Flash memories combine high density and cost effectiveness of EPROMs with the electrical erasability of EEPROMs. For this reason, the Flash memory market is one of the most exciting areas of the semiconductor industry today and new applications requiring in system reprogramming, such as cellular telephones, automotive engine management systems, hard disk drives, PC BIOS software for Plug & Play, digital TV, set top boxes, fax and other modems, PC cards and multimedia CD-ROMs, offer the prospect of very high volume demand.