The firmware side-loading, or host firmware upgrade, is a process that facilitates the
host driver in upgrading the Wi-Fi® link controller firmware on the
WILCS02 stacked SPI Flash over the host bus
interface.
The partition management policy applied for side-loading is referred to as fixed-slot or
golden image. The implementation reserves the lower partition for preserving the
production base image (golden image) and the higher partition for downloading the new
firmware image from the host driver.Figure 5-1. WILCS02Wi-Fi® Controller Memory Block Diagram
Table 5-1. Memory Address Mapping
Name
Address
Description
Low
[0x60000000-0x600F0000]
Low image (HDR1/IMG1)
High
[0x600F0000-0x601E0000]
High image (HDR2/IMG2)
File-system
[0x601E0000-0x601EFFFF]
File-system/calibration data
This approach ensures efficient management of firmware updates by using two partitions.
The details are as follows:
The low partition always contains the factory-programmed image.
Microchip initially programs the image into the IC. (or)
The image can also be reprogrammed over secured DFU.
The user can use the high partition to download the latest Wi-Fi link controller
firmware from the host driver, if available.
Figure 5-2. WILCS02 Firmware Boot-up and Update Process
Flow Chart
