Category Archives: CI/CD

Using Git Submodules in GitLab CI/CD Pipelines

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Git Submodules allow me to keep a git repository as a sub-directory in another git repository. This let me clone another repository into my project and keep sources in and libraries/SDKs in sync.

This can be a challenge if using CI/CD runners. They have to clone the repositories in a recursive way. It gets more complex if the sub-modules are not public. Because the CI/CD runner does not have access rights to the non-public repositories.

GitLab CI/CD Pipeline with successful private submodule usage

In this article I explain how I’m using git sub-modules in my CI/CD GitLab pipeline, both for public and private repositories

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Using Windows USB Devices and Debug Probes inside Docker Dev Container

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Docker or Development Container are great for isolation. And they work very well with things outside which are TCP/IP based. But most debug probes are USB only. Docker container don’t work well with USB. In Remote Debugging with DevContainer and VS Code, I showed how to use USB based debug probes. I demonstrated using them with an IP connection. In this article I show how Windows USB devices can be used from a container, with the help of usbipd.

usb shared between windows and linux container
USB shared between windows and Linux container
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Setup Guide for FRDM-IMX93 as Debug Server

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In Using Raspberry Pi and MCU-Link for Remote Embedded Debugging I created a remote server for debugging. I did order the NXP FRDM-IMX93 a few weeks ago, and did not had a chance to use it. So why not doing the same?

FRDM-i.MX93 with MCU-Link
FRDM-i.MX93 with MCU-Link

Here is how it can be uses as remote debug server,

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Running On-Target Tests with Coverage in VS Code

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Test coverage is a very useful metric: it tells how much of your code has been covered by tests. Or the other way: it helps identifying areas of my code which has not been running tests. A new CMake extension in VS Code is available. It works with the new NXP LinkServer test runner to allow running tests on an embedded target. The really cool thing is: it collects and visualizes test data with coverage information in a single step:

Test Data combined with Coverage in VS Code
Test Data combined with Coverage in VS Code
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Optimizing Embedded Development with VS Code and DevContainer

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Embedded System have a lifetime of 10 or 15 years. During that time the software and tools has to be maintained. This can be very challenging. Who knows if that compiler or tool used is still available in 10 years from now? Additionally installing and configuring the tool chain and environment for a new team member is difficult. Even worse: using a different host operating system for the cross development can produce different results or introduce issues.

VS Code running with DevContainer
VS Code running with DevContainer

One solution for all these problems is to use Docker images and containers. I can pack all the necessary tools and software into a virtual environment and container. But developing inside a container comes with many challenges. In this article I’ll show how Visual Studio Code or VS Code makes working with containers very easy. In this article I show how easy it is to use modern development tools and methodologies for embedded development.

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Standalone Semihosting Host-Target Console with CI/CD Runner and CMSIS-DAP

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NXP has released a new LinkServer software. It includes an interesting feature. The LinkServer test runner has been extended with a Semihosting console. This is not only very useful for on-target testing. With the Semihosting console, I have a bidirectional communication channel with the target. And I do not need any hardware pins or to run a debug session. All what I need is the CMSIS-DAP connection with the NXP LinkServer runner to have a command line shell:

Target Console with Semihosting
Target Console with Semihosting
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GitLab Automated CI/CD Embedded Multi-Project Building using Docker

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In CI/CD for Embedded with VS Code, Docker and GitHub Actions, I used GitHub to build a pipeline. This setup supports continuous integration within a CI/CD environment.

This time, let’s do a similar thing. But instead of GitHub, I use GitLab with VS Code. And I use it for a project where three different MCUs are used: the Raspberry Pi Pico-W, an Espressif ESP32 plus the NXP K22FX512 on the Sumo robot:

Raspberry Pi Pico-W, Espressif ESP32 and Robot with NXP K22FX512
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On-Target Testing with LinkServer Runner and VS Code

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The release 24.9.75 of LinkServer software and tools includes interesting feature: the ability to use the debug probe for automated on-target testing. It includes a ‘runner’ which can program, launch and run the application on the target through a debug probe. While the target is running, it uses semihosting or UART for communication. This makes it a perfect tool for automated testing, especially in a CI/CD environment. One such environment is running automated tests with CMake and CTest in VS Code.

Automated on-target testing with VS Code and LinkServer
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NXP LinkServer 24.9.75: New GUI for Flash Programming

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NXP has released a new version of the LinkServer software. This is a utility for debugging and using scripting for a wide range of devices and debugging probes. It includes support for the MCU-Link, LPC-Link2, on-board and CMSIS-DAP based debug probes with the ‘LinkFlash’:

Programming with LinkFlash

With the new release, it includes a graphical user interface (GUI) for flash programming. It also includes erasing, verifying, recovery, and saving the memory to a file.

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Automated On-Target Testing with J-Run’s –args Feature

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SEGGER has released a new version of their J-Link tools suite. That suite includes the J-Run utility which loads, executes and monitors the output of the target. Output can be with RTT (Real-Time Transfer) or semihosting. This makes it useful for automated tests with CMake and CTest:

CTest with J-Run

What has been added from the V7.98g release is the ability to send arguments to the running application using the --args command, for example with CMake/CTest:

set (RUNNER_CTEST_COMMAND "$ENV{SEGGER_PATH}/JRun" --verbose --device LPC55S16 --silent --rtt -if SWD)

add_test(
  NAME Led_1
  COMMAND ${RUNNER_CTEST_COMMAND} --args "Led_1" ${TEST_EXECUTABLE}
)

Like applications running on the host, I can now pass arguments to the running application. This is useful to set up the target, or to tell which kind of tests to run.

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