The INT6300™ can boot HomePlug AV firmware from either dedicated flash memory or a local host processor. This means that dedicated flash memory in not necessary when an onboard processor having persistent storage is available. The absence of dedicated flash memory and availability of an onboard host processor is called a Boot from Host configuration.
The Boot from Host configuration is of interest to customers who are committed to using a host processor in their INT6300™ based product and want to use it to eliminate the additional cost of dedicated flash memory to store HomePlug AV firmware for INT6300™ devices.
The Boot from Host configuration supports three operations: Upgrade Device, Update Local Host and Boot from Host. Product designers must write host software to support all three operations as described later in this document. Atheros provides an Embedded Application Program Interface to assist product designers with this effort. Obtain a copy of the HomePlug AV Application Programming Interface User's Guide from Atheros Communications, Ocala FL USA for more information.
Readers should not confuse a Boot from Host configuration with the Boot from Host operation. The former is a hardware configuration having an INT6300™ with no dedicated flash memory available. The latter is the process of downloading configuration information, firmware and PIB from the local host to the device and starting firmware execution on startup.
This discussion assumes that the reader is familiar with the following:
The distinction between a local and remote host
The relationship between the powerline device H1, M1 and PHY interfaces.
The structure of the following Atheros Management Message types: VS_HST_ACTION, VS_SET_SDRAM, VS_WR_MEM, VS_WR_MOD, VS_RS_DEV, VS_ST_MAC and VS_WRITE_AND_EXECUTE. Be aware that message types VS_SET_SDRAM, VS_WR_MEM, VS_WR_MOD and VS_ST_MAC are deprecated and will no longer be supported by the newest firmware.
Hardware architecture covered in the QCA Powerline Hardware Technical Reference Manual and the management message formats covered in the QCA Powerline Firmware Technical Reference Manual.