xref: /btstack/doc/manual/docs-template/how_to.md (revision 4c4eb519208b4224604d94b3ed1931841ddd93bb)
1#
2
3BTstack implements a set of Bluetooth protocols and profiles. To connect to other Bluetooth devices or to provide a Bluetooth services, BTstack has to be properly configured.
4
5The configuration of BTstack is done both at compile time as well as at run time:
6
7- compile time configuration:
8    - adjust *btstack_config.h* - this file describes the system configuration, used functionality, and also the memory configuration
9    - add necessary source code files to your project
10
11- run time configuration of:
12    - Bluetooth chipset
13    - run loop
14    - HCI transport layer
15    - provided services
16    - packet handlers
17
18In the following, we provide an overview of the configuration
19that is necessary to setup BTstack. From the point when the run loop
20is executed, the application runs as a finite
21state machine, which processes events received from BTstack. BTstack
22groups events logically and provides them via packet handlers.
23We provide their overview here. For the case that there is a need to inspect the data exchanged
24between BTstack and the Bluetooth chipset, we describe how to configure
25packet logging mechanism. Finally, we provide an overview on power management in Bluetooth in general and how to save energy in BTstack.
26
27## Configuration in btstack_config.h {#sec:btstackConfigHowTo}
28The file *btstack_config.h* contains three parts:
29
30- \#define HAVE_* directives [listed here](#sec:haveDirectives). These directives describe available system properties, similar to config.h in a autoconf setup.
31- \#define ENABLE_* directives [listed here](#sec:enableDirectives). These directives list enabled properties, most importantly ENABLE_CLASSIC and ENABLE_BLE.
32- other #define directives for BTstack configuration, most notably static memory, [see next section](#sec:memoryConfigurationHowTo) and [NVM configuration](#sec:nvmConfiguration).
33
34<!-- a name "lst:platformConfiguration"></a-->
35<!-- -->
36
37### HAVE_* directives {#sec:haveDirectives}
38System properties:
39
40| \#define              | Description                                                           |
41|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
42| HAVE_AES128           | Use platform AES128 engine                                            |
43| HAVE_BTSTACK_STDIN    | STDIN is available for CLI interface                                  |
44| HAVE_LWIP             | lwIP is available                    |
45| HAVE_MALLOC           | Use dynamic memory                                                    |
46| HAVE_MBEDTLS_ECC_P256 | mbedTLS provides NIST P-256 operations e.g. for LE Secure Connections |
47
48Embedded platform properties:
49
50| \#define                        | Description                          |
51|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
52| HAVE_EMBEDDED_TIME_MS           | System provides time in milliseconds |
53| HAVE_EMBEDDED_TICK              | System provides tick interrupt       |
54| HAVE_HAL_AUDIO                  | Audio HAL is available               |
55| HAVE_HAL_AUDIO_SINK_STEREO_ONLY | Duplicate samples for mono playback  |
56
57FreeRTOS platform properties:
58
59| \#define                     | Description                                                      |
60|------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
61| HAVE_FREERTOS_INCLUDE_PREFIX | FreeRTOS headers are in 'freertos' folder (e.g. ESP32's esp-idf) |
62
63POSIX platform properties:
64
65| \#define           | Description                          |
66|--------------------|--------------------------------------|
67| HAVE_POSIX_FILE_IO | POSIX File i/o used for hci dump     |
68| HAVE_POSIX_TIME    | System provides time function        |
69| LINK_KEY_PATH      | Path to stored link keys             |
70| LE_DEVICE_DB_PATH  | Path to stored LE device information |
71
72<!-- a name "lst:btstackFeatureConfiguration"></a-->
73<!-- -->
74
75### ENABLE_* directives {#sec:enableDirectives}
76BTstack properties:
77
78| \#define                                                  | Description                                                                                                                |
79|-----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
80| ENABLE_CLASSIC                                            | Enable Classic related code in HCI and L2CAP                                                                               |
81| ENABLE_BLE                                                | Enable BLE related code in HCI and L2CAP                                                                                   |
82| ENABLE_EHCILL                                             | Enable eHCILL low power mode on TI CC256x/WL18xx chipsets                                                                  |
83| ENABLE_H5                                                 | Enable support for SLIP mode in `btstack_uart.h` drivers for HCI H5 ('Three-Wire Mode')                                    |
84| ENABLE_LOG_DEBUG                                          | Enable log_debug messages                                                                                                  |
85| ENABLE_LOG_ERROR                                          | Enable log_error messages                                                                                                  |
86| ENABLE_LOG_INFO                                           | Enable log_info messages                                                                                                   |
87| ENABLE_SCO_OVER_HCI                                       | Enable SCO over HCI for chipsets (if supported)                                                                            |
88| ENABLE_SCO_OVER_PCM                                       | Enable SCO ofer PCM/I2S for chipsets (if supported)                                                                        |
89| ENABLE_HFP_WIDE_BAND_SPEECH                               | Enable support for mSBC codec used in HFP profile for Wide-Band Speech                                                     |
90| ENABLE_HFP_AT_MESSAGES                                    | Enable `HFP_SUBEVENT_AT_MESSAGE_SENT` and `HFP_SUBEVENT_AT_MESSAGE_RECEIVED` events                                        |
91| ENABLE_LE_PERIPHERAL                                      | Enable support for LE Peripheral Role in HCI and Security Manager                                                          |
92| ENBALE_LE_CENTRAL                                         | Enable support for LE Central Role in HCI and Security Manager                                                             |
93| ENABLE_LE_SECURE_CONNECTIONS                              | Enable LE Secure Connections                                                                                               |
94| ENABLE_LE_PROACTIVE_AUTHENTICATION                        | Enable automatic encryption for bonded devices on re-connect                                                               |
95| ENABLE_GATT_CLIENT_PAIRING                                | Enable GATT Client to start pairing and retry operation on security error                                                  |
96| ENABLE_MICRO_ECC_FOR_LE_SECURE_CONNECTIONS                | Use [micro-ecc library](https://github.com/kmackay/micro-ecc) for ECC operations                                           |
97| ENABLE_LE_DATA_LENGTH_EXTENSION                           | Enable LE Data Length Extension support                                                                                    |
98| ENABLE_LE_EXTENDED_ADVERTISING                            | Enable extended advertising and scanning                                                                                   |
99| ENABLE_LE_PERIODIC_ADVERTISING                            | Enable periodic advertising and scanning                                                                                   |
100| ENABLE_LE_SIGNED_WRITE                                    | Enable LE Signed Writes in ATT/GATT                                                                                        |
101| ENABLE_LE_PRIVACY_ADDRESS_RESOLUTION                      | Enable address resolution for resolvable private addresses in Controller                                                   |
102| ENABLE_CROSS_TRANSPORT_KEY_DERIVATION                     | Enable Cross-Transport Key Derivation (CTKD) for Secure Connections                                                        |
103| ENABLE_L2CAP_ENHANCED_RETRANSMISSION_MODE                 | Enable Enhanced Retransmission Mode for L2CAP Channels. Mandatory for AVRCP Browsing                                       |
104| ENABLE_L2CAP_LE_CREDIT_BASED_FLOW_CONTROL_MODE            | Enable LE credit-based flow-control mode for L2CAP channels                                                                |
105| ENABLE_L2CAP_ENHANCED_CREDIT_BASED_FLOW_CONTROL_MODE      | Enable Enhanced credit-based flow-control mode for L2CAP Channels                                                          |
106| ENABLE_HCI_CONTROLLER_TO_HOST_FLOW_CONTROL                | Enable HCI Controller to Host Flow Control, see below                                                                      |
107| ENABLE_HCI_SERIALIZED_CONTROLLER_OPERATIONS               | Serialize Inquiry, Remote Name Request, and Create Connection operations                                                   |
108| ENABLE_ATT_DELAYED_RESPONSE                               | Enable support for delayed ATT operations, see [GATT Server](profiles/#sec:GATTServerProfile)                              |
109| ENABLE_BCM_PCM_WBS                                        | Enable support for Wide-Band Speech codec in BCM controller, requires ENABLE_SCO_OVER_PCM                                  |
110| ENABLE_CC256X_ASSISTED_HFP                                | Enable support for Assisted HFP mode in CC256x Controller, requires ENABLE_SCO_OVER_PCM                                    |
111| Enable_RTK_PCM_WBS                                        | Enable support for Wide-Band Speech codec in Realtek controller, requires ENABLE_SCO_OVER_PCM                              |
112| ENABLE_CC256X_BAUDRATE_CHANGE_FLOWCONTROL_BUG_WORKAROUND  | Enable workaround for bug in CC256x Flow Control during baud rate change, see chipset docs.                                |
113| ENABLE_CYPRESS_BAUDRATE_CHANGE_FLOWCONTROL_BUG_WORKAROUND | Enable workaround for bug in CYW2070x Flow Control during baud rate change, similar to CC256x.                             |
114| ENABLE_LE_LIMIT_ACL_FRAGMENT_BY_MAX_OCTETS                | Force HCI to fragment ACL-LE packets to fit into over-the-air packet                                                       |
115| ENABLE_TLV_FLASH_EXPLICIT_DELETE_FIELD                    | Enable use of explicit delete field in TLV Flash implemenation - required when flash value cannot be overwritten with zero |
116| ENABLE_CONTROLLER_WARM_BOOT                               | Enable stack startup without power cycle (if supported/possible)                                                           |
117| ENABLE_SEGGER_RTT                                         | Use SEGGER RTT for console output and packet log, see [additional options](#sec:rttConfiguration)                          |
118| ENABLE_EXPLICIT_CONNECTABLE_MODE_CONTROL                  | Disable calls to control Connectable Mode by L2CAP                                                                         |
119| ENABLE_EXPLICIT_IO_CAPABILITIES_REPLY                     | Let application trigger sending IO Capabilities (Negative) Reply                                                           |
120| ENABLE_EXPLICIT_LINK_KEY_REPLY                            | Let application trigger sending Link Key (Negative) Response, allows for asynchronous link key lookup                      |
121| ENABLE_EXPLICIT_BR_EDR_SECURITY_MANAGER                   | Report BR/EDR Security Manager support in L2CAP Information Response                                                       |
122| ENABLE_CLASSIC_OOB_PAIRING                                | Enable support for classic Out-of-Band (OOB) pairing                                                                       |
123| ENABLE_A2DP_EXPLICIT_CONFIG                               | Let application configure stream endpoint (skip auto-config of SBC endpoint)                                               |
124| ENABLE_AVDTP_ACCEPTOR_EXPLICIT_START_STREAM_CONFIRMATION  | allow accept or reject of stream start on A2DP_SUBEVENT_START_STREAM_REQUESTED                                             |
125| ENABLE_LE_WHITELIST_TOUCH_AFTER_RESOLVING_LIST_UPDATE     | Enable Workaround for Controller bug.                                                                                      |
126| ENABLE_CONTROLLER_DUMP_PACKETS                            | Dump number of packets in Controller per type for debugging                                                                |
127
128Notes:
129
130- ENABLE_MICRO_ECC_FOR_LE_SECURE_CONNECTIONS: Only some Bluetooth 4.2+ controllers (e.g., EM9304, ESP32) support the necessary HCI commands for ECC. Other reason to enable the ECC software implementations are if the Host is much faster or if the micro-ecc library is already provided (e.g., ESP32, WICED, or if the ECC HCI Commands are unreliable.
131
132### HCI Controller to Host Flow Control
133In general, BTstack relies on flow control of the HCI transport, either via Hardware CTS/RTS flow control for UART or regular USB flow control. If this is not possible, e.g on an SoC, BTstack can use HCI Controller to Host Flow Control by defining ENABLE_HCI_CONTROLLER_TO_HOST_FLOW_CONTROL. If enabled, the HCI Transport implementation must be able to buffer the specified packets. In addition, it also need to be able to buffer a few HCI Events. Using a low number of host buffers might result in less throughput.
134
135Host buffer configuration for HCI Controller to Host Flow Control:
136
137| \#define                | Description                      |
138|-------------------------|----------------------------------|
139| HCI_HOST_ACL_PACKET_NUM | Max number of ACL packets        |
140| HCI_HOST_ACL_PACKET_LEN | Max size of HCI Host ACL packets |
141| HCI_HOST_SCO_PACKET_NUM | Max number of ACL packets        |
142| HCI_HOST_SCO_PACKET_LEN | Max size of HCI Host SCO packets |
143
144### Memory configuration directives {#sec:memoryConfigurationHowTo}
145
146The structs for services, active connections and remote devices can be
147allocated in two different manners:
148
149-   statically from an individual memory pool, whose maximal number of
150    elements is defined in the btstack_config.h file. To initialize the static
151    pools, you need to call at runtime *btstack_memory_init* function. An example
152    of memory configuration for a single SPP service with a minimal
153    L2CAP MTU is shown in Listing {@lst:memoryConfigurationSPP}.
154
155-   dynamically using the *malloc/free* functions, if HAVE_MALLOC is
156    defined in btstack_config.h file.
157
158For each HCI connection, a buffer of size HCI_ACL_PAYLOAD_SIZE is reserved. For fast data transfer, however, a large ACL buffer of 1021 bytes is recommend. The large ACL buffer is required for 3-DH5 packets to be used.
159
160<!-- a name "lst:memoryConfiguration"></a-->
161<!-- -->
162
163| \#define                                  | Description                                                                |
164|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
165| HCI_ACL_PAYLOAD_SIZE                      | Max size of HCI ACL payloads                                               |
166| HCI_ACL_CHUNK_SIZE_ALIGNMENT              | Alignment of ACL chunk size, can be used to align HCI transport writes     |
167| HCI_INCOMING_PRE_BUFFER_SIZE              | Number of bytes reserved before actual data for incoming HCI packets       |
168| MAX_NR_BNEP_CHANNELS                      | Max number of BNEP channels                                                |
169| MAX_NR_BNEP_SERVICES                      | Max number of BNEP services                                                |
170| MAX_NR_BTSTACK_LINK_KEY_DB_MEMORY_ENTRIES | Max number of link key entries cached in RAM                               |
171| MAX_NR_GATT_CLIENTS                       | Max number of GATT clients                                                 |
172| MAX_NR_HCI_CONNECTIONS                    | Max number of HCI connections                                              |
173| MAX_NR_HFP_CONNECTIONS                    | Max number of HFP connections                                              |
174| MAX_NR_L2CAP_CHANNELS                     | Max number of L2CAP connections                                            |
175| MAX_NR_L2CAP_SERVICES                     | Max number of L2CAP services                                               |
176| MAX_NR_RFCOMM_CHANNELS                    | Max number of RFOMMM connections                                           |
177| MAX_NR_RFCOMM_MULTIPLEXERS                | Max number of RFCOMM multiplexers, with one multiplexer per HCI connection |
178| MAX_NR_RFCOMM_SERVICES                    | Max number of RFCOMM services                                              |
179| MAX_NR_SERVICE_RECORD_ITEMS               | Max number of SDP service records                                          |
180| MAX_NR_SM_LOOKUP_ENTRIES                  | Max number of items in Security Manager lookup queue                       |
181| MAX_NR_WHITELIST_ENTRIES                  | Max number of items in GAP LE Whitelist to connect to                      |
182| MAX_NR_LE_DEVICE_DB_ENTRIES               | Max number of items in LE Device DB                                        |
183
184The memory is set up by calling *btstack_memory_init* function:
185
186    btstack_memory_init();
187
188<!-- a name "lst:memoryConfigurationSPP"></a-->
189<!-- -->
190
191Here's the memory configuration for a basic SPP server.
192
193    #define HCI_ACL_PAYLOAD_SIZE 52
194    #define MAX_NR_HCI_CONNECTIONS 1
195    #define MAX_NR_L2CAP_SERVICES  2
196    #define MAX_NR_L2CAP_CHANNELS  2
197    #define MAX_NR_RFCOMM_MULTIPLEXERS 1
198    #define MAX_NR_RFCOMM_SERVICES 1
199    #define MAX_NR_RFCOMM_CHANNELS 1
200    #define MAX_NR_BTSTACK_LINK_KEY_DB_MEMORY_ENTRIES  3
201
202Listing: Memory configuration for a basic SPP server. {#lst:memoryConfigurationSPP}
203
204In this example, the size of ACL packets is limited to the minimum of 52 bytes, resulting in an L2CAP MTU of 48 bytes. Only a singleHCI connection can be established at any time. On it, two L2CAP services are provided, which can be active at the same time. Here, these two can be RFCOMM and SDP. Then, memory for one RFCOMM multiplexer is reserved over which one connection can be active. Finally, up to three link keys can be cached in RAM.
205
206<!-- -->
207
208### Non-volatile memory (NVM) directives {#sec:nvmConfiguration}
209
210If implemented, bonding information is stored in Non-volatile memory. For Classic, a single link keys and its type is stored. For LE, the bonding information contains various values (long term key, random number, EDIV, signing counter, identity, ...) Often, this is implemented using Flash memory. Then, the number of stored entries are limited by:
211
212<!-- a name "lst:nvmDefines"></a-->
213<!-- -->
214
215| \#define                  | Description                                                                                  |
216|---------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
217| NVM_NUM_LINK_KEYS         | Max number of Classic Link Keys that can be stored                                           |
218| NVM_NUM_DEVICE_DB_ENTRIES | Max number of LE Device DB entries that can be stored                                        |
219| NVN_NUM_GATT_SERVER_CCC   | Max number of 'Client Characteristic Configuration' values that can be stored by GATT Server |
220
221### HCI Dump Stdout directives {#sec:hciDumpStdout}
222
223Allow to truncate HCI ACL and SCO packets to reduce console output for debugging audio applications.
224
225| \#define                     | Description                               |
226|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
227| HCI_DUMP_STDOUT_MAX_SIZE_ACL | Max size of ACL packets to log via stdout |
228| HCI_DUMP_STDOUT_MAX_SIZE_SCO | Max size of SCO packets to log via stdout |
229| HCI_DUMP_STDOUT_MAX_SIZE_ISO | Max size of ISO packets to log via stdout |
230
231### SEGGER Real Time Transfer (RTT) directives {#sec:rttConfiguration}
232
233[SEGGER RTT](https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/technology/about-real-time-transfer/) improves on the use of an UART for debugging with higher throughput and less overhead. In addition, it allows for direct logging in PacketLogger/BlueZ format via the provided JLinkRTTLogger tool.
234
235When enabled with `ENABLE_SEGGER_RTT` and `hci_dump_init()` can be called with an `hci_dunp_segger_stdout_get_instance()` for textual output and `hci_dump_segger_binary_get_instance()` for binary output. With the latter, you can select `HCI_DUMP_BLUEZ` or `HCI_DUMP_PACKETLOGGER`, format. For RTT, the following directives are used to configure the up channel:
236
237| \#define                         | Default                       | Description                                                                                                       |
238|----------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
239| SEGGER_RTT_PACKETLOG_MODE        | SEGGER_RTT_MODE_NO_BLOCK_SKIP | SEGGER_RTT_MODE_NO_BLOCK_SKIP to skip messages if buffer is full, or, SEGGER_RTT_MODE_BLOCK_IF_FIFO_FULL to block |
240| SEGGER_RTT_PACKETLOG_CHANNEL     | 1                             | Channel to use for packet log. Channel 0 is used for terminal                                                     |
241| SEGGER_RTT_PACKETLOG_BUFFER_SIZE | 1024                          | Size of outgoing ring buffer. Increase if you cannot block but get 'message skipped' warnings.                    |
242
243## Run-time configuration
244
245To allow code-reuse with different platforms
246as well as with new ports, the low-level initialization of BTstack and
247the hardware configuration has been extracted to the various
248*platforms/PLATFORM/main.c* files. The examples only contain the
249platform-independent Bluetooth logic. But let’s have a look at the
250common init code.
251
252Listing [below](#lst:btstackInit) shows a minimal platform setup for an
253embedded system with a Bluetooth chipset connected via UART.
254
255~~~~ {#lst:btstackInit .c caption="{Minimal platform setup for an embedded system}"}
256
257    int main(){
258      // ... hardware init: watchdoch, IOs, timers, etc...
259
260      // setup BTstack memory pools
261      btstack_memory_init();
262
263      // select embedded run loop
264      btstack_run_loop_init(btstack_run_loop_embedded_get_instance());
265
266      // enable logging
267      hci_dump_init(hci_dump_embedded_stdout_get_instance());
268
269
270      // init HCI
271      hci_transport_t     * transport = hci_transport_h4_instance();
272      hci_init(transport, NULL);
273
274      // setup example
275      btstack_main(argc, argv);
276
277      // go
278      btstack_run_loop_execute();
279    }
280
281~~~~
282
283First, BTstack’s memory pools are set up. Then, the standard run loop
284implementation for embedded systems is selected.
285
286The call to *hci_dump_init* configures BTstack to output all Bluetooth
287packets and its own debug and error message using printf with BTstack's
288millisecond tiomestamps.s as tim.
289The Python
290script *tools/create_packet_log.py* can be used to convert the console
291output into a Bluetooth PacketLogger format that can be opened by the OS
292X PacketLogger tool as well as by Wireshark for further inspection. When
293asking for help, please always include a log created with HCI dump.
294
295The *hci_init* function sets up HCI to use the HCI H4 Transport
296implementation. It doesn’t provide a special transport configuration nor
297a special implementation for a particular Bluetooth chipset. It makes
298use of the *remote_device_db_memory* implementation that allows for
299re-connects without a new pairing but doesn’t persist the bonding
300information.
301
302Finally, it calls *btstack_main()* of the actual example before
303executing the run loop.
304
305
306## Source tree structure {#sec:sourceTreeHowTo}
307
308The source tree has been organized to easily setup new projects.
309
310| Path     | Description                                          |
311|----------|------------------------------------------------------|
312| chipset  | Support for individual Bluetooth Controller chipsets |
313| doc      | Sources for BTstack documentation                    |
314| example  | Example applications available for all ports         |
315| platform | Support for special OSs and/or MCU architectures     |
316| port     | Complete port for a MCU + Chipset combinations       |
317| src      | Bluetooth stack implementation                       |
318| test     | Unit and PTS tests                                   |
319| tool     | Helper tools for BTstack                             |
320
321The core of BTstack, including all protocol and profiles, is in *src/*.
322
323Support for a particular platform is provided by the *platform/* subfolder. For most embedded ports, *platform/embedded/* provides *btstack_run_loop_embedded* and the *hci_transport_h4_embedded* implementation that require *hal_cpu.h*, *hal_led.h*, and *hal_uart_dma.h* plus *hal_tick.h* or *hal_time_ms* to be implemented by the user.
324
325To accommodate a particular Bluetooth chipset, the *chipset/* subfolders provide various btstack_chipset_* implementations.
326Please have a look at the existing ports in *port/*.
327
328## Run loop configuration {#sec:runLoopHowTo}
329
330To initialize BTstack you need to [initialize the memory](#sec:memoryConfigurationHowTo)
331and [the run loop](#sec:runLoopHowTo) respectively, then setup HCI and all needed higher
332level protocols.
333
334BTstack uses the concept of a run loop to handle incoming data and to schedule work.
335The run loop handles events from two different types of sources: data
336sources and timers. Data sources represent communication interfaces like
337an UART or an USB driver. Timers are used by BTstack to implement
338various Bluetooth-related timeouts. They can also be used to handle
339periodic events. In addition, most implementations also allow to trigger a poll
340of the data sources from interrupt context, or, execute a function from a different
341thread.
342
343Data sources and timers are represented by the *btstack_data_source_t* and
344*btstack_timer_source_t* structs respectively. Each of these structs contain
345at least a linked list node and a pointer to a callback function. All active timers
346and data sources are kept in link lists. While the list of data sources
347is unsorted, the timers are sorted by expiration timeout for efficient
348processing. Data sources need to be configured upon what event they are called back.
349They can be configured to be polled (*DATA_SOURCE_CALLBACK_POLL*), on read ready (*DATA_SOURCE_CALLBACK_READ*),
350or on write ready (*DATA_SOURCE_CALLBACK_WRITE*).
351
352Timers are single shot: a timer will be removed from the timer list
353before its event handler callback is executed. If you need a periodic
354timer, you can re-register the same timer source in the callback
355function, as shown in Listing [PeriodicTimerHandler]. Note that BTstack
356expects to get called periodically to keep its time, see Section
357[on time abstraction](#sec:timeAbstractionPorting) for more on the
358tick hardware abstraction.
359
360BTstack provides different run loop implementations that implement the *btstack_run_loop_t* interface:
361
362- CoreFoundation: implementation for iOS and OS X applications
363- Embedded: the main implementation for embedded systems, especially without an RTOS.
364- FreeRTOS: implementation to run BTstack on a dedicated FreeRTOS thread
365- POSIX: implementation for POSIX systems based on the select() call.
366- Qt: implementation for the Qt applications
367- WICED: implementation for the Broadcom WICED SDK RTOS abstraction that wraps FreeRTOS or ThreadX.
368- Windows: implementation for Windows based on Event objects and WaitForMultipleObjects() call.
369
370Depending on the platform, data sources are either polled (embedded, FreeRTOS), or the platform provides a way
371to wait for a data source to become ready for read or write (CoreFoundation, POSIX, Qt, Windows), or,
372are not used as the HCI transport driver and the run loop is implemented in a different way (WICED).
373In any case, the callbacks must be explicitly enabled with the *btstack_run_loop_enable_data_source_callbacks(..)* function.
374
375In your code, you'll have to configure the run loop before you start it
376as shown in Listing [listing:btstackInit]. The application can register
377data sources as well as timers, e.g., for periodical sampling of sensors, or
378for communication over the UART.
379
380The run loop is set up by calling *btstack_run_loop_init* function and providing
381an instance of the actual run loop. E.g. for the embedded platform, it is:
382
383<!-- -->
384
385    btstack_run_loop_init(btstack_run_loop_embedded_get_instance());
386
387If the run loop allows to trigger polling of data sources from interrupt context,
388*btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq*.
389
390On multi-threaded environments, e.g., FreeRTOS, POSIX, WINDOWS,
391*btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread* can be used to schedule a callback on the main loop.
392
393The complete Run loop API is provided [here](appendix/apis/#sec:runLoopAPIAppendix).
394
395
396### Run Loop Embedded
397
398In the embedded run loop implementation, data sources are constantly polled and
399the system is put to sleep if no IRQ happens during the poll of all data sources.
400
401The complete run loop cycle looks like this: first, the callback
402function of all registered data sources are called in a round robin way.
403Then, the callback functions of timers that are ready are executed.
404Finally, it will be checked if another run loop iteration has been
405requested by an interrupt handler. If not, the run loop will put the MCU
406into sleep mode.
407
408Incoming data over the UART, USB, or timer ticks will generate an
409interrupt and wake up the microcontroller. In order to avoid the
410situation where a data source becomes ready just before the run loop
411enters sleep mode, an interrupt-driven data source has to call the
412*btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* function. The call to
413*btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* sets an
414internal flag that is checked in the critical section just before
415entering sleep mode causing another run loop cycle.
416
417To enable the use of timers, make sure that you defined HAVE_EMBEDDED_TICK or HAVE_EMBEDDED_TIME_MS in the
418config file.
419
420While there is no threading, *btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* allows to reduce stack size by
421scheduling a continuation.
422
423### Run Loop FreeRTOS
424
425The FreeRTOS run loop is used on a dedicated FreeRTOS thread and it uses a FreeRTOS queue to schedule callbacks on the run loop.
426In each iteration:
427
428- all data sources are polled
429- all scheduled callbacks are executed
430- all expired timers are called
431- finally, it gets the next timeout. It then waits for a 'trigger' or the next timeout, if set.
432
433It supports both *btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* as well as *btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread*.
434
435
436### Run Loop POSIX
437
438The data sources are standard File Descriptors. In the run loop execute implementation,
439select() call is used to wait for file descriptors to become ready to read or write,
440while waiting for the next timeout.
441
442To enable the use of timers, make sure that you defined HAVE_POSIX_TIME in the config file.
443
444It supports both *btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* as well as *btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread*.
445
446
447### Run loop CoreFoundation (OS X/iOS)
448
449This run loop directly maps BTstack's data source and timer source with CoreFoundation objects.
450It supports ready to read and write similar to the POSIX implementation. The call to
451*btstack_run_loop_execute()* then just calls *CFRunLoopRun()*.
452
453To enable the use of timers, make sure that you defined HAVE_POSIX_TIME in the config file.
454
455It currently only supports *btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread*.
456
457
458### Run Lop Qt
459
460This run loop directly maps BTstack's data source and timer source with Qt Core objects.
461It supports ready to read and write similar to the POSIX implementation.
462
463To enable the use of timers, make sure that you defined HAVE_POSIX_TIME in the config file.
464
465It supports both *btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* as well as *btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread*.
466
467
468### Run loop Windows
469
470The data sources are Event objects. In the run loop implementation WaitForMultipleObjects() call
471is all is used to wait for the Event object to become ready while waiting for the next timeout.
472
473It supports both *btstack_run_loop_poll_data_sources_from_irq* as well as *btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread*.
474
475
476### Run loop WICED
477
478WICED SDK API does not provide asynchronous read and write to the UART and no direct way to wait for
479one or more peripherals to become ready. Therefore, BTstack does not provide direct support for data sources.
480Instead, the run loop provides a message queue that allows to schedule functions calls on its thread via
481*btstack_run_loop_wiced_execute_code_on_main_thread()*.
482
483The HCI transport H4 implementation then uses two lightweight threads to do the
484blocking read and write operations. When a read or write is complete on
485the helper threads, a callback to BTstack is scheduled.
486
487It currently only supports *btstack_run_loop_execute_code_on_main_thread*.
488
489
490## HCI Transport configuration
491
492The HCI initialization has to adapt BTstack to the used platform. The first
493call is to *hci_init()* and requires information about the HCI Transport to use.
494The arguments are:
495
496-   *HCI Transport implementation*: On embedded systems, a Bluetooth
497    module can be connected via USB or an UART port. On embedded, BTstack implements HCI UART Transport Layer (H4) and H4 with eHCILL support, a lightweight low-power variant by Texas Instruments. For POSIX, there is an implementation for HCI H4, HCI H5 and H2 libUSB, and for WICED HCI H4 WICED.
498    These are accessed by linking the appropriate file, e.g.,
499    [platform/embedded/hci_transport_h4_embedded.c]()
500    and then getting a pointer to HCI Transport implementation.
501    For more information on adapting HCI Transport to different
502    environments, see [here](porting/#sec:hciTransportPorting).
503
504<!-- -->
505
506    hci_transport_t * transport = hci_transport_h4_instance();
507
508-   *HCI Transport configuration*: As the configuration of the UART used
509    in the H4 transport interface are not standardized, it has to be
510    provided by the main application to BTstack. In addition to the
511    initial UART baud rate, the main baud rate can be specified. The HCI
512    layer of BTstack will change the init baud rate to the main one
513    after the basic setup of the Bluetooth module. A baud rate change
514    has to be done in a coordinated way at both HCI and hardware level.
515    For example, on the CC256x, the HCI command to change the baud rate
516    is sent first, then it is necessary to wait for the confirmation event
517    from the Bluetooth module. Only now, can the UART baud rate changed.
518
519<!-- -->
520
521    hci_uart_config_t* config = &hci_uart_config;
522
523After these are ready, HCI is initialized like this:
524
525    hci_init(transport, config);
526
527
528In addition to these, most UART-based Bluetooth chipset require some
529special logic for correct initialization that is not covered by the
530Bluetooth specification. In particular, this covers:
531
532- setting the baudrate
533- setting the BD ADDR for devices without an internal persistent storage
534- upload of some firmware patches.
535
536This is provided by the various *btstack_chipset_t* implementation in the *chipset/* subfolders.
537As an example, the *bstack_chipset_cc256x_instance* function returns a pointer to a chipset struct
538suitable for the CC256x chipset.
539
540<!-- -->
541
542    btstack_chipset_t * chipset = btstack_chipset_cc256x_instance();
543    hci_set_chipset(chipset);
544
545
546In some setups, the hardware setup provides explicit control of Bluetooth power and sleep modes.
547In this case, a *btstack_control_t* struct can be set with *hci_set_control*.
548
549Finally, the HCI implementation requires some form of persistent storage for link keys generated
550during either legacy pairing or the Secure Simple Pairing (SSP). This commonly requires platform
551specific code to access the MCU’s EEPROM of Flash storage. For the
552first steps, BTstack provides a (non) persistent store in memory.
553For more see [here](porting/#sec:persistentStoragePorting).
554
555<!-- -->
556
557    btstack_link_key_db_t * link_key_db = &btstack_link_key_db_memory_instance();
558    btstack_set_link_key_db(link_key_db);
559
560
561The higher layers only rely on BTstack and are initialized by calling
562the respective *\*_init* function. These init functions register
563themselves with the underlying layer. In addition, the application can
564register packet handlers to get events and data as explained in the
565following section.
566
567
568## Services {#sec:servicesHowTo}
569
570One important construct of BTstack is *service*. A service represents a
571server side component that handles incoming connections. So far, BTstack
572provides L2CAP, BNEP, and RFCOMM services. An L2CAP service handles incoming
573connections for an L2CAP channel and is registered with its protocol
574service multiplexer ID (PSM). Similarly, an RFCOMM service handles
575incoming RFCOMM connections and is registered with the RFCOMM channel
576ID. Outgoing connections require no special registration, they are
577created by the application when needed.
578
579
580## Packet handlers configuration {#sec:packetHandlersHowTo}
581
582
583After the hardware and BTstack are set up, the run loop is entered. From
584now on everything is event driven. The application calls BTstack
585functions, which in turn may send commands to the Bluetooth module. The
586resulting events are delivered back to the application. Instead of
587writing a single callback handler for each possible event (as it is done
588in some other Bluetooth stacks), BTstack groups events logically and
589provides them over a single generic interface. Appendix
590[Events and Errors](generated/appendix/#sec:eventsAndErrorsAppendix)
591summarizes the parameters and event
592codes of L2CAP and RFCOMM events, as well as possible errors and the
593corresponding error codes.
594
595Here is summarized list of packet handlers that an application might
596use:
597
598-   HCI event handler - allows to observer HCI, GAP, and general BTstack events.
599
600-   L2CAP packet handler - handles LE Connection parameter requeset updates
601
602-   L2CAP service packet handler - handles incoming L2CAP connections,
603    i.e., channels initiated by the remote.
604
605-   L2CAP channel packet handler - handles outgoing L2CAP connections,
606    i.e., channels initiated internally.
607
608-   RFCOMM service packet handler - handles incoming RFCOMM connections,
609    i.e., channels initiated by the remote.
610
611-   RFCOMM channel packet handler - handles outgoing RFCOMM connections,
612    i.e., channels initiated internally.
613
614These handlers are registered with the functions listed in Table
615{@tbl:registeringFunction}.
616
617
618| Packet Handler                | Registering Function                                                     |
619|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
620| HCI packet handler            | hci_add_event_handler                                                    |
621| L2CAP packet handler          | l2cap_register_packet_handler                                            |
622| L2CAP service packet handler  | l2cap_register_service                                                   |
623| L2CAP channel packet handler  | l2cap_create_channel                                                     |
624| RFCOMM service packet handler | rfcomm_register_service and rfcomm_register_service_with_initial_credits |
625| RFCOMM channel packet handler | rfcomm_create_channel and rfcomm_create_channel_with_initial_credits     |
626
627Table: Functions for registering packet handlers. {#tbl:registeringFunction}
628
629HCI, GAP, and general BTstack events are delivered to the packet handler
630specified by *hci_add_event_handler* function. In L2CAP,
631BTstack discriminates incoming and outgoing connections, i.e., event and
632data packets are delivered to different packet handlers. Outgoing
633connections are used access remote services, incoming connections are
634used to provide services. For incoming connections, the packet handler
635specified by *l2cap_register_service* is used. For outgoing
636connections, the handler provided by *l2cap_create_channel*
637is used. RFCOMM and BNEP are similar.
638
639The application can register a single shared packet handler for all
640protocols and services, or use separate packet handlers for each
641protocol layer and service. A shared packet handler is often used for
642stack initialization and connection management.
643
644Separate packet handlers can be used for each L2CAP service and outgoing
645connection. For example, to connect with a Bluetooth HID keyboard, your
646application could use three packet handlers: one to handle HCI events
647during discovery of a keyboard registered by
648*l2cap_register_packet_handler*; one that will be registered to an
649outgoing L2CAP channel to connect to keyboard and to receive keyboard
650data registered by *l2cap_create_channel*; after that
651keyboard can reconnect by itself. For this, you need to register L2CAP
652services for the HID Control and HID Interrupt PSMs using
653*l2cap_register_service*. In this call, you’ll also specify
654a packet handler to accept and receive keyboard data.
655
656All events names have the form MODULE_EVENT_NAME now, e.g., *gap_event_-advertising_report*.
657To facilitate working with
658events and get rid of manually calculating offsets into packets, BTstack provides
659auto-generated getters for all fields of all events in *src/hci_event.h*. All
660functions are defined as static inline, so they are not wasting any program memory
661if not used. If used, the memory footprint should be identical to accessing the
662field directly via offsets into the packet. For example, to access fields address_type
663and address from the *gap_event_advertising_report* event use following getters:
664
665<!-- -->
666    uint8_t address type = gap_event_advertising_report_get_address_type(event);
667    bd_addr_t address;
668    gap_event_advertising_report_get_address(event, address);
669
670
671## Bluetooth HCI Packet Logs {#sec:packetlogsHowTo}
672
673If things don't work as expected, having a look at the data exchanged
674between BTstack and the Bluetooth chipset often helps.
675
676For this, BTstack provides a configurable packet logging mechanism via hci_dump.h and the following implementations:
677
678    void hci_dump_init(const hci_dump_t * hci_dump_implementation);
679
680| Platform | File                         | Description                                        |
681|----------|------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
682| POSIX    | `hci_dump_posix_fs.c`        | HCI log file for Apple PacketLogger and Wireshark  |
683| POSIX    | `hci_dump_posix_stdout.c`    | Console output via printf                          |
684| Embedded | `hci_dump_embedded_stdout.c` | Console output via printf                          |
685| Embedded | `hci_dump_segger_stdout.c`   | Console output via SEGGER RTT                      |
686| Embedded | `hci_dump_segger_binary.c`   | HCI log file for Apple PacketLogger via SEGGER RTT |
687
688On POSIX systems, you can call *hci_dump_init* with a *hci_dump_posix_fs_get_instance()* and
689configure the path and output format with *hci_dump_posix_fs_open(const char * path, hci_dump_format_t format)*
690where format can be *HCI_DUMP_BLUEZ* or *HCI_DUMP_PACKETLOGGER*.
691The resulting file can be analyzed with Wireshark or the Apple's PacketLogger tool.
692
693On embedded systems without a file system, you either log to an UART console via printf or use SEGGER RTT.
694For printf output you pass *hci_dump_embedded_stdout_get_instance()* to *hci_dump_init()*.
695With RTT, you can choose between textual output similar to printf, and binary output.
696For textual output, you can provide the *hci_dump_segger_stdout_get_instance()*.
697
698It will log all HCI packets to the UART console via printf or RTT Terminal.
699If you capture the console output, incl. your own debug messages, you can use
700the create_packet_log.py tool in the tools folder to convert a text output into a
701PacketLogger file.
702
703For less overhead and higher logging speed, you can directly log in binary format by
704passing *hci_dump_segger_rtt_binary_get_instance()* and selecting the output format by
705calling *hci_dump_segger_rtt_binary_open(hci_dump_format_t format)* with the same format as above.
706
707
708In addition to the HCI packets, you can also enable BTstack's debug information by adding
709
710    #define ENABLE_LOG_INFO
711    #define ENABLE_LOG_ERROR
712
713to the btstack_config.h and recompiling your application.
714
715## Bluetooth Power Control {#sec:powerControl}
716
717In most BTstack examples, the device is set to be discoverable and connectable. In this mode, even when there's no active connection, the Bluetooth Controller will periodically activate its receiver in order to listen for inquiries or connecting requests from another device.
718The ability to be discoverable requires more energy than the ability to be connected. Being discoverable also announces the device to anybody in the area. Therefore, it is a good idea to pause listening for inquiries when not needed. Other devices that have your Bluetooth address can still connect to your device.
719
720To enable/disable discoverability, you can call:
721
722    /**
723     * @brief Allows to control if device is discoverable. OFF by default.
724     */
725    void gap_discoverable_control(uint8_t enable);
726
727If you don't need to become connected from other devices for a longer period of time, you can also disable the listening to connection requests.
728
729To enable/disable connectability, you can call:
730
731    /**
732     * @brief Override page scan mode. Page scan mode enabled by l2cap when services are registered
733     * @note Might be used to reduce power consumption while Bluetooth module stays powered but no (new)
734     *       connections are expected
735     */
736    void gap_connectable_control(uint8_t enable);
737
738For Bluetooth Low Energy, the radio is periodically used to broadcast advertisements that are used for both discovery and connection establishment.
739
740To enable/disable advertisements, you can call:
741
742    /**
743     * @brief Enable/Disable Advertisements. OFF by default.
744     * @param enabled
745     */
746    void gap_advertisements_enable(int enabled);
747
748If a Bluetooth Controller is neither discoverable nor connectable, it does not need to periodically turn on its radio and it only needs to respond to commands from the Host. In this case, the Bluetooth Controller is free to enter some kind of deep sleep where the power consumption is minimal.
749
750Finally, if that's not sufficient for your application, you could request BTstack to shutdown the Bluetooth Controller. For this, the "on" and "off" functions in the btstack_control_t struct must be implemented. To shutdown the Bluetooth Controller, you can call:
751
752    /**
753     * @brief Requests the change of BTstack power mode.
754     */
755    int  hci_power_control(HCI_POWER_MODE mode);
756
757with mode set to *HCI_POWER_OFF*. When needed later, Bluetooth can be started again via by calling it with mode *HCI_POWER_ON*, as seen in all examples.
758