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SAM-BA In-System Programming and Provisioning (ISPP)

SAM-BA In-System Programming and Provisioning

SAM-BA In-System Programming and Provisioning (ISPP) is a versatile and robust set of software tools we designed and developed for programming, configuring and provisioning our Arm®-Cortex® based microprocessors (MPUs).

Explore our MPUs

Access Secure Document Extranet (SDE) interface

Overview

SAM-BA software provides an open set of tools for in-system programming of internal and external memories connected to our MPUs. Devices can be programmed using USB, UART or JTAG interfaces.

For legacy MPUs, the latest versions of SAM-BA v2 are available for download from the Documents tab.

With the SAM-BA monitor residing in on-chip nonvolatile memory, you can use SAM-BA as a tool to reprogram the MPU, without connecting to the debugger.

A complete HTML documentation package is included when you download the tool to your host computer.

Secure SAM-BA Cipher tool is delivered exclusively under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This tool is designed for use in secure areas, such as the customer's premises, and is essential for ciphering and signing keys and binary files. Secure SAM-BA Cipher is used through a CLI so that sensitive operations are performed securely and efficiently. The secured files can then be safely programmed using the SAM-BA tool in untrusted environments, such as factories. This two-step process protects the sensitive information during the provisioning and manufacturing stages.

If you plan to use the secure boot feature of our MPUs, please use the secure SAM-BA Cipher tool. To request this Secure SAM-BA Cipher tool, you will need to submit your request through the Secure Document Extranet (SDE) interface. SAM-BA, SAM-BA-GUI and Secure SAM-BA Cipher tools are all available free of charge.

SAM-BA's robust feature set makes it suitable for a wide range of applications:

Embedded System Development

SAM-BA supports various stages of development, from initial prototyping to final production programming

Prototyping and Testing

The tool's extensive command set and support for scripting make it an excellent choice for prototyping and testing new designs

Production Programming

SAM-BA's automation capabilities for production environments provide consistency and reduce the potential for errors, which is crucial in high-volume manufacturing settings

Secure Device Provisioning

SAM-BA's support for secure programming, FUSE and OTP programming allows devices to be securely configured, which protects sensitive information and enables device integrity in untrusted environments

SAM-BA's Key Features and Capabilities

SimpKey Features	Description
Cross-platform compatibility	SAM-BA tools run on Windows® and Linux® computers
Multi-communication link support	SAM-BA ISPP supports Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART), USB and J-Link communication interfaces to the MPU for programming and provisioning
Flash memory programming	SAM-BA ISPP is efficient in reading, writing and verifying external Flash memories connected to the MPU
FUSE and One-Time Programmable (OTP) memory programming	SAM-BA ISPP can program FUSE and OTP memory, which is a required step for setting device boot configurations and other settings and a secure method for provisioning cryptographic boot keys during the manufacturing process
Secure programming	SAM-BA supports secure boot configurations, firmware in external memories and secure key provisioning in FUSE and OTP. This allows the devices to be programmed and updated securely even in untrusted environments
Utilities	SAM-BA ISPP eases generating bootable bootstrap images from binary files so that the binaries are compatible with the different MPUs boot features
Scripting and automation	SAM-BA GUI offers a Graphical User Interface (GUI) front-end to SAM-BA ISPP for an intuitive and user-friendly experience in programming and configuration tasks
Applet support	SAM-BA ISPP is mainly based on the execution of applets—small and specialized programs loaded and executed into the device's SRAM to perform specific tasks such as erasing, reading or writing external memories Standard mode applets: These applets are designed for general-purpose tasks and are used in standard operating mode. They provide essential functionalities for memory management and device configuration, making them suitable for a variety of programming tasks Secure mode applets: Dedicated to secure mode operations, we meticulously cipher and sign these applets, which provides a high level of security and protects sensitive operations and data from unauthorized access or tampering·

SAM-BA Tools

Perform In-system Programming and Provisioning (ISPP) through USB, RS232 or JTAG interfaces
Can be used via a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or started in batch mode from a shell terminal
Runs on Windows® 11 and Linux® operating systems

SAM-BA ISPP

In-system Programming and Provisioning (ISPP) command line tool
Cross-platform compatibility
Multi-communication link support
Command Line Interface (CLI)
- Allows scripting and automation
- Uses dedicated applets to erase/read/write external memories
- Provides FUSE and OTP programming
SAM-BA ISPP tool is available in the documentation section below

SAM-BA GUI

Graphical User Interface (GUI): front end to SAM-BA ISPP
Cross-platform compatibility
Easy to build SAM-BA ISPP command lines
Scripting and automation
Script recording and script execution features to ease automation
Log-recording capabilities to ease support and debug

SAM-BA CIPHER

Cross-platform compatibility
Multi-communication link support
Command line interface: full Python 3 program
Scripting and automation
- Generates secured customer key file
- Generates a file for setting the secure root certificate hash file
- Encrypting/authenticating bootstraps (decrypted and checked at runtime by the ROM code)
- Encrypting/authenticating applications (decrypted and checked at runtime by the bootstrap)
Secure SAM-BA Cipher is available through SDE process.

Provisioning a SAMA7D65 MPU to Boot from NAND Using the SAM-BA®In-System Programmer (ISP)

Supporting Collateral

SAM-BA v3.9.2 - Release Notes