nuttx/Documentation/components/drivers/character/timers/watchdog.rst

======================
Watchdog Timer Drivers
======================

NuttX supports a low-level, two-part watchdog timer driver.

#. An "upper half", generic driver that provides the common
   watchdog timer interface to application level code, and
#. A "lower half", platform-specific driver that implements the
   low-level timer controls to implement the watchdog timer
   functionality.

Files supporting the watchdog timer driver can be found in the
following locations:

-  **Interface Definition**. The header file for the NuttX
   watchdog timer driver reside at
   ``include/nuttx/timers/watchdog.h``. This header file includes
   both the application level interface to the watchdog timer
   driver as well as the interface between the "upper half" and
   "lower half" drivers. The watchdog timer driver uses a standard
   character driver framework.
-  **"Upper Half" Driver**. The generic, "upper half" watchdog
   timer driver resides at ``drivers/timers/watchdog.c``.
-  **"Lower Half" Drivers**. Platform-specific watchdog timer
   drivers reside in
   ``arch/``\ *<architecture>*\ ``/src/``\ *<hardware>* directory
   for the specific processor *<architecture>* and for the
   specific *<chip>* watchdog timer peripheral devices.

There are two ways to enable Watchdog Timer Support along with the Watchdog Example.
The first is faster and simpler. Just run the following command to use a ready config
file with watchdog timer support and example included. You need to check if there's a
watchdog config file for your specific chip. You may check it at the specific board's
path: ``/boards/<arch>/<chip>/<board>/config``.

.. code-block:: console

   $ ./tools/configure.sh <board>:watchdog

And the second way is creating your own config file. To do so, follow the next
instructions.

Enabling the Watchdog Support and Example in ``menuconfing``
------------------------------------------------------------

1. Select Watchdog Timer Instances

   To select these wdts browse in the ``menuconfig`` using the following path:

   Go into menu :menuselection:`System Type --> <Chip> Peripheral Selection` and
   press :kbd:`Enter`. Then select one or more watchdog timers according to
   availability of your chip.

2. Enable the Watchdog Timer Support

   Go into menu :menuselection:`Device Drivers --> Timer Driver Support` and press
   :kbd:`Enter`. Then enable:

   - [x] Watchdog Timer Support

3. Include the Watchdog Timer Example

   Go into menu :menuselection:`Application Configuration --> Examples` and press
   :kbd:`Enter`. Then select the Watchdog Timer example.

 - [x] Watchdog Timer example

Below the option, it is possible to manually configure some standard parameters
that will be used by the example, but they also can be passed as command line
arguments later.
The parameters are the following: the standard timer device path (which defines
the WDT instance), the timeout period (which is the period on which the watchdog
will expire), the ping delay (which is the interval period between feeding the dog)
and the ping time (which is the total interval that the example will feed the dog,
after this interval, the dog will starve and the chip will trigger an interrupt or reset.

4. Include the Debug Watchdog Feature

   In order to get the watchdog timer status, you need to enable it. For production
   code and for your application you may disable it.

   Go into menu :menuselection:`Build Setup --> Debug Options` and press :kbd:`Enter`. Then enable:

   - [x] Enable Debug Features
   - [x] Watchdog Timer Debug Features

Watchdog Timer Example
----------------------

The previously selected example will basically do the following:

* Open the watchdog device
* Set the watchdog timeout
* Start the watchdog timer
* Ping (feed the dog) during the ``pingtime`` with a delay of ``pingdelay`` and
  print out the wdt status in case debug was enabled.
* Enter into an endless loop without pinging. It will cause the watchdog timer
  to reset the chip on timeout, i.e., after timer expiration.

The `example code <https://github.com/apache/nuttx-apps/blob/master/examples/watchdog/watchdog_main.c>`_
may be explored, its path is at ``/examples/watchdog/watchdog_main.c`` in the
apps' repository.

In NuttX, the watchdog timer driver is a character driver and when a chip supports
multiple watchdog timers, each one is accessible through its respective special file
in ``/dev`` directory. Each watchdog timer is registered using a unique numeric
identifier (i.e. ``/dev/watchdog0``, ``/dev/watchdog1``, ...).

Use the following command to run the example:

.. code-block:: console

  nsh> wdog

This command will use the watchdog timer 0. To use the others, specify it through
a parameter (where x is the timer number):

.. code-block:: console

  nsh> wdog -i /dev/watchdogx

Application Level Interface
----------------------------

The first necessary thing to be done in order to use the watchdog timer driver
in an application is to include the header file for the NuttX Watchdog timer
driver. It contains the Application Level Interface to the timer driver. To do so,
include:

.. code-block:: c

  #include <nuttx/timers/watchdog.h>

At an application level, the watchdog timer functionalities may be accessed through
``ioctl`` systems calls. These ``ioctl`` commands internally call lower-half layer
operations and the parameters are forwarded to these operations through the ``ioctl``
system call. The example provides a great resource to demonstrate how to use those
``ioctl`` commands. The available ``ioctl`` commands are:

.. c:macro:: WDIOC_START

This command starts the watchdog timer.

.. c:macro:: WDIOC_STOP

This command stops the watchdog timer.

.. c:macro:: WDIOC_GETSTATUS

This command gets the status of the watchdog timer. It receives a writeable
pointer to struct ``watchdog_status_s`` as parameter. The lower-half driver
writes the current status in this struct.

.. c:struct:: watchdog_status_s
.. code-block:: c

	struct watchdog_status_s
	{
	  uint32_t  flags;          /* See WDFLAGS_* definitions above */
	  uint32_t  timeout;        /* The current timeout setting (in milliseconds) */
	  uint32_t  timeleft;       /* Time left until the watchdog expiration
		                     * (in milliseconds) */
	};

.. c:macro:: WDIOC_SETTIMEOUT

This command sets the timeout value, i.e., the value that will trigger the reset
or interrupt. The argument is a ``uint32_t`` value in milliseconds.

.. c:macro:: WDIOC_CAPTURE

This command registers an user callback that will be triggered on timeout. It
receives as argument a pointer to struct ``watchdog_capture_s``. If the user
callback is NULL, then it configures only to reset. Not all chips support
interrupt on timeout. This command is optional, i.e., if it's not used, the
standard behaviour is to reset on timeout.

.. c:struct:: watchdog_capture_s
.. code-block:: c

	struct watchdog_capture_s
	{
	  CODE xcpt_t newhandler;   /* The new watchdog capture handler */
	  CODE xcpt_t oldhandler;   /* The previous watchdog capture handler (if any) */
	};

.. c:macro:: WDIOC_KEEPALIVE

 This command resets the watchdog timer AKA '**ping**", "**kick**", "**pet**",  "**feed**" the dog".

Enable Built in System Monitoring to reset the watchdog
-------------------------------------------------------

The auto-monitor provides an OS-internal mechanism to automatically start and
repeatedly reset the watchdog.

To enable it, follow the next instructions:

1. Select a Watchdog Timer Instance

 To select the wdt browse in the ``menuconfig`` using the following path:

 Go into menu :menuselection:`System Type --> <Chip> Peripheral Selection` and
 press :kbd:`Enter`. Then select one watchdog timer.

2. Enable the Auto-monitor option

   Go into menu :menuselection:`Device Drivers --> Timer Driver Support` and press
   :kbd:`Enter`. Then enable:

   - [x] Watchdog Timer Support

   Then press :kbd:`Enter` again to enter into the Watchdog Timer Support menu. And
   finally enable the Auto-monitor option:

   - [x] Auto-monitor

   After selecting the option you may want to configure some parameters:

   * **Timeout**: It is the watchdog timer expiration time in seconds.
   * **Keep a live interval**: This is the interval in which the watchdog will be
     fed. It is in seconds. It can't be bigger than the timeout. If this interval
     is equal to timeout interval, than this interval will automatically change to
     half timeout.
   * **Keep alive by**: This is a choice to determine who is going to feed the dog.
     There are 4 possible choices that are described as follows.

     ``Capture callback``: This choice registers a watchdog timer callback to reset
     the watchdog every time it expires, i.e., on timeout.

     ``Timer callback``: This choice also uses a timer callback to reset the watchdog,
     but it will reset the watchdog every "keep a live interval".

     ``Worker callback``:  This choice uses a Work Queue to reset the watchdog every
     "keep a live interval". This choice depends on having the Low or High Priority
     Work Queue enabled.
     If only the High Priority Work Queue is enabled, this one will be used, otherwise
     Low Priority Work Queue is used.

     So, before enabling it, go into menu :menuselection:`RTOS Features --> Work queue support`
     and press :kbd:`Enter`.

     - [x] Low priority (kernel) worker thread

     ``Idle callback``: This choice sets an Idle callback to feed the dog. It depends
     on the PM module, because this callback is triggered by the PM state change.
     To enable it do the following:

     Go into menu :menuselection:`Device Drivers` and enable:

     - [x] Power Management Support

     After selecting one of these choices, the chip will keep itself alive by one of
     these options.