Transition your development environment to nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0 (for v2.4.99-cs3 users)

This document describes how to transition your development environment for the nRF54H20 DK from the nRF Connect SDK v2.4.99-cs3 to the nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0.

The main development environment changes introduced by v2.7.0 for the nRF54H20 DK are the following:

• The nRF Connect SDK toolchain has been updated.

• nRF Util is now used by the build system.

• The Secure Domain Firmware (SDFW) and System Controller Firmware (SCFW) are no longer built from the source during the application build process. They are provided as a firmware bundle (v0.5.0) and provisioned to the nRF54H20 during the bring-up steps. The nRF54H20 DK must be in lifecycle state EMPTY to be provisioned with the new firmware bundle. For additional details, see nRF54H20 DK bring-up. See the details in the nRF54H20 DK bring-up section below.

• To correctly operate the nRF54H20 DK, its lifecycle state must be set to RoT after the bring-up.

  Also, it is no longer possible to perform an unauthenticated backward LCS transitions. This means that once set to RoT, it is no longer possible to revert to LCS state EMPTY.

Minimum requirements

Make sure you have all the required hardware, software, and that your computer has one of the supported operating systems.

Hardware

• nRF54H20 DK version PCA10175 v0.7.2 (ES3) or PCA10175 v0.8.0 (ES3.3, ES4). These are the only versions of the nRF54H20 DK compatible with nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0. Check the version number on your DK’s sticker to verify its compatibility with nRF Connect SDK version v2.7.0.

• USB-C cable.

Software

On your computer, one of the following operating systems:

Operating System	x86	x64	ARM64
Windows 11	Tier 3	Tier 3	Not supported
Windows 10	Tier 3	Tier 1	Not supported
Linux - Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	Not supported	Tier 1	Not supported
Linux - Ubuntu 20.04 LTS	Not supported	Tier 2	Not supported
macOS 14	Not applicable	Tier 3	Tier 3
macOS 13	Not applicable	Tier 1	Tier 1
macOS 12	Not applicable	Tier 3	Tier 3
macOS 11	Not applicable	Tier 2	Tier 2
macOS 10.15	Not applicable	Tier 3	Not supported

See Supported operating systems for more information about the tier definitions.

The operating system versions that support the nRF Connect SDK tools are listed in the Supported operating systems section.

You also need the following:

• Git or Git for Windows (on Linux and Mac, or Windows, respectively)

• curl

• The latest version of the nRF Command Line Tools package. After downloading and installing the tools, add the nrfjprog executable to the system path, on Linux and MacOS, or to the environment variables, on Windows, to run it from anywhere on the system.

  The CLI tools installation will also trigger the installation of J-Link. During that installation, in the Choose optional components window, select update existing installation.

• On Windows, SEGGER USB Driver for J-Link from SEGGER J-Link version 7.94e.

  Note

  To install the SEGGER USB Driver for J-Link on Windows, you must manually reinstall J-Link v7.94e from the command line using the -InstUSBDriver=1 parameter, updating the installation previously run by the nRF Command Line Tools:

  1. Navigate to the download location of the J-Link executable and run one of the following commands:

     • From the Command Prompt:

       JLink_Windows_V794e_x86_64.exe -InstUSBDriver=1
       

     • From PowerShell:

       .\JLink_Windows_V794e_x86_64.exe -InstUSBDriver=1
       

  2. In the Choose optional components window, select again update existing installation.

  3. Add the J-Link executable to the system path, on Linux and MacOS, or to the environment variables, on Windows, to run it from anywhere on the system.

• The latest version of Visual Studio Code for your operating system from the Visual Studio Code download page.

• In Visual Studio Code, the latest version of the nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack.

• On Linux, the nrf-udev module with udev rules required to access USB ports on Nordic Semiconductor devices and program the firmware.

Preliminary step

Before transitioning to the new toolchain, rename your existing ncs-lcs and .west folders (for example as ncs-lcs_old and .west_old) to back up their files.

Note

If you have multiple folders initialized with west, it is suggested to back up all the relevant .west folders.

Transitioning to the nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0

You can transition to the nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0 by using Toolchain Manager.

Toolchain Manager is a tool available from nRF Connect for Desktop, a cross-platform tool that provides different applications that simplify installing the nRF Connect SDK. Both the tool and the application are available for Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

To install the toolchain and the SDK using the Toolchain Manager app, complete the following steps:

1. Install Toolchain Manager:

   1. Download nRF Connect for Desktop for your operating system.

   2. Install and run the tool on your machine.

   3. In the APPS section, click Install next to Toolchain Manager.

   The app is installed on your machine, and the Install button changes to Open.

2. Install the nRF Connect SDK source code:

   1. Open Toolchain Manager in nRF Connect for Desktop.

      

      The Toolchain Manager window

   2. Click SETTINGS in the navigation bar to specify where you want to install the nRF Connect SDK.

   3. In SDK ENVIRONMENTS, click the Install button next to the nRF Connect SDK version 2.7.0.

      The nRF Connect SDK version 2.7.0 is installed on your machine. The Install button changes to Open VS Code.

3. Set up the preferred building method:

   nRF Connect for Visual Studio CodeCommand line

   To build on the nRF Connect for VS Code extension, complete the following steps:

   1. In Toolchain Manager, click the Open VS Code button.

      A notification appears with a list of missing extensions that you need to install, including those from the nRF Connect for Visual Studio Code extension pack.

   2. Click Install missing extensions, then close VS Code.

   3. Once the extensions are installed, click Open VS Code button again.

   You can then follow the instructions in Creating application in the nRF Connect for VS Code extension.

4. If you have any existing custom applications created for 2.4.99-cs3 that you would like to migrate, move its files from the previous ncs-lcs_old folder to the newly created nRF Connect SDK installation folder.

Updating the Terminal application

To update Serial Terminal from nRF Connect for Desktop, follow these steps:

1. On your computer, open nRF Connect for Desktop If there is an update available, a pop up will notify you of its availability.

2. If available, install the update from the pop up screen.

3. Update Serial Terminal from nRF Connect for Desktop.

If you are using the nRF Terminal application part of the nRF Connect for Visual Studio Code extension, open Visual Studio Code instead and ensure you are running the newest version of both the editor and the extension.

Installing nRF Util and its commands

Using the nRF54H20 DK with the nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0 requires the following:

• nRF Util version 7.11.1 or above

• nRF Util device version 2.4.0

1. Download the nrfutil executable file from the nRF Util development tool product page.

2. Add nRF Util to the system path (on Linux and MacOS) or environment variables (on Windows) to run it from anywhere on the system. On Linux and MacOS, use one of the following options:

   • Add nRF Util’s directory to the system path.

   • Move the file to a directory in the system path.

3. On MacOS and Linux, give nrfutil execute permissions by typing chmod +x nrfutil in a terminal or using a file browser. This is typically a checkbox found under file properties.

4. Verify the version of the nRF Util installation on your machine by running the following command:

   nrfutil --version
   

5. If your version is below 7.11.1, run the following command to update nRF Util:

   nrfutil self-upgrade
   

6. Install the nRF Util device command to version 2.4.0 as follows:

   nrfutil install device=2.4.0 --force
   

For more information, consult the nRF Util documentation.

nRF54H20 DK bring-up

The following sections describe the steps required for the nRF54H20 bring-up.

Programming the BICR

The Board Information Configuration Registers (BICR) are non-volatile memory (NVM) registers that contain information on how the nRF54H20 SoC must interact with other board elements, including the information about the power and clock delivery to the SoC. To prepare the nRF54H20 DK for first use, you must manually program the values of the BICR using a precompiled BICR binary file (bicr_ext_loadcap.hex).

1. Download the BICR binary file .

2. Connect the nRF54H20 DK to your computer using the DEBUGGER port on the DK.

Note

On MacOS, connecting the DK might cause a popup containing the message “Disk Not Ejected Properly to repeatedly appear on screen. To disable this, run JLinkExe, then run MSDDisable in the J-Link Commander interface.

1. Start the toolchain environment in a terminal window.

2. List all the connected development kits to see their serial number (matching the one on the DK’s sticker):

   nrfutil device list
   

3. Move the BICR HEX file to a folder of your choice, then program the BICR by running nRF Util from that folder using the following command:

   nrfutil device program --options chip_erase_mode=ERASE_NONE --firmware bicr_ext_loadcap.hex --core Secure --serial-number <serial_number>
   

Programming the SDFW and SCFW

After programming the BICR, the nRF54H20 SoC requires the provisioning of a bundle ( nrf54h20_soc_binaries_v0.5.0.zip) containing the precompiled firmware for the Secure Domain and System Controller. To program the Secure Domain Firmware (SDFW, also known as urot) and the System Controller Firmware (SCFW) from the firmware bundle to the nRF54H20 DK, do the following:

1. Download the nRF54H20 firmware bundle v0.5.0.

   Note

   On MacOS, ensure that the ZIP file is not unpacked automatically upon download.

2. Move the .zip bundle to a folder of your choice.

3. Start the toolchain environment in a terminal window.

4. Run nRF Util to program the binaries using the following command:

   nrfutil device x-provision-nrf54h --firmware <path-to_bundle_zip_file> --serial-number <serial_number>
   

Updating the FICR

Caution

This step is required only if your nRF54H20 DK is version PCA10175 v0.7.2 or v0.8.0 ES3.3. Jump to the next step if your DK is version ES4, meaning v0.8.0 with no ES markings.

After programming the SDFW and SCFW from the firmware bundle, you must update the Factory Information Configuration Registers (FICR) to correctly configure some trims of the nRF54H20 SoC. To update the FICR, you must run a J-Link script:

1. Get the J-Link script that updates the FICR:

   curl -LO https://files.nordicsemi.com/artifactory/swtools/external/scripts/nrf54h20es_trim_adjust.jlink
   

2. Run the script:

   • Linux and Mac OS:

     JLinkExe -CommanderScript nrf54h20es_trim_adjust.jlink
     

   • Windows:

     jlink.exe -CommanderScript nrf54h20es_trim_adjust.jlink
     

Transitioning the nRF54H20 SoC to RoT

The current nRF54H20 DK is delivered with its lifecycle state (LCS) set to EMPTY. To correctly operate, its lifecycle state must be transitioned to Root of Trust (RoT).

Note

The forward transition to LCS RoT is permanent. After the transition, it is not possible to transition backward to LCS EMPTY.

To transition the LCS to RoT, do the following:

1. Verify the current lifecycle state of the nRF54H20:

   nrfutil device x-adac-discovery --serial-number <serial_number>
   

   The output will look similar to the following:

   *serial_number*
   adac_auth_version     1.0
   vendor_id             Nordic VLSI ASA
   soc_class             0x00005420
   soc_id                [e6, 6f, 21, b6, dc, be, 11, ee, e5, 03, 6f, fe, 4d, 7b, 2e, 07]
   hw_permissions_fixed  [00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00]
   hw_permissions_mask   [01, 00, 00, 00, 87, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00]
   psa_lifecycle         LIFECYCLE_EMPTY (0x1000)
   sda_id                0x01
   secrom_revision       0xad3b3cd0
   sysrom_revision       0xebc8f190
   token_formats         [TokenAdac]
   cert_formats          [CertAdac]
   cryptosystems         [Ed25519Sha512]
   Additional TLVs:
   TargetIdentity: [ff, ff, ff, ff, ff, ff, ff, ff]
   

2. If the lifecycle state (psa_lifecycle) shown is RoT (LIFECYCLE_ROT (0x2000)), no LCS transition is required. If the lifecycle state (psa_lifecycle) shown is not RoT (LIFECYCLE_EMPTY (0x1000) means the LCS is set to EMPTY), set it to Root of Trust using the following command:

   nrfutil device x-adac-lcs-change --life-cycle rot --serial-number <serial_number>
   

3. Verify again the current lifecycle state of the nRF54H20:

   nrfutil device x-adac-discovery --serial-number <serial_number>
   

   The output will look similar to the following:

   *serial_number*
   adac_auth_version     1.0
   vendor_id             Nordic VLSI ASA
   soc_class             0x00005420
   soc_id                [e6, 6f, 21, b6, dc, be, 11, ee, e5, 03, 6f, fe, 4d, 7b, 2e, 07]
   hw_permissions_fixed  [00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00]
   hw_permissions_mask   [01, 00, 00, 00, 87, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00]
   psa_lifecycle         LIFECYCLE_ROT (0x2000)
   sda_id                0x01
   secrom_revision       0xad3b3cd0
   sysrom_revision       0xebc8f190
   token_formats         [TokenAdac]
   cert_formats          [CertAdac]
   cryptosystems         [Ed25519Sha512]
   Additional TLVs:
   TargetIdentity: [ff, ff, ff, ff, ff, ff, ff, ff]
   

   The lifecycle state (psa_lifecycle) is now correctly set to Root of Trust (LIFECYCLE_ROT (0x2000))

4. After the LCS transition, reset the device:

   nrfutil device reset --reset-kind RESET_PIN --serial-number <serial_number>
   

Next steps

Your environment is now set to use the nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0 with the nRF54H20 DK:

• If you want to modify your existing custom applications previously developed for nRF Connect SDK v2.4.99-cs3 to be compatible with v2.7.0, consult the Migrate your application for the nRF54H20 DK to nRF Connect SDK v2.7.0 (for v2.4.99-cs3 users) page.

• If you want to build and program a sample application on your nRF54H20 DK, consult the building and programming section in the Getting started with the nRF54H20 DK page.