AR7 ADSL CPE Software

AR7 ADSL Feature Control API

Application Note

Important Notice: The products and services of Texas Instruments and its subsidiaries described herein
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Copyright 2003-2006 Texas Instruments Incorporated.

Texas Instruments Incorporated
San Jose, CA

AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

Version 3.6

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................1
1.1
1.2

Version 3.6

REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................................1
GLOSSARY ......................................................................................................................................................1

OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................................................1
2.1

INTER-OP RELATED FEATURE BITS CONTROL................................................................................................1

NON-INTEROP ....................................................................................................................................................1
2.2
RELATED FEATURE BITS CONTROL ................................................................................................................1
3

DESCRIPTION OF DSL FEATURE CONTROL BIT-FIELDS....................................................................2

3.1
3.2

INTER-OP RELATED FEATURE CONTROL BITS ................................................................................................2

NON-INTEROP RELATED FEATURE CONTROL BITS ........................................................................................5

EXAMPLES.........................................................................................................................................................6

APPENDIX A USING TELNET TO INITIALIZE BOOTLOADER ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES ...........7

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

Version 3.6

Revision History
Revision
0.1
0.5
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.3

Date
2/28/2005
3/13/2005
3.16.05
3.18.05
4.6.05
5.25.05

1.4

8.3.05

1.5
1.6

8.31.05
9.01.05

2.0
2.1
2.2
2.4

10.31.05
02.01.06
02.06.06
02.14.06

2.5

04.03.06

2.6
2.7

04.05.06
04.06.06

2.8

05.16.06

2.9

06.07.06

3.0

06.13.06

3.1
3.2

06.15.06
07.26.06

3.3

08.08.06

3.4
3.5

08.11.06
10.20.06

3.6

01.24.07

Description
First draft
Final draft for review
First release version with reformats and edits
Minor edits
Added new bitfield in environment variable
Added new bitfields in environment variable that
controls SafeMode and control of upstream rates
against ADI-based COs
Added new bitfields in environment variable that
improve ADSL2+ downstream rate for Ohio chipset
and control of connection when out-of-band RFI
noise is exist.
Remove & recycle bitfield 12.
Added new bit field to fix Nokia D50 modem
DSLAM retrain problem.
Added a new bit filed for Average Margin Reporting
Added bit 15-19 for D60
Added Non-InterOp related PHY Feature control bits
Change DSL PHY Feature Bit8 (INP>2) default to
disabled
Added Inter-Op API bit 20. Non-InterOP(PHY
Feature) API Bit 9, 10.
Add avail D6.2 side note for SRA (non-IOP bit 9)
Add CNXT flavor control for gdmt/T1.413 mode
(IOP-Bit21)
Clarified description for certain API bits.
Removed Using the Feature Control API with
NSP3.6.0C section from this document.
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bit 30
reserved for TI internal use only.
Added Inter-Op API bit 22. Non-InterOP (PHY
Feature) API Bit 12.
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bits 11 and
13.
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bit 14.
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bits 15 and
16.
Added Inter-Op API Bit 23
Removed Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bit 16
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API Bit 16
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bit 17, 18.
Added Inter-Op API bits 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Added Non-InterOP (PHY Feature) API bit 19, 20.
Added Inter-Op (Feature1) API bit 0.

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

Version 3.6

Introduction

This document describes the use of a mechanism to facilitate control of specific DSL PHY features using
environment variables. This document is of relevance if you are using NSP version 3.6.0C with AR7 datapump
version D4.0 and above. Texas Instruments, as part of its interoperability strategy, will continue to expand its
interoperability portfolio, some of which will be controlled via the mechanism documented herein.
Customers are advised to use the latest version of this application note with datapump releases beginning with D4.0.

1.1

References

[1] Linux NSP Build and Configuration Guide, Release 3.6.0C NSP [Document number NSP-001357, Revision F]

1.2
PSP
NSP

2
2.1

Glossary
Platform Support Package
Network Support Package

Overview
Inter-Op Related Feature Bits Control

Desired Inter-Op related DSL features can be controlled via bootloader environment variables using the syntax:
DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_<n> <32-bit mask in Hex>
where, <n>=0 or 1
As an example,
setenv DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0 0x000200AC
setenv DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_1 0x00F200F1
The features controlled by this mechanism are defined in Table 1.

2.2

Non-InterOp Related Feature Bits Control

Desired Non-InterOp DSL features can be controlled via bootloader environment variables using the syntax:
DSL_PHY_CNTL_<n> <32-bit mask in Hex>
where, <n>=0 or 1
As an example,
setenv DSL_PHY_CNTL_0 0x00000003
setenv DSL_PHY_CNTL_1 0x00001005
The features controlled by this mechanism are defined in Table 2.

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

3
3.1

Version 3.6

Description of DSL Feature Control bit-fields

Inter-Op Related Feature Control Bits

Beginning with AR7 datapump version D4.0, the features described in Table 1 will be controlled via pre-defined bitfields in DSL_FEATURE_CNTL environment variables.

DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_<n>
environment variables
DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0

Bitfield
0

10

Definition and description

0 = The CPE is allowed to retrain and connect in T1.413 mode against a
Globespan Rev 2 CO (default)
1 = Force the CPE to train in G.992.1 mode against a Globespan Rev 2 CO.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable upstream CRC reduction feature against ADI CO on short loops.
This bit should be enabled only when deploying at CANTV and is applicable
only in T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable T1413 activation on longer loops. This bit should be enabled only
when deploying at Qwest or Turkey Telecom
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable higher upstream data rates on Qwest bridge tap loops against Alcatel
CO. This bit should be enabled only when deploying at Qwest and is applicable
only in T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable upstream high BER fix only when deploying at Alcatel Shanghai
Bell. This bit is applicable only in T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable fixes to improve downstream performance for Bell Canada double
bridge tap loops. This bit should be enabled only when deploying in Bell
Canada and is applicable only in T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable fixes for Belgacom under noise conditions unique to Belgacom to
improve downstream performance and is applicable only in T1.413 and Annex
A G.dmt mode. This bit should be enabled only when deploying at Belgacom.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable fixes to improve upstream/downstream performance for Cincinnati
Bell. See Note 1. This bit should be enabled only when deploying in Cincinnati
Bell in T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode against ADI CO.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable fixes to improve upstream/downstream performance for France
Telecom. This bit should be enabled only when deploying in France Telecom in
T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode. See Note 1.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable fixes for Qwest upstream rate qualification requirements. This bit
should be enabled only when deploying at Qwest if there is a requirement to
support upstream rates beyond the default of 896kbps and is applicable only in
T1.413 and Annex A G.dmt mode.
0 = Allows the CPE to fall back to ADSL1 (Safe Mode) if the CO does not
respond to ADSL2/2+ CLR correctly during G.hs
(Default).
1 = Disables Safe Mode (i.e. the CPE is not allowed to fall back to ADSL1)
during G.hs

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Version 3.6

0 = Disable upstream rate fix if the CO uses ADI chipset Anaconda, 930 or
918. Stability is improved at the expense of lower upstream rates (Default).
This bit is applicable only to Annex A/B G.dmt mode.
1= Enable upstream rate fix if the CO uses ADI chipset Anaconda, 930 or 918.
Please use discretion when enabling this bit as upstream rates will improve but
at the expense of (reduced) upstream stability.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable retrain problem fix when connecting to Nokia D50 DSLAM in
G.dmt mode.
0 = Disabled (default)
1= Enable fix when connection can not be established due to existence of outof-band RFI noise. The analog equalizer will be forced flat, this helps prevent
boost in the higher end of the downstream spectrum, which is contaminated with
aliased RF. This bit is applicable only to Annex A G.dmt mode.
Please use discretion when enabling this bit. If there is no out-of-band RFI
present, it can cause degradation of downstream rate.
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Average DS Margin across all bit-loaded bins is reported instead of the
default mode which reports the lowest margin among the DS bit loaded bins.
This bit is applicable to all Annexes in all modes (T1.413, G.dmt , ADSL2 and
ADSL2+ modes)
0= Enable (default)
Enable CNXT style overhead channel handling in ADSL2\2+ mode. Enable
only when the CO is CNXT.
1= Disable.
0= Disable (default)
1= Enable maximize INP (Impluse Noise Protection) while maintaining
minimum INP requirement from CO. (Note2)
0= Disable (default)
1= Enable force drop line if current margin is less than target margin when
connecting to Telefonica CO in ADSL2\2+ mode.
0= Disable (default)
1= Enable minimize Interleaver delay while maintaining maximum interleaver
delay requirement from CO. (Note2)
0= Disable (default)
1= Enable ANNEX B mode to use extended US tones (28 to 56) in ADSL2/2+
mode.
Please use discretion when enabling this bit, violates upstream UR2 spec.
0=Disable (default)
1=Enable to detect more Comb1 tones to combat Comb1-like crosstalk noise in
ADSL2/2+ mode. Applies to all Annexes.

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21

Version 3.6

Globespan/Conexant CO Firmware versions come in two different flavors

regarding upstream performance in G.dmt and T1.413.
0=Enable Upstream flavor A vs Conexant (default)
1=Enable Upstream flavor B vs Conexant

22

23

24
25

26

27
28

29

30

DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_1

31
0

31:1

This bit has been devised to work around a variance in CNXT DSLAM code
behavior. AR7 is tuned and tested with this bit in its default mode (flavor A).
When this bit is set to non-default mode (flavor b) it is known to eliminate
CRC and improve US rate in G.DMT and T1.413 modes. The non-default mode
is a temporary work around which has not been tested beyond verification that it
fixes the noted problems. This behavior is seen with E67.1.11 and D79 code
bases when tested in lab conditions. The level of performance of AR7 modem is
not guaranteed when this bit is in non-default mode. The use of this API in nondefault mode is not recommended unless the stated issues become a limitation in
deployment. TI will not engage in further modem tuning with this bit set in nondefault mode.
0: Disable (default)
1: Enable add quantization noise to upstream signal from G2_MedleyA to
G2_MedleyH state. This bit is applicable to all Annexes in all modes (T1.413,
G.dmt , ADSL2 and ADSL2+ modes)
0: Disable (default)
1 = Enable fixes to improve training time in g.hs and to improve robustness to
Telia SHINE tests.
0 = Disabled (default).
1 = Enable 5dB SNR cutback on DS tones 32-83 to improve DS margin.
0 = Disabled (default).
1 = Enable the 2dB additional noise margin to improve the long term line
stability.
0 = Disabled (default).
1 = Enable fixes to resolve multimode CPE fallback to G.dmt mode in ghs and
showtime stability in G.DMT mode for PCCW against CNXT DSLAM.
0 = Disabled (default).
1 = Enable to use 16bytes EOC vendor version number in G.DMT mode
0 = Disabled (default).
1 = Enable fixes to resolve no sync issue and low US rate issue for Telnor. This
bit is application in AnnexB ADSL1, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ modes
0 = Disabled (default).
1 = Enables Interop Fixes that help improve performance at Optus Bridge Tap
loops. . This bit is applicable in ADSL2+ in Annex A, Annex B and Annex M
modes.
0 = Disabled (Default).
1 = Enable the fix on low us data rate against a Centillium DSLAM in
ADSL2/2+ Annex B mode
Reserved
0 = Disabled (default)
1 = Enable Interop Fix for TR067 DS PCB test failure when DS Tx Power <
0dBm/Hz with loops < 2000ft. This bit is application in Annex A ADSL1,
ADSL2 and ADSL2+ modes
Reserved

Table 1 Inter-Op related DSL Feature Control bit-field definition

Note 1: The API bits for Cincinnati Bell and France Telecom should not be turned on at the same time.

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

Version 3.6

Note 2. When both API Bits 16 & 18 are 0 (default), the Margin will be maximized while maintaining both
maximize interleaver delay and minimize INP requirement from CO. When both API Bits 16 & 18 are both 1, then
only only MAXIMIZE_INP will take effect, ie. Its same as Bit16=1 & BIT18=0.

3.2

Non-InterOp Related Feature Control Bits

Beginning with AR7 datapump version D6.0, the features described in Table 2 will be controlled via pre-defined bitfields in DSL_PHY_CNTL environment variables.
DSL_PHY_CNTL_<n>
environment variables
DSL_PHY_CNTL_0

Bitfield
0-6
7

8
9

10
11

12

13

14
15

16

17
18

Definition and description

(Reserved) Internal Used Only
0: (default) Enable new optional S & D support as defined in G.992.3
amendment 5 and G.992.5 amendment 3.
1: Disable new option S&D support.
0: (default) Disable INP (Impluse Noise Protection) > 2 support.
1: Enable INP > 2 support.
0: Disable (default)
1: Enable Seamless Rate Adaptation Feature in Showtime. This mode is only
available if the DSLAM supports SRA as per G.992.3 & G.992.5
Standards.
(Note: This feature will be available starting on D6.2)
0: Disable (default)
1: Enable to improve the DS CRC performance in the presence of impulse noise.
0: Disable (default)
1: Enable this bit to activate CPE training starting with T1E1 activation signal,
followed by g.hs activation. This bit would help improve training time in
Multimode against some legacy DSLAMs that are only capable of T1.413 ANSI
training mode. It would not have significant impact on training times for g.hs
capable DSLAMs.
0: Disable (default)
1: When CO is Infineon, enables parsing Minimum Margin (MinMar) from CO
and compares the average downstream (DSMar) margin against this value.
Forces retrain when DSMar < MinMar. This bit is applicable to all Annexes in
all modes (T1.413, G.dmt, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ modes).
0: Disable (default)
1: Enables ADSL2/ADSL2+ training in the presence of Cook Impulse noise.
Enable this API bit only if ADSL2/ADSL2+ training in the presence of cook
impulse noise is desired. There are no known side-effects as of now, but reach
could be limited for loops > 18Kft if the API bit is enabled. This bit is applicable
to only Annex A ADSL2/ADSL2+ modes.
0: Disabled (Default)
1: Enable extended pilot range for all annexes in ADSL2+ mode.
0: Disabled (Default)
1: Enable this API bit to lower GHS transmitting tone power by 1.5dB. This bit
is applicable for training in GHS mode.
0: Disabled (Default)
1: Enable this API bit to support sampling rate changes for G.hs tones for
Cabinet Mode 260 feature.
0 = Enable the ADSL2/2+ Annex M modes (Default).
1 = Disabled.
0 = Disabled (Default)
1 = Adjusts Timing error scale against CNXT DSLAMs to improve long loop
reach under conditions when SNR is low. This bit is applicable to all Annexes in
all modes (T1.413, G.dmt , ADSL2 and ADSL2+ modes)

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

19
20

DSL_PHY_CNTL_1

29-21
30
31
31:0

Version 3.6

0 = Disabled (Default)
1 = Enables HLin Computation in ADSL2/2+ Annex A & B.
0 = Disabled (Default)
1 = Enable this API bit to shorten time spent to reset the modem if training
failures occur in g.hs in legacy Annex A/B Multimode (G.dmt or T1.413).
Reserved
(Reserved) Internal Use Only
Reserved
Reserved

Table 2 Non-InterOp related DSL Feature Control bit-field definition

Examples
1.

To disable the CPE from training in G.992.1 mode against a Globespan Revision 2 DSLAM, use the
following command:
setenv DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0 0x00000001

2.

To enable a mode to reduce upstream CRCs against ADI-based DSLAMs at short loops, use the
following command:
setenv DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0 0x00000002

3.

To disable the CPE from training in G.992.1 mode against a Globespan Revision 2 DSLAM and to enable a
mode to reduce upstream CRCs against ADI-based DSLAMs at short loops, use the following command:
setenv DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0 0x00000003

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

Version 3.6

Appendix A Using Telnet to initialize bootloader environment variables

This section explains the use of Telnet to set bootloader (PSP Boot or ADAM2) environment variables,
DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0 and DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_1. Please note that Telnet is only available when NSP is
running.
The screen-shot at the end of this section is intended to capture the commands issued in the instructions below.
Step 1:
Telnet into IP address 192.168.1.1 with the following information:
login = root
Password = Admin
Step 2:
If your hardware returns a prompt of cli>, type shell to enter the shell. A shell prompt will be displayed with
#.
Step 3:
Use the echo command to set DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_<n> environment variables through the proc file system.
The commands will resemble the following sequence:
#
# cd /proc/ticfg
# echo DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0 0x00000003 > env
Step 4:
This is an optional step and should be used to display the current bootloader environment variable setting.
#
# cat env
BUILD_OPS
0x301
bootloaderVersion
1.4.0.4
ProductID
AR7RD
HWRevision
Unknown
SerialNumber none
MEMSZ 0x01000000
FLASHSZ 0x00400000
MODETTY0
9600,n,8,1,hw
MODETTY1
9600,n,8,1,hw
CPUFREQ 150000000
MIPSFREQ
150000000
SYSFREQ 125000000
PROMPT (psbl)
mtd2 0x90000000,0x90010000
mtd3 0x90010000,0x90020000
HWA_RNDIS
00:E0:A6:66:41:EB
HWA_HRNDIS
00:E0:A6:66:41:E1
HWA_3 O1:03:04:05:03
BOOTCFG m:f:"mtd1"

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AR7 Feature Control API Application Note

Version 3.6

MAC_PORT
0
StaticBuffer 120
autopvc_enable 1
DSL_BIT_TMODE 1
DSL_UPG_DONE 1
vcc_encaps0 0.0
vcc_encaps1 0.0
vcc_encaps2 0.0
vcc_encaps3 0.0
vcc_encaps4 0.0
vcc_encaps5 0.0
vcc_encaps6 0.0
vcc_encaps7 0.0
usb_vid 0x0451
usb_pid 0x6060
IPA 192.168.1.1
wan_br_mac
00.01.02.03.04.05
HWA_1 00:00:01:01:01:02
mtd4 0x90020000,0x90200000
HWA_0 00:e0:b0:c0:d0:ff
mtd1 0x90020090,0x9009a000
mtd0 0x9009a000,0x90200000
DSL_FEATURE_CNTL_0
0x00000003
#

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