An image has two major parts:
- An optional CH
- Software to execute
The CH can contain several parameters set by users to speed up booting. It is further described in Section 34.3.8.2, Configuration Header.
The second part contains the software that is loaded into the memory and executed.
Figure 34-32 is an overview of the boot image formats. There are two image types:
- Non-XIP memory booting: This image type is used for memories that require shadowing (for example, NAND). An image for non-XIP memory may not contain a CH and start straight from the GP header. Next, there must be a small header (referred to as a GP header) that contains information about the size and the destination address.
- When the memory device is of XIP type (for example, NOR), the GP header is not required, and the image can contain code for direct execution. Optionally, the first sector can contain a CH. The same image format is used for peripheral booting (where the code is transferred to internal RAM).