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S29GL-N
S29GL-N_00_B8 May 30, 2008
Da ta
Sh e e t
Secured Silicon Sector Protection allows the user to lock the Secured Silicon Sector area
Persistent Protection Mode Lock Bit allows the user to set the device permanently to operate in the
Persistent Protection Mode
Password Protection Mode Lock Bit allows the user to set the device permanently to operate in the
Password Protection Mode
7.13
Persistent Sector Protection
The Persistent Sector Protection method replaces the old 12 V controlled protection method while at the
same time enhancing flexibility by providing three different sector protection states:
Dynamically Locked-The sector is protected and can be changed by a simple command
Persistently Locked-A sector is protected and cannot be changed
Unlocked-The sector is unprotected and can be changed by a simple command
In order to achieve these states, three types of “bits” are going to be used:
7.13.1
Dynamic Protection Bit (DYB)
A volatile protection bit is assigned for each sector. After power-up or hardware reset, the contents of all DYB
bits are in the “unprotected state”. Each DYB is individually modifiable through the DYB Set Command and
DYB Clear Command. When the parts are first shipped, all of the Persistent Protect Bits (PPB) are cleared
into the unprotected state. The DYB bits and PPB Lock bit are defaulted to power up in the cleared state or
unprotected state - meaning the all PPB bits are changeable.
The Protection State for each sector is determined by the logical OR of the PPB and the DYB related to that
sector. For the sectors that have the PPB bits cleared, the DYB bits control whether or not the sector is
protected or unprotected. By issuing the DYB Set and DYB Clear command sequences, the DYB bits is
protected or unprotected, thus placing each sector in the protected or unprotected state. These are the so-
called Dynamic Locked or Unlocked states. They are called dynamic states because it is very easy to switch
back and forth between the protected and un-protected conditions. This allows software to easily protect
sectors against inadvertent changes yet does not prevent the easy removal of protection when changes are
needed.
The DYB bits maybe set or cleared as often as needed. The PPB bits allow for a more static, and difficult to
change, level of protection. The PPB bits retain their state across power cycles because they are Non-
Volatile. Individual PPB bits are set with a program command but must all be cleared as a group through an
erase command.
The PPB Lock Bit adds an additional level of protection. Once all PPB bits are programmed to the desired
settings, the PPB Lock Bit may be set to the “freeze state”. Setting the PPB Lock Bit to the “freeze state”
disables all program and erase commands to the Non-Volatile PPB bits. In effect, the PPB Lock Bit locks the
PPB bits into their current state. The only way to clear the PPB Lock Bit to the “unfreeze state” is to go
through a power cycle, or hardware reset. The Software Reset command does not clear the PPB Lock Bit to
the “unfreeze state”. System boot code can determine if any changes to the PPB bits are needed e.g. to allow
new system code to be downloaded. If no changes are needed then the boot code can set the PPB Lock Bit
to disable any further changes to the PPB bits during system operation.
The WP# write protect pin adds a final level of hardware protection. When this pin is low it is not possible to
change the contents of the WP# protected sectors. These sectors generally hold system boot code. So, the
WP# pin can prevent any changes to the boot code that could override the choices made while setting up
sector protection during system initialization.
It is possible to have sectors that have been persistently locked, and sectors that are left in the dynamic state.
The sectors in the dynamic state are all unprotected. If there is a need to protect some of them, a simple DYB
Set command sequence is all that is necessary. The DYB Set and DYB Clear commands for the dynamic
Table 7.6 Lock Register
DQ15-3
DQ2
DQ1
DQ0
Don’t Care
Password Protection Mode Lock
Bit
Persistent Protection Mode Lock
Bit
Secured Silicon Sector
Protection Bit