arch/sim: Add PTY mode for simulated UART#19515
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July 24, 2026 06:20
The simulated UART driver currently opens the host path configured by CONFIG_SIM_UARTx_NAME directly. This requires the host-side serial endpoint to exist before NuttX opens the UART, so users and CI jobs need an external setup step such as socat to create a PTY pair. It also means the host endpoint path is effectively a build-time choice: changing the host device path requires changing configuration and rebuilding, which is inconvenient for tests that allocate a fresh PTY path on each run. Add CONFIG_SIM_UART_PTY for Linux sim builds. When enabled, non-console simulated UART ports allocate a host pseudoterminal from /dev/ptmx, put the host master side in raw mode, and print the host slave path when the NuttX UART is opened. The NuttX-side device name remains CONFIG_SIM_UARTx_NAME, for example /dev/ttySIM0, so applications continue to use the normal NuttX serial API. Keep the option disabled by default so existing configurations still open the configured host path directly. Console UART handling is also left on the existing host-open path. Also make host_uart_checkin() and host_uart_checkout() check the actual POLLIN/POLLOUT bits returned by poll(). This avoids treating error-only or unrelated poll events as readable or writable serial readiness. The main benefit is simpler and more deterministic simulator integration: a simulated UART can expose a real host-visible /dev/pts/N endpoint by itself, without pre-creating a matching host device and without rebuilding NuttX when the host PTY path changes. This is useful for host-side test scripts and external protocol tools while keeping application code on the standard NuttX UART interface. Companion apps-side test branch: https://github.com/LingaoM/nuttx-apps/tree/sim_uart_tester Testing: Host: Ubuntu 22.04 x86_64 Board/config: sim:nsh Apps test code: https://github.com/LingaoM/nuttx-apps/tree/sim_uart_tester Common test configuration: CONFIG_NSH_BUILTIN_APPS=y CONFIG_EXAMPLES_HELLO=y CONFIG_SIM_UART_NUMBER=1 CONFIG_SIM_UART0_NAME="/dev/ttySIM0" CONFIG_SIM_UART_PTY=y DMA-mode build and test: 1. Configure sim:nsh with the companion apps tree: ./tools/configure.sh -a ../nuttx-apps sim:nsh 2. Enable the common test configuration above and keep DMA enabled: CONFIG_SIM_UART_DMA=y CONFIG_SERIAL_TXDMA=y CONFIG_SERIAL_RXDMA=y 3. Build: make clean make -j16 4. Start NuttX: ./nuttx 5. In NSH, run the hello test app: nsh> hello /dev/ttySIM0 connected to pseudotty: /dev/pts/73 6. In another terminal, run the host-side tester from the companion apps branch with the printed PTY path: cd ../nuttx-apps ./examples/hello/test_sim_uart_pty.py /dev/pts/73 7. The host-side tester sends 32768 bytes from the host to NuttX and receives 49152 bytes from NuttX to the host. The payload includes non-text binary bytes. Both sides validate deterministic payload contents and checksums, then exchange an ACK. 8. Observed host-side output: HOST_OPEN: /dev/pts/73 HOST_TX: 32768 bytes checksum=0x1f9989f4 HOST_RX: 49152 bytes checksum=0x06a45c69 HOST_TX: ACK TEST PASSED 9. Observed NuttX output: sim_uart_pty_test: binary RX 32768 TX 49152 passed Non-DMA build and test: 1. Disable DMA for the same sim:nsh configuration: # CONFIG_SIM_UART_DMA is not set # CONFIG_SERIAL_TXDMA is not set # CONFIG_SERIAL_RXDMA is not set 2. Refresh the configuration and rebuild. On this host, the installed Python olddefconfig shim is broken, so I refreshed Kconfig directly with kconfig-conf and the same environment that the NuttX Makefile passes to Kconfig: APPSDIR=/mnt/ssd/code/code/nuttx-apps \ APPSBINDIR=/mnt/ssd/code/code/nuttx-apps \ BINDIR=/mnt/ssd/code/code/nuttx \ EXTERNALDIR=/mnt/ssd/code/code/nuttx/dummy \ kconfig-conf --olddefconfig Kconfig make clean make -j16 3. Repeated the same runtime steps as the DMA test: ./nuttx nsh> hello cd ../nuttx-apps ./examples/hello/test_sim_uart_pty.py /dev/pts/73 4. Observed the same successful binary transfer result: HOST_TX: 32768 bytes checksum=0x1f9989f4 HOST_RX: 49152 bytes checksum=0x06a45c69 HOST_TX: ACK TEST PASSED sim_uart_pty_test: binary RX 32768 TX 49152 passed After the non-DMA test, I restored the default DMA configuration, rebuilt, and reran the same binary PTY test successfully so the final local build state was back on CONFIG_SIM_UART_DMA=y. Assisted-by: Claude:Claude-Fable-5 Signed-off-by: Lingao Meng <menglingao@xiaomi.com>
xiaoxiang781216
approved these changes
Jul 24, 2026
acassis
reviewed
Jul 24, 2026
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| If ``CONFIG_SIM_UART_PTY`` is enabled, NuttX creates the host | ||
| pseudoterminal when the simulated UART is opened and prints the host | ||
| PTY slave path. |
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please explain the issues of the previous/existing solution and how it, like you did in the Summary
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The simulated UART driver currently opens the host path configured by
CONFIG_SIM_UARTx_NAME directly. This requires the host-side serial endpoint
to exist before NuttX opens the UART, so users and CI jobs need an external
setup step such as socat to create a PTY pair. It also means the host
endpoint path is effectively a build-time choice: changing the host device
path requires changing configuration and rebuilding, which is inconvenient
for tests that allocate a fresh PTY path on each run.
Add CONFIG_SIM_UART_PTY for Linux sim builds. When enabled, non-console
simulated UART ports allocate a host pseudoterminal from /dev/ptmx, put the
host master side in raw mode, and print the host slave path when the NuttX
UART is opened. The NuttX-side device name remains CONFIG_SIM_UARTx_NAME,
for example /dev/ttySIM0, so applications continue to use the normal NuttX
serial API.
Keep the option disabled by default so existing configurations still open
the configured host path directly. Console UART handling is also left on the
existing host-open path.
Also make host_uart_checkin() and host_uart_checkout() check the actual
POLLIN/POLLOUT bits returned by poll(). This avoids treating error-only or
unrelated poll events as readable or writable serial readiness.
The main benefit is simpler and more deterministic simulator integration: a
simulated UART can expose a real host-visible /dev/pts/N endpoint by itself,
without pre-creating a matching host device and without rebuilding NuttX
when the host PTY path changes. This is useful for host-side test scripts
and external protocol tools while keeping application code on the standard
NuttX UART interface.
Companion apps-side test branch:
https://github.com/LingaoM/nuttx-apps/tree/sim_uart_tester
Testing:
Host:
Board/config:
Apps test code:
Common test configuration:
DMA-mode build and test:
Non-DMA build and test:
After the non-DMA test, I restored the default DMA configuration, rebuilt,
and reran the same binary PTY test successfully so the final local build
state was back on CONFIG_SIM_UART_DMA=y.