How to Program a Fresh Ara240 Module on a Custom i.MX95 PCIe Platform?

[yuvraj1102]

Hello NXP Team,

We are using a custom i.MX95-based board (not the FRDM-i.MX95 EVK) and have connected an Ara240 M.2 module through the PCIe M-Key interface.

After reviewing the Ara240 Runtime SDK documentation, we understand the normal runtime flow where the Ara240 device is enumerated over PCIe and initialized by the Runtime SDK during system boot.

We would like to understand the requirements related to first-time module provisioning/programming for manufacturing and production support.

Could you please clarify the following:

1. Does the Ara240 M.2 module come pre-programmed from the factory, or is any initial firmware flashing required before first use?
2. If the module is fresh, blank, or the onboard flash becomes corrupted, what is the recommended recovery or programming procedure?
3. Is there any firmware or software component that needs to be programmed only once during manufacturing?
4. Which components are loaded or initialized automatically during every boot by the Ara240 Runtime SDK?
5. Is there a manufacturing, provisioning, or recovery guide available for customers using custom i.MX95 hardware platforms?
6. Are there any additional steps required when using Ara240 on a custom board compared to the FRDM-i.MX95 reference platform?

Any guidance or documentation related to first-time provisioning, firmware recovery, or production deployment would be greatly appreciated.

[yuvraj1102]

How can i get the manufacturing document. Is there any doc which is accessible i can refer to ??

[rafeal]

Hi Yuvraj,
1. I couldn't find NXP saying either way. The runtime SDK assumes firmware is already there. It has you run chip_info.sh and check firmware_version(raw) is 131072.
2. program_flash.sh in the same package is the only flashing tool I've seen. Reboot after it. I found no separate recovery doc for a blank or corrupted flash.
3. Just the firmware. The rt-sdk-ara2 README says flashing is a one time activity that persists across reboots.
4. rt-sdk-ara2.service loads uiodma.ko, does the hardware bringup, then starts the proxy daemon. A udev rule kicks it off when the module shows up.
5. Not that I can find. Public docs are the README at github.com/nxp-imx/rt-sdk-ara2, the getting started guide GS-ARA2-M2-16G-GT, and UM12420 for the board. None is a manufacturing guide.
6. Nothing extra on the software side that I could see. Get it enumerating first, lspci | grep 1e58 should give 1e58:0002. The README only lists FRDM i.MX 8M Plus and FRDM i.MX 95 as supported, and the installer warns other targets aren't guaranteed.
Hope it helps
Raz, Parter (AI Supply chain app)

[cassie258elks]

The Ara240 M.2 module is normally shipped pre‑programmed, with the Runtime SDK handling initialization at boot, but if the onboard flash is blank or corrupted, recovery requires re‑flashing the firmware using the SDK tools and provisioning steps outlined in NXP’s manufacturing guide. Typically only base firmware is programmed once during production, while runtime components load automatically at each boot. For custom i.MX95 boards, the same provisioning flow applies as with the FRDM‑i.MX95, though you may need to adapt board‑specific PCIe and power sequencing. Official provisioning and recovery documentation from NXP is the recommended reference for manufacturing support.

[yuvraj1102]

How can i get the manufacturing document. Is there any doc which is accessible i can refer to ??