The wakeup time from Deep-sleep mode is much longer, compared to Light-sleep and Modem-sleep modes as ROM and RAM are both powered down in this case, and the CPU needs more time for SPI booting. However, {IDF_TARGET_NAME} supports running a “Deep-sleep wake stub” when coming out of Deep-sleep. This function runs immediately as soon as the chip wakes up - before any normal initialization, bootloader, or ESP-IDF code has run.
Specifically, after waking up from Deep-sleep mode, {IDF_TARGET_NAME} starts partial initialization. Then RTC fast memory will be validated with CRC. If validation passes, the wake stub code will be executed.
As {IDF_TARGET_NAME} has just woken up from Deep-sleep, most of the peripherals are in the reset state. The SPI flash has not been mapped. Thus, wake stub code can only call functions implemented in ROM or loaded into RTC fast memory, which retains content during Deep-sleep.
From the above, by utilizing the wake stub functionality in an application, you can quickly run some code when waking up from Deep-sleep mode, without having to wait for the whole boot-up process. However, the stub size is restricted by the size of RTC fast memory.
{IDF_TARGET_NAME} supports RTC memory, including both RTC fast memory and RTC slow memory. The wake stub code should be loaded into RTC fast memory, with data utilized by the code being stored in RTC fast or RTC slow memory.
The wake stub in esp-idf is realized by the function :cpp:func:`esp_wake_deep_sleep()`. This function is executed whenever the SoC wakes from Deep-sleep. As this function is weakly-linked to the default function :cpp:func:`esp_default_wake_deep_sleep()`, if your application contains a function with the name ``esp_wake_deep_sleep()``, the default version :cpp:func:`esp_default_wake_deep_sleep()` in esp-idf will be overridden.
Please note that implementing the function :cpp:func:`esp_wake_deep_sleep()` in your application is not mandatory for utilizing the Deep-sleep functionality. It becomes necessary only if you want to introduce certain behavior immediately upon the SoC's wake-up.
The wake stub code can only call functions present in ROM or loaded into RTC fast memory. All other RAM locations are unintiailized and contain random data. While the wake stub code can use other RAM areas for temporary storage, the contents of these areas will be overwritten either upon returning to Deep-sleep mode or upon initiating esp-idf.
Wake stub code is a part of the main esp-idf application. During regular execution of esp-idf, functions can call the wake stub code or access RTC memory, treating them as a regular part of the application.
- Place the function :cpp:func:`esp_wake_deep_sleep()` into any source file with name starting with ``rtc_wake_stub``. For files with such names ``rtc_wake_stub*``, their contents can be automatically put into RTC fast memory by the linker.
RTC memory must include read-only data used by the wake stub code. Data in RTC memory is initialized whenever the SoC restarts, except when waking from Deep-sleep. In such cases, the data retained before entering to Deep-sleep are kept. Data used by the wake stub code must be resident in RTC memory, i.e. RTC fast memory or in RTC slow memory.
The RTC memory area where the data will be placed can be configured via the menuconfig option :ref:`CONFIG_{IDF_TARGET_CFG_PREFIX}_RTCDATA_IN_FAST_MEM`. This option allows keeping slow memory area for ULP programs. Once it is enabled, the data marked with ``RTC_DATA_ATTR`` and ``RTC_RODATA_ATTR`` are placed in the RTC fast memory segment; otherwise, it goes to RTC slow memory (the default option). This option depends on the :ref:`CONFIG_FREERTOS_UNICORE` option because RTC fast memory can be accessed only by PRO_CPU.
The attributes ``RTC_FAST_ATTR`` and ``RTC_SLOW_ATTR`` can be used to specify data that is forcefully placed into RTC fast memory and RTC slow memory, respectively. Any access to data marked with ``RTC_FAST_ATTR`` is allowed by PRO_CPU only.
The attributes ``RTC_FAST_ATTR`` and ``RTC_SLOW_ATTR`` can be used to specify data that is forcefully placed into RTC fast memory and RTC slow memory, respectively.
The attributes ``RTC_FAST_ATTR`` and ``RTC_SLOW_ATTR`` can be used to specify data that will be force placed into RTC fast memory and RTC slow memory respectively. However, {IDF_TARGET_NAME} includes RTC fast memory only, so both these two attributes will map to this region.
- Place the data into any source file with name starting with ``rtc_wake_stub``, as demonstrated in the example source file :example_file:`system/deep_sleep_wake_stub/main/rtc_wake_stub_example.c`.
You can enable the Kconfig option :ref:`CONFIG_BOOTLOADER_SKIP_VALIDATE_IN_DEEP_SLEEP` to reduce wake-up time. See more information in :doc:`Fast boot from Deep-sleep <bootloader>`.