Introduction#

Silicon Labs has introduced both a complete update to its Simplicity Studio tool suite, as well as a new, component-based Gecko Platform architecture. For more information about the changes in Simplicity Studio 5 and the Bluetooth SDK, see AN1255: Transitioning from the v2.x to the v3.x Bluetooth® SDK.

Bluetooth Mesh SDK 2.0.0 is released with Gecko Software Development Kit suite version 3.1.0 in Simplicity Studio 5 (SSv5). It is built on top of the component-based Gecko Platform architecture. With this design, Bluetooth Mesh developers benefit the following component-based project configuration features:

  • Search and filter to find and discover software components that work with the target device.

  • Automatically pull in all component dependencies and initialization code.

  • Configurable software components including peripheral inits, drivers, middleware, and stacks.

  • All configuration settings in C header files for use outside of Simplicity Studio.

  • Configuration validation to alert developers to errors or issues.

  • Easily manage all project source using git or other SCM tools.

  • Managed migration to future component and SDK versions.

  • Simplified transitions from Silicon Labs development kits to custom hardware.

Other features of the SSv5/GSDK v3.x development environment include:

  • Project source management options (link to SDK sources or copy all contents to user folder).

  • Graphical pin configuration.

  • Redesigned Bluetooth Configurator with a fresh UI that is more intuitive for Bluetooth and GATT customization.

  • Redesigned Radio Configurator with a fresh UI that is more intuitive for single- and multi-PHY customization.

  • Redesigned stack configurator (used to be memory configuration) with a fresh UI that’s more intuitive for Bluetooth Mesh application customization.

  • Iterative development (configure components, edit sources, compile, debug) using SSv5 configuration tools and third-party IDEs.

  • GNU makefiles as a build option.

Other changes are specific to the SDK. Bluetooth Mesh SDK v2.x contains a number of changes compared to Bluetooth Mesh SDK v1.x. The main changes are as follows

  1. The project structure of the sample applications has changed. Many autogenerated files and unified configuration files help when adding and configuring software components.

  2. The entire project generation is now based on software components. This makes it possible to add functionality to the project with only a click, instead of copying files manually and looking for dependencies.

  3. The Bluetooth Mesh API has changed. The API commands and events use a new nomenclature to comply with Silicon Labs standards. Additionally, some new classes and commands are introduced and some of them are removed to make the API more transparent and consistent.

  4. The GATT configurator is completely redesigned. The new user interface is more modern, while the generator tool makes it possible to add partial extensions to the GATT database. This means that the GATT database can be easily extended programmatically.

  5. The memory configurator is renamed to Bluetooth Mesh stack configurator and separated from the DCD configurator. A Component Configurator tool in SSv5 is available to configure all component parameters, which makes it easy to use predefined values, and to validate custom values.

This application note guides you through these changes, and describes the migration steps necessary to move a project from Bluetooth Mesh SDK v1.x to v2.x.

For details about the release, see the release notes provided with the SDK.