ara::diag - Diagnostic Services - AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform

ara::diag Architecture

ara::diag exposes UDS (ISO 14229) diagnostic services over DoIP (ISO 13400) transport on Ethernet. The DiagnosticServer is an Adaptive Application (or FC service) that registers typed callbacks for each UDS service ID.

Diagnostic Stack

  Tester PC / CAPL Script
       │  UDP/TCP Ethernet
       ▼
  DoIP Layer (ISO 13400)         Logical Address in Machine Manifest
       │
       ▼
  ara::diag DiagnosticServer
       │  UDS Service dispatch
       ├──► $10 DiagnosticSessionControl handler
       ├──► $22 ReadDataByIdentifier handler
       ├──► $2E WriteDataByIdentifier handler
       ├──► $27 SecurityAccess handler
       └──► $19 ReadDTCInformation handler
                    │
                    ▼ DTCs managed by DiagnosticMonitor

Service $22 ReadDataByIdentifier

C++did_read.cpp

#include <ara/diag/generic_uds_service.h>

// Register $22 handler for DID 0xF190 (VIN)
diagServer.RegisterService(
    0x22, // service ID
    [](ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer requestData) {
        uint16_t did = (requestData[1] << 8) | requestData[2];
        if (did == 0xF190) {
            ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer resp{0x62, 0xF1, 0x90};
            auto vin = kvs.GetValue<std::string>("VIN").ValueOr("UNKNOWN");
            resp.insert(resp.end(), vin.begin(), vin.end());
            return resp;
        }
        // NRC 0x31: Request Out of Range
        return ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer{0x7F, 0x22, 0x31};
    });

Service $2E WriteDID & $27 SecurityAccess

C++security_access.cpp

// $27 SecurityAccess: seed/key exchange
bool security_unlocked = false;
uint32_t current_seed = 0;

diagServer.RegisterService(0x27, [&](auto req) {
    uint8_t subFunc = req[1];
    if (subFunc == 0x01) { // Request seed
        current_seed = GenerateCryptoRandomSeed();
        return ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer{
            0x67, 0x01,
            uint8_t(current_seed >> 24), uint8_t(current_seed >> 16),
            uint8_t(current_seed >> 8),  uint8_t(current_seed)};
    }
    if (subFunc == 0x02) { // Verify key
        uint32_t key = (req[2]<<24)|(req[3]<<16)|(req[4]<<8)|req[5];
        if (key == DeriveKey(current_seed)) {
            security_unlocked = true;
            return ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer{0x67, 0x02};
        }
        return ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer{0x7F, 0x27, 0x35}; // NRC 0x35
    }
    return ara::diag::ServiceDataContainer{0x7F, 0x27, 0x12};
});

DTC Reporting

C++dtc_reporting.cpp

#include <ara/diag/monitor.h>

// Create a DiagnosticMonitor for a DTC
ara::diag::Monitor dtcMonitor(
    ara::core::InstanceSpecifier{"DiagApp/SensorFaultMonitor"});

// Report fault status in application logic
void CheckSensorHealth() {
    if (SensorUnresponsive()) {
        dtcMonitor.ReportMonitorAction(
            ara::diag::MonitorAction::kFailed);  // sets testFailed bit
    } else {
        dtcMonitor.ReportMonitorAction(
            ara::diag::MonitorAction::kPassed);  // clears testFailed bit
    }
}

// DTC status visible via $19 02 ReadDTCByStatusMask
// DTC status byte bit 0 (testFailed) set when kFailed reported

💡 DTC Status Byte

The DTC status byte follows ISO 14229-1: bit 0 = testFailed, bit 3 = confirmedDTC, bit 4 = testNotCompletedSinceLastClear, bit 5 = testFailedSinceLastClear. The kPrepassed / kPrefailed actions implement debouncing before bit 0 transitions.

Summary

ara::diag brings full UDS diagnostics to Adaptive ECUs over DoIP without a separate CAN-based DCM. Service handlers, SecurityAccess, and DiagnosticMonitor together provide the OBD and EOL diagnostic capability required by every OEM.

🔬 Deep Dive — Core Concepts Expanded

This section builds on the foundational concepts covered above with additional technical depth, edge cases, and configuration nuances that separate competent engineers from experts. When working on production ECU projects, the details covered here are the ones most commonly responsible for integration delays and late-phase defects.

Key principles to reinforce:

Configuration over coding: In AUTOSAR and automotive middleware environments, correctness is largely determined by ARXML configuration, not application code. A correctly implemented algorithm can produce wrong results due to a single misconfigured parameter.
Traceability as a first-class concern: Every configuration decision should be traceable to a requirement, safety goal, or architecture decision. Undocumented configuration choices are a common source of regression defects when ECUs are updated.
Cross-module dependencies: In tightly integrated automotive software stacks, changing one module's configuration often requires corresponding updates in dependent modules. Always perform a dependency impact analysis before submitting configuration changes.

🏭 How This Topic Appears in Production Projects

Project integration phase: The concepts covered in this lesson are most commonly encountered during ECU integration testing — when multiple software components from different teams are combined for the first time. Issues that were invisible in unit tests frequently surface at this stage.
Supplier/OEM interface: This is a topic that frequently appears in technical discussions between Tier-1 ECU suppliers and OEM system integrators. Engineers who can speak fluently about these details earn credibility and are often brought into critical design review meetings.
Automotive tool ecosystem: Vector CANoe/CANalyzer, dSPACE tools, and ETAS INCA are the standard tools used to validate and measure the correct behaviour of the systems described in this lesson. Familiarity with these tools alongside the conceptual knowledge dramatically accelerates debugging in real projects.

⚠️ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Assuming default configuration is correct: Automotive software tools ship with default configurations that are designed to compile and link, not to meet project-specific requirements. Every configuration parameter needs to be consciously set. 'It compiled' is not the same as 'it is correctly configured'.
Skipping documentation of configuration rationale: In a 3-year ECU project with team turnover, undocumented configuration choices become tribal knowledge that disappears when engineers leave. Document why a parameter is set to a specific value, not just what it is set to.
Testing only the happy path: Automotive ECUs must behave correctly under fault conditions, voltage variations, and communication errors. Always test the error handling paths as rigorously as the nominal operation. Many production escapes originate in untested error branches.
Version mismatches between teams: In a multi-team project, the BSW team, SWC team, and system integration team may use different versions of the same ARXML file. Version management of all ARXML files in a shared repository is mandatory, not optional.

📊 Industry Note

Engineers who master both the theoretical concepts and the practical toolchain skills covered in this course are among the most sought-after professionals in the automotive software industry. The combination of AUTOSAR standards knowledge, safety engineering understanding, and hands-on configuration experience commands premium salaries at OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers globally.