Developing embedded systems is a complex endeavor, often fraught with intricate hardware-software interactions that can be notoriously challenging to debug. Ensuring the reliability and performance of these systems requires powerful tools that offer deep visibility into the target. Enter Wind River’s On-Chip Debugging (OCD) solutions, a comprehensive suite designed to streamline the entire embedded development lifecycle.
The Power of Integrated Debugging #
At the heart of Wind River’s offering is the Workbench On-Chip Debugging (OCD), an Eclipse-based Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This single, unified environment is engineered for:
- Software-based agent development: Building and refining embedded software.
- Target simulation: Testing software in a simulated environment before hardware is ready.
- JTAG on-chip debugging: Directly interacting with and controlling the target hardware at a low level.
One of the standout features is its robust design for multicore and multiprocessing debugging. This is crucial in today’s embedded landscape where complex systems often utilize multiple cores and threads. The Eclipse standards framework further enhances extensibility, allowing integration with hundreds of other Eclipse-based tools.
Hardware that Delivers Deep Visibility #
Wind River’s OCD solution is complemented by two key hardware debugger units:
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Wind River ICE 2 (Multicore JTAG Debug Unit): This next-generation debugging platform offers high performance with up to a 100 MHz JTAG clock. It’s designed for:
- Remote debugging via Ethernet.
- Debugging multicore and multiple-thread systems.
- Debugging multiple devices on the same scan chain, supporting up to eight devices simultaneously and connecting to up to 128 cores.
- Advanced features like correlated multicore breakpoints and synchronized run-control, enabling all cores to be halted or resumed simultaneously.
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Wind River Probe (Portable JTAG Debug Unit): A powerful and cost-effective JTAG solution that provides portability through a USB connection to the host. It’s ideal for:
- Board bring-up and portable debugging.
- In-field debugging and manufacturing tests.
- Supporting single-core/single (main) thread debugging. The Probe also boasts impressive JTAG performance, supporting clock speeds up to 100MHz and various target voltages with reconfigurable FPGA technology for adaptability to new architectures.
Both units enable full control over your system, allowing quick and efficient assessment and debugging through deep visibility into your platform, including access to CPU and peripheral resources (registers, memory).
Comprehensive Software Capabilities #
The Wind River Workbench On-Chip Debugging provides a rich set of features, offering unparalleled system control and insight:
- System Mode Debug: Debugging boot loaders, kernels, and applications within a single connection without requiring code instrumentation.
- Powerful Breakpoint Mechanisms: Essential for controlling program execution.
- OS Awareness: Provides deep visibility into kernel objects, processes, threads, and tasks for various operating systems including VxWorks, Wind River Linux, and third-party Linux distributions.
- Multi-context Debugging: Within the Workbench, cores are color-coded and labeled, and windows are movable, allowing a focused view of necessary information.
- Intel CPU-specific features: Includes support for UEFI-compliant BIOS debug, interactive register bit-field editors, and system structure views for Intel processors, a result of collaboration between Wind River and Intel.
Supporting Every Phase of the Development Lifecycle #
Wind River’s On-Chip Debugging solutions are designed to support every critical phase of embedded device development:
- Hardware Bring-Up: Assisting in bringing up new target boards, developing bootloaders, customizing BIOS, and loading firmware into flash memory.
- Firmware, Driver & BSP Development: Stabilizing OS kernels, optimizing device drivers, and loading kernels into flash.
- Application Development: Facilitating the bring-up and debugging of SMP, multi-OS, or virtualized systems, and identifying complex system crashes.
- Test & Manufacturing: Providing scripting capabilities to automate test cycles, produce reports, program flash, and debug manufacturing defects.
Wind River’s Workbench On-Chip Debugging supports a broad spectrum of over 600 processors, including leading 32-bit and 64-bit single-core and multicore architectures from ARM, Intel, MIPS, Power, and ColdFire, ensuring wide compatibility for developers.
In essence, Wind River’s On-Chip Debugging solutions offer a robust, integrated, and high-performance approach to tackling the complexities of embedded system development, from initial hardware bring-up to final manufacturing and testing.