Linux for ARM9, ARM11, PowerPC
Linux is a free Unix-like operating system. It is developed under the GNU General Public License; the source code for Linux is freely available. The embedded version of Linux is designed for devices with relatively limited resources. It is optimized to target specific hardware configurations and usage situations.
UDE Support
The UDE add-on enables Microsoft Windows based parallel debugging of a Linux kernel and additional Linux applications within one user interface. The ARM target processor will be connected with the kernel debugger instance via the standard JTAG interface. An UDE view contains a remote console interface to the Linux kernel, which enables loading and unloading of kernel modules as well as controlling of the Linux system in the running state. New modules are recognized by the debugger and necessary symbol information will load automatically.
The application debugger instances are connected with the target application via common interfaces (i.e. Ethernet) by a modified 'gdb' server running on the target. The Executable and Linking Format (ELF) files (Linux kernel and applications) are thereby located and built on a virtual Linux PC VMware Image that can be loaded by the VMware Player. Via the Common Internet File System (CIFS), the Linux target accesses a shared directory of the virtual Linux PC as a part of the Linux target file system during development. This ensures data consistency between host and target.
Typical Linux applications access libraries only with their first use. In this case, the debugger loads the required additional symbol information. Furthermore, the breakpoints - already set from previous debug sessions in these libraries - will be activated.
With the help of the 'ARM Linux Support' complementary tools and the Universal Debug Engine, target Linux applications can be tested on normal Windows PCs, running the VMware Image. Corresponding solutions for Freescale's PowerArchitecture™ and Intel's XScale architecture are in preparation.
UDE Linux Kernel debugging
- Linux kernel version 2.6 is currently supported
- Linux kernel patches are delivered together UDE
- JTAG is used as communication channel between debugging of kernel module and UDE
- A ShockWave Flash animation about the UDE Linux Kernel debugging is available here
UDE Debugging of Linux Applications
- Ability of parallel UDE kernel and application debugging
- Additional application examples make first steps very easy
- IP address and folder name must be provide to UDE via target configuration setting
- VMware image contains the application ELF-files, the kernel image and appropriated sources
- Ethernet interface between the target and the host system ( used from 'gdb' server) is required
- A ShockWave Flash animation about the UDE Linux Application debugging is available here
Features
- Linux Kernel: 2.6.22
- Device Drivers: Ethernet , Frame buffer, GPIO, I2C, NAND Flash, NOR Flash, PCMCIA, RTC, Serial, SD/MMC, SPI, Touch screen, USB Host, Watchdog, JTAG
- NFS root file system support
- Tool chain: gcc 4.1.2, glibc 2.5, binutils 2.18
- Root File System Packages (glibc-based; small footprint): busybox (1.9.0), dropbear (0.45), customised gdbserver (6.6), glibc (2.5), mtd-utils (1.0.1), openssh (4.3p2), openssl (0.9.8g), zlib (1.2.3), bash (2.05b), e2fsprogs (1.34), httpd (2.0.54), vsftpd (2.0.5)