American Arium announced JTAG-based console and debug support for Linux-based embedded systems lacking serial or LAN connectivity. Arium's SourcePoint debugger provides ANSI terminal functionality using “debug communications channel” (DCC) commands over the target's JTAG port — a mechanism that works “straight from system reset,” the company said.

“Linux is being embedded in smaller and smaller devices everyday,” said Arium CEO Larry Traylor. “Many of them, such as cellular phones and PDAs, do not have serial or ethernet ports — but they do have JTAG ports.”

“We first started using the target DCC when integrating Monitor Mode functionality into SourcePoint for ARM processors as a means to perform JTAG operations without stopping the target. Our efforts there have led us to develop a means to use the DCC for system I/O as well as for debugging,” Traylor added.

Currently, SourcePoint supports halt mode kernel debugging together with boot console bring up, using the JTAG interface, on ARM9 processors, the company said. The production version of SourcePoint with full Linux support will be available by the third quarter of 2003.

SourcePoint's JTAG-based Linux console and debug support will be demonstrated, on an ARM9 processor running MontaVista Linux, in Arium's booth at the Embedded Systems Conference this week in San Francisco.

 
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