Enea announced the release of a Linux configuration and build environment integrated with NetLogic Microsystems' Linux software development kit (SDK). Billed as “an intuitive and extensible Linux jump start kit,” and free to customers using NetLogic's MIPS-based XLP, XLR, and XLS processors, Enea's offering is said to incorporate graphical configuration, build, and debug tools.

In April, Enea announced it had expanded its relationship with NetLogic Microsystems, which acquired RMI Corp. last year along with its Linux-ready, MIPS64-based XLP, XLR, and XLS multicore, multithreaded processors. In May, NetLogic and Mentor Graphics announced a somewhat similar agreement calling for Mentor to support the same processors with Mentor's Linux development software.

The Enea/NetLogic joint development kit is now available, based on the Enea Linux Project Framework (ELPF) embedded Linux build service and NetLogic's Linux-based SDK (see diagram below). The product combines the Eclipse-based ELPF Linux configuration and build tool with a pre-integrated NetLogic Microsystems Edition package that incorporates a Linux-based SDK, says Enea.

Major Enea Linux Project Framework (ELPF) accessible components

The combined tool-set includes a custom configuration of the Linux-compatible Enea Optima IDE, which offers a suite of system and application level debug and profiling tools. Other features are said to include an editor, navigation, and project facilities.

Enea is providing optional, annual support subscriptions, as well as various "value-add services," says the company. Multicore runtime and tools options are also said to be available.

Background

The first XLP processor, NetLogic's XLP732, was unveiled last May. This superscalar, 40nm-fabricated addition to its family of multicore MIPS64-based system-on-chips (SoCs) is said to support both data- and control-plane processing.

The XLP832 can mix eight "EC4400" cores clocked at 500MHz to over 2GHz, and offers three times the performance per Watt of its previous XLR SoCs, which were introduced in 2005, claims NetLogic. The XLR SoC, meanwhile, integrates four or eight MIPS64 cores, but each is clocked at only 1.5GHz, and they lack superscalar capability.

The lower end of the product line is represented by the XLS family, including the XLS208 SoC introduced in 2008. The XLS208 offers dual 1GHz cores, and like the other Netlogic processors, comes with a Linux-compatible evaluation board and SDK.

Stated Mathias Bath, senior vice president of marketing at Enea, "The business model of unrestricted access, with true value-add in available advanced runtime components, tools, support and services is the way in which developers today expect to work with open source software. And the custom 'platform builder' approach at the core of this PDK is certainly the way developers prefer to build their Linux-based systems moving forward."

Availability

The integrated Enea Linux configuration and build environment, with NetLogic's Linux SDK, is now available for free to NetLogic's multicore customers, say the companies.

More information on NetLogic's SDKs may be found here. More on Enea's Optima may be found here.

This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.