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Linux-aware debugger supports ARM11 ETMs

Sep 19, 2006 — by LinuxDevices Staff — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 2 views

American Arium has revised its hardware-assisted debugging software for ARM-architecture processors. SourcePoint 6.3 mainly adds support for ARM11 ETMs (embedded trace macrocells), when used with the company's flagship HS-1000 JTAG probe.

According to ARM, ETMs “allow information on the processor's state to be captured, both before and after a specific event, while adding no burden to the processor's performance.” ARM11-based processors offering the feature include the ARM1136J(F)-S, ARM1156T2(F)-S, and ARM1176JZ(F)-S.

Arium's HS-1000 is the newest, fastest model in its line of hardware assisted debuggers. It supports ARM7, ARM9, ARM11, Intel XScale, and TI OMAP processor cores, and features a trace depth of 256 megabytes, along with a half-clock capture rate of 680 MHz. The half-clock trace capture rate “relates to the maximum device core clock speed supported,” Arium says.

The new SourcePoint 6.3 software release also supports the GT-1000D, Arium's gigabyte trace analyzer, and the LC-500, a low-cost JTAG emulator.

New SourcePoint 6.3 features include:

  • IPC (individual processor control) for multi-core targets
  • Hot plugging enables debug sessions to be initiated “at the point at which code has hung,” Arium says
  • Better “Watch Window” support for complex variables when more than one program is loaded

Other touted SourcePoint features include:

  • Industry-standard input file formats
  • C-like command language
  • Operates in real time with “all core frequencies,” Arium says
  • Supports popular compiler tool chains
  • An available Linux OS-aware debug solution supports full symbolic, source-level debugging of Linux kernel code and applications, including loadable kernel modules and shared libraries
  • Enables debugging to start immediately from board reset
  • Can host Linux console devices within SourcePoint, for easier debugging of headless systems

Arium CEO Larry Traylor stated, “ETMv3 is a major ARM-architecture update to support the new features of the ARM11 families of processors. SourcePoint 6.3 and the HS-1000 [deliver] exceptional trace at the industry's fastest capture rate of 680 MHz via a dependable, user-friendly software interface with advanced Linux debug features.”

Availability

SourcePoint is available now, with Arium's hardware-assisted debug tools. A whitepaper on using SourcePoint to debug Linux targets can be found here (PDF download).


 
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.



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