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).

 
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