Microtronix is shipping a uClinux cross-development toolkit for the Nios II soft-core processor that can be implemented in Altera FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays). The Nios II Linux Development Kit lets developers write or port applications to the FPGA using standard Linux or Windows (Cygwin) hosts and standard development tools — including C++ tools.

Altera launched the Nios II in May of 2004, along with a royalty-free 32-bit RISC softcore capable of running uClinux. The Nios II targets FPGA-based software-intensive custom processor designs where ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) would be too costly and time-consuming to produce.

Altera says its FPGAs compare favorably in cost to custom ASICs, which it says have doubled in cost with the move from 0.18 to 0.13 micron and 90 nanometer processes

Microtronix first began offering its Linux Development Kit for Altera's original Nios soft-core CPUs in April of 2001.

Microtronix's new Nios II Linux Development kit includes source packages for Das U-Boot bootloader, a Nios II uClinux 2.6.11 kernel, and userland applications, along with Nios II toolchain binaries. It also comes with Nios II sample applications and documentation.

Claimed features include:

• Provides C++ support for uClinux applications
• Links uClibc by default
• Builds applications for uClinux by default
• Supports kernel profiling
• Flash programming and kernel/app. debugging

Microtronix says it designed the Kit's toolchain for ease of use, and to provide an “industry standard environment” that could significantly speed up the porting of user applications.

Availability

The Nios II Linux Development Kit is available now, in Linux (Red Hat 8.o) and Cygwin (Windows XP or 2000) host versions, priced at $900. It requires version 5.0 of Altera's Quartus II Programmable Logic Development tools and Nios II Software Development tools.

 
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