[ECOS] Possible similar Setups trying to use the ARM Developer Suitewith ECOS

[ECOS] Possible similar Setups trying to use the ARM Developer Suitewith ECOS

[Jason van Aardt]

After reading through the archives, I realise that there are similar questions
and answers posted, however I was just wondering if any one else
has tried to get the exact following setup running:

Has anyone else tried using the ARM developer Suite Tools (armasm, compiler and linker) to build ECOS for the ARM processor?

I personally would prefer to use linux and the GNU tools, however, there is a requirement to use the 
debugger that comes with the ADS (ARM Debugger for Windows), which supports debuging via the JTAG port. Our application is timing critial (ok all embedded apps are;) ), and as far as I understand, GDB only supports " softice" debugging via the serial (or ethernet ports).

As I understand, the ARM has specialised hardware, which can be connected to via the JTAG interface, which can perform debugging (MULTI-ICE), and the ADW supports this. 

My concern over timing is is due to the fact that our application interfaces to dedicated "phsical layer" hardware for a cellular phone , and the timing critical chain is the control path to the physical layer.

Has anyone any comments about the merits of a Softice( debug monitor) versus this "JTAG  MULTI_ICE approach"?

I personally have only ever use the softice approach (paradigm on x86)  and a "real ICE" (plugs in where the CPU normally plugs in)

After wading through the mailing list, I realise  that the general answer to "is is possible to compile ECOS with compiler X" is NO as ECOS uses GCC specific thingamabobs.

I have spent some time compiling ECOS with armcc, and although I see some GCC specific things, 
most of them I have been able to get around( ignoring the attribute directive though, and a couple others ), and have got the C source files to compile with only warnings(mostly about unused parameters).

However the ASM is proving to be a nightmare (but slowly getting there)
And I am therefore nowhere near linking.


Basically I want to know if what I am trying to do is a complete and utter waste of time, as it is impossible, and there are other things I am missing/misunderstanding.




Thanks
Jason van Aardt

Re: [ECOS] Possible similar Setups trying to use the ARM Developer Suite with ECOS

[Grant Edwards]

On Mon, Sep 18, 2000 at 07:25:07PM +0200, Jason van Aardt wrote:

> Has anyone else tried using the ARM developer Suite Tools
> (armasm, compiler and linker) to build ECOS for the ARM
> processor?

Various people have tinkered with using non-gcc compilers, I
don't know if anybody has gotten it to work.  If you do, you're
going to be on your own...

> I personally would prefer to use linux and the GNU tools,
> however, there is a requirement to use the debugger that comes
> with the ADS (ARM Debugger for Windows), which supports
> debuging via the JTAG port. Our application is timing critial
> (ok all embedded apps are;) ), and as far as I understand, GDB
> only supports " softice" debugging via the serial (or ethernet
> ports).

Gdb currently supports using the JTAG port via either of two
JTAG interface boxes: the Jeeni from EPI or the EmbeddedICE
from ARM.  With recent patches, Insight also works.  Hint: the
"RDI" target is the one that talks to the JTAG boxes, so if you
search the archive for RDI, you'll see the relevent messages.

There is reportedly a Gdb target in the works for the
EmbeddedICE successor (MultiICE).  It uses a different protocol
than the earlier JTAG boxes and therefore won't work with the
existing RDI target code in gdb.

> As I understand, the ARM has specialised hardware, which can be
> connected to via the JTAG interface, which can perform
> debugging (MULTI-ICE), and the ADW supports this.

Correct -- as does Gdb, though I don't know if multi-ice
support has been released to the public.

> My concern over timing is is due to the fact that our
> application interfaces to dedicated "phsical layer" hardware
> for a cellular phone , and the timing critical chain is the
> control path to the physical layer.

Even if you do software debugging (via gdb stubs) instead of
the JTAG port, timing of your executing code is unaffected.
Downloading is a lot faster via JTAG, and it's slightly easier
to regain control via JTAG when your target software runs off
into the weeds.  JTAG also alows you to put a breakpoint in ROM
code.

> Has anyone any comments about the merits of a Softice( debug
> monitor) versus this "JTAG MULTI_ICE approach"?

JTAG is nice if you don't have an "extra" serial/ethernet port.

> I personally have only ever use the softice approach (paradigm
> on x86) and a "real ICE" (plugs in where the CPU normally plugs
> in)

JTAG debugging is a lot closer to soft-ICE than it is to "real
ICE". JTAG has no trace buffer, no overlay memory, and only
supports a couple hardware breakpoints.  Except for the
hardware breakpoints, you're basically doing soft-ICE though a
dedicated high speed sync serial port (which is nice compared
to gluing on an extra Ethernet or RS-232 port)..

> After wading through the mailing list, I realise that the
> general answer to "is is possible to compile ECOS with compiler
> X" is NO as ECOS uses GCC specific thingamabobs.

My _guess_ is that it would be easier to get the gnu output
files converted to a format that the ARM debugger understands
than it would be to compile eCos w/ ARM's compiler.  But, I
haven't tried to do either, so I'm just shooting from the hip.

Some of the other commerical debugger products (e.g. X-RAY)
support Multi-ICE and gnu ELF object file formats.  I've not
tried any of them, but that's what vendors claimed at the
Embedded systems conference last spring.

> I have spent some time compiling ECOS with armcc, and although
> I see some GCC specific things, most of them I have been able
> to get around( ignoring the attribute directive though, and a
> couple others ), and have got the C source files to compile
> with only warnings(mostly about unused parameters).

> However the ASM is proving to be a nightmare (but slowly
> getting there) And I am therefore nowhere near linking.

ISTR that there is some fancy (gcc specific) stuff done with
C++ initialization methods or something like that.  Others know
more about that than do I.

> Basically I want to know if what I am trying to do is a
> complete and utter waste of time, as it is impossible, and
> there are other things I am missing/misunderstanding.

If I were you, I would (in order)

 1) Try to talk whoever has the Multi-ICE support for gdb into
    giving you a copy.

 2) Look into commercial debuggers if you've got the money.
 
 3) Look into converting ELF into whatever format you need.
 
 [...]
 
 n) Try to build eCos with ARM compiler/assembler/linker

-- 
Grant Edwards
grante@visi.com