non-intrusive Hardware-based Trace Tool
Texas Instruments Inc. has partnered with EWA Blackhawk to deliver the XDS560™ Trace module, a non-intrusive, hardware-based trace tool offering advanced visibility and capabilities for debugging the specialized problems that arise in high-performance, real-time embedded applications, as well as for fine-tuning code performance and cache optimization of complex multi-channel applications. Real-time visibility and a high-speed interface provide developers with the detailed information they require to determine where and why complex, intermittent problems occur.
The XDS560 Trace module is comprised of the XDS560 high-speed USB emulator developed by Blackhawk, a division of EWA, and TI’s Trace module design with
The XDS560 Trace module is comprised of the XDS560 high-speed USB emulator, developed by Blackhawk, and TI’s trace module design with high-density (HD), 60-pin header connector. |
high-density (HD), 60-pin header connector. Specialized watch points based on hardware-based state machines enable complex, real-time advanced event triggers to start and stop data capture. The Trace module non-intrusively extends full, real-time visibility of registers and counters, requires no special drivers, and is fully supported by TI’s Code Composer Studio™ Integrated Development Environment.
Real-time bugs are typically extremely complex and difficult to track down. Because they appear intermittently and are extremely sensitive to the overall system context, they can appear almost invisible to developers. Bugs of this nature include race conditions, crashes, scheduling conflicts, runaway code and false interrupts. Typically developers will use a watch point to detect that an error has occurred. However, without a comprehensive execution history, little information is available as to which line of code caused the error or why.
The XDS560 Trace module is well-suited for identifying and resolving these types of bugs, employing a circular buffer to build a complete history of application execution with a completely non-intrusive, real-time data capture. Integrated time stamping and the ability to correlate data values to the processor’s Program Counter enables a developer to step backwards through time to reconstruct errors.
One challenge with real-time bugs is that an application can continue running for some time before an error manifests itself, often masking the root cause behind potentially millions of lines of code. Many trace systems can only track tens to thousands of program branches, limiting the usefulness of trace capture. The XDS560 Trace module specifically addresses this issue through the ability to trace back over millions of program branches, guaranteeing that the root cause will be captured within the trace buffer.
The XDS560 Trace module is also capable of profiling an application with a high degree of accuracy. Traditionally, developers wanting to profile code must either use a simulator or intrusively instrument code with breakpoints. With the XDS560 Trace module, developers can non-intrusively capture every cycle count for every line of code, enabling them to first determine which function or block of code is performing poorly and then optimize overall operation.
The XDS560 Trace module utilizes a high-density header 60-pin connector, as well as compression technology, to increase the effective bandwidth available for capturing real-time data values. Because Trace operates without instrumenting code, developers have unparalleled visibility and control of even devices deployed in the field. This is especially important when resolving intermittent problems which are difficult to reproduce in a lab as it allows developers to capture information at a customer site.
For more information see www.ti.com/tracepr.
Texas Instruments
P.O. Box 1443, MS 722
Houston, TX, 77251-1443
© 2008 Advantage Business Media
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