ARM ICE gains Windows CE support

ARM says its in-circuit emulator (ICE) can now be used from within Microsoft's Visual Studio toolsuite. The feat is possible thanks to a new driver that ARM developed for the RealView ICE with support built in for Microsoft's eXDI (extended debugging interface).



ARM bundles a "RealView" software debugger with the RealView ICE. However, it says some developers wished to use the tools within the familiarity of Visual Studio. So, ARM developed eXDI drivers to make that possible.

The RealView ICE hardware supports "all ARM processors," including the Cortex A9 released last year, the Cortex A8, and a variety of ARM7-, ARM9-, and ARM11-based processors. The device permits developers to communicate directly with a target ARM processor, "dramatically improving hardware visibility and enabling debug scenarios that would be impossible with just a software-based debug monitor," says ARM.

Features listed by ARM for the RealView ICE include:

• Direct code image download over JTAG, with no need for a working Ethernet or USB bootloader
  
• Setting hardware breakpoints within the processor core
  
• Direct viewing and modification of:
  • Standard registers r0 to r15
    
  • Program status register
    
  • Co-processor registers (including CP15)
    
  • External memory
• Debugging new hardware bring-up and bootloaders before an operating system kernel starts

The RealView eXDI drivers extend the Platform Builder software in Microsoft's Visual Studio
The RealView ICE features USB 1.1 and 2.0 compatible connections, 10/100 Ethernet remote and local host connections. It also supports ARM's CoreSight serial wire debug interfaces. Serial wire debug reduces the number of debug port pins on a device from 5 pins to 2 pins, for severely pin-limited packages and where pin count can be the controlling factor in device costs, ARM notes.

Kim Chau, a silicon vendor partner marketing manager for Microsoft's Windows Embedded business, said, "By leveraging the RealView ICE unit for hardware assisted debug from the Microsoft Visual Studio debug environment, our customers now have an increased level of debug visibility. This is a natural fit that enables our mutual customers to reduce both time-to-market and overall project risk."

ARM's eXDI drivers, enabling Windows CE 5.0 support for the RealView ICE, are freely downloadable now from the company's website, here. Windows CE 6.0 support will be a free download available during the second quarter, the company adds.

Pricing for the RealView ICE was not cited, but the unit is available now.