ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk Netherlands                              Date: 16 March, 2007

ESA/ESTEC Demo: RedBoot port to SPARC LEON2


Data Sheet Handout

Hardware Platform: Pender GR-XC3S 1500 Development Board
    - FPGA based development board for SPARC LEON2 equivalent @40Mhz
    - 10/100Mbps Ethernet, 115Kbps serial (2 ports) Flash, JTAG, USB, Video, PS/2
    - PROM : 8MB, SDRAM : 64MB, SRAM : added via Mezzanine
    - H/W Floating Point : No

Host Development Platform
    - 1.0Ghz or better Intel PC running RedHat 9.0 or SUSE Linux
    - GNU gcc suite software development tools

What is RedBoot?
    - RedBoot  =  "Red Hat Embedded Bootstrap and Debug"
    - Standalone, open source bootstrap/loader/gdb stub for embedded systems
    - Based on the eCos hardware abstraction layer (HAL)
    - Configurable and portable to other boards (platforms), variants, and embedded architectures
    - RAM, ROMRAM, and ROM configurations; bootable from flash or network boot Bootp, DHCP, TFTP protocols
    - Provides download, execution, and debug of application programs
    - GNU gdb CLI (ddd, Insight graphical) debugger capability over serial or Ethernet interfaces from remote host
    - Basic flash file system (FIS) commands, flash-based configuration and control (fconfig)
    - Boot scripting to run commands after power-up (with timeout and CTRL-C abort option)
    - Offers custom user commands that are extensible
        
Why use Open Source?
    - Economically advantageous, source distributions are free
    - Open source is not anti-commercial, it is anti lock-in to proprietary tool code
    - Robustness and reliability through contributions by experts in OSS community
" Open source promotes software reliability and quality by supporting independent peer review and rapid evolution of source code. "

Advantages of using RedBoot
    - Advantageous pricing: Free under eCos License 2.0 (GPL + exception license)
    - GPL+exception allows linking to non-GPL software, GPL = General Public License
    - Unlimited number of nodes covered by single distribution
    - Enhancements available under short notice through a SME contract
    - Free of incremental costs per workstation of other commercial products
    - Technical support through user community of developers on-line
    - Royalty free yet supported separately by RedHat Linux for Embedded Linux

eCos License 2.0 assures that per free software definition ESA/ESTEC may
    - Execute program
    - Study, modify, and adapt program (access to source assumed)
    - Redistribute copies of program
    - Improve and release program (access to source assumed)
    - Copyleft : work can be copied, modified or used if and only if author of subsequent work agrees to grant same rights
    - GNU GPL copyleft Copyleft grants right to next recipient (ESA) to copy, use or modify

 What Else is STS working on?
    - Currently unimplemented RedBoot commands and features
    - RedBoot enhancements, custom embedded debug/analysis features

Web Addresses for Reference
    www.softwaretospec.com                :    Software to Spec home page
    http://sources.redhat.com/redboot/    :    RedBoot home page
    www.gnu.org                                   :    GNU home page
    www.fsf.org                                     :    Free Software Foundation
    www.gaisler.com                             :    Gaisler Research
    www.xilinx.com                              :    Xilinx Corporation


Commands Enabled for Demonstration
RedBoot common commands

Command
 Implemented Pass/Fail
alias -- Manipulate command line aliases no
 n/a
baudrate -- Set the baud rate for the system serial console
 no
 n/a
cache -- Control hardware caches
 yes tbd
channel -- Select the system console channel
 yes
 tbd
cksum -- Compute POSIX checksums
 yes
 pass
disks -- List available disk partitions.
 no
 n/a
dump -- Display memory.
 yes
 pass
help -- Display help on available commands
 yes
 pass
iopeek -- Read I/O location
 no
 n/a
iopoke -- Write I/O location
 no
 n/a
gunzip -- Uncompress GZIP compressed data
 no
 n/a
ip_address -- Set IP addresses
 yes
 pass
load -- Download programs or data to the RedBoot platform
 yes
 pass
mcmp -- Compare two segments of memory
 yes
 pass
mcopy -- Copy memory
 yes
 pass
mfill -- Fill RAM with a specified pattern
 yes
 pass
ping -- Verify network connectivity
 yes
 slow
reset -- Reset the device
 no n/a
version -- Display RedBoot version information
 yes
 pass
go -- Execute a program yes
 pass
exec -- Execute a Linux kernel
 no
 n/a
break ctrl/c
 no
 n/a
CLI arrow key repeat
 no
 n/a





RedBoot Flash Image System (FIS) commands
Command
 Implemented
 Pass/Fail
fis init -- Initialize Flash Image System (FIS)
 no
 n/a
fis list -- List Flash Image System directory
 no n/a
fis free -- Free flash image
 no
 n/a
fis create -- Create flash image
 no
 n/a
fis load -- Load flash image
 no
 n/a
fis delete -- Delete flash image
 no
 n/a
fis lock -- Lock flash area
 no
 n/a
fis unlock -- Unlock flash area
 no
 n/a
fis erase -- Erase flash area
 no
 n/a
fis write -- Write flash area
 no
 n/a
 


 
GDB commands
Command
 Implemented
 Pass/Fail


yes pass
5.1.1 Setting breakpoints yes pass
5.1.2 Setting watchpoints yes pass
5.1.4 Deleting breakpoints watchpoints yes pass
5.1.5 Disabling breakpoints watchpoints yes pass
5.1.6 Break conditions yes tbd
5.1.7 Breakpoint command lists yes tbd
5.1.8 Breakpoint menus yes tbd
5.2 Continuing and stepping yes fail
5.2.1 Load yes
 tbd
5.2.2 Run, Start yes
 tbd
no
 n/a
10.1.1 Create and Delete Tracepoints no
 n/a
10.1.2 Enable and Disable Tracepoints no n/a
10.1.3 Tracepoint Passcounts no n/a
10.1.4 Tracepoint Action Lists no n/a
10.1.5 Listing Tracepoints no n/a
10.1.6 Starting and Stopping Trace Experiment no n/a


Who is Software to Spec?
    - Engineers in real-time embedded systems development
    - Registered with ESA as SME
    - Contributors to ESA EMITS business program for SME's


Contact Information:
Software to Spec
Leiden, Netherlands
Presenter: Les G. Miklosy
lmiklosy@softwaretospec.com
31 71 532 1086        Netherlands