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Chapter: Embedded Systems Design : Emulation and debugging techniques

High level language simulation

If software is written in a high level language, it is possible to test large parts of it without the need for the hardware at all.

High level language simulation

 

If software is written in a high level language, it is possible to test large parts of it without the need for the hardware at all. Software that does not need or use I/O or other system dependent facilities can be run and tested on other machines, such as a PC or a engineering workstation. The advantage of this is that it allows a parallel development of the hardware and software and added confidence, when the two parts are integrated, that it will work.

 

Using this technique, it is possible to simulate I/O using the keyboard as input or another task passing input data to the rest of the modules. Another technique is to use a data table which contains data sequences that are used to test the soft-ware.

 

This method is not without its restrictions. The most common mistake with this method is the use of non-standard libraries which are not supported by the target system com-piler or environment. If these libraries are used as part of the code that will be transferred, as opposed to providing a user interface or debugging facility, then the modifications needed to port the code will devalue the benefit of the simulation.

 

The ideal is when the simulation system is using the same library interface as the target. This can be achieved by using the target system or operating system as the simulation system or using the same set of system calls. Many operating systems support or provide a UNIX compatible library which allows UNIX software to be ported using a simple recompilation. As a result, UNIX systems are often employed in this simula-tion role. This is an advantage which the POSIX compliant operating system Lynx offers.

 

This simulation allows logical testing of the software but rarely offers quantitative information unless the simulation environment is very close to that of the target, in terms of hardware and software environments.

 

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Embedded Systems Design : Emulation and debugging techniques : High level language simulation |


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