Software & Tools

GNU and Partner Tools

The GNU tools for ARC® subsystems are offered as part of ARC's Open Source Software Program. These tools consist of GCC, GDB and a host of utilities and libraries. All components of the tools suite have been tested. ARC has been a leader in Open Source Software and a major contributor to the European Union's Milepost Project, whose goal is to dramatically reduce the time to market of re-configurable systems. Also, ARC's partners offer a wide variety of JTAG and debugger options for ARC developers. ARC IP is supported by industry leaders such as Green Hills, Lauterbach, Corelis and Ashling.

Benefits

Minimize risk with open source tools developed, tested and support by ARC
Capitalize on ARC's decade plus experience serving customers with industry-leading tools
Choose the best tools for the job, whether from ARC's commercial, open source or partner tool chains
Enable parallel hardware and software development with integrated co-design and simulation tools
Choose from a range of JTAG options, offering flexibility in speeds, connectivity and price

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GNU Tools for ARC® IP

Quality Open Source Software for ARC® Multimedia Subsystems and IP Cores

ARC offers a suite of GNU tools for developers targeting the Linux operating systems as well as bare-silicon software. The GNU development effort uses an open development environment and supports many platforms, including ARC® processors. Many developers around the world have come to utilize GNU based tools in C/C++ software development for embedded applications because of their quality, performance, and standard interface across multiple target CPUs.

Because of the importance of open source tools in embedded software, ARC invests in open source projects, such as GNU and Linux, on ARC processors. ARC ensures there is up-to-date open source GNU tools support for all of its processors and is continuously updating and optimizing the ARC GNU tools for ARC processors and the ARCompact® instruction set architecture. Furthermore, ARC is working with the MilePost Project which is funded by the European Union Information Society Technologies (IST) . The overall objective of this project is to develop compiler technology that can automatically learn how to best optimize programs for re-configurable heterogeneous embedded processors, dramatically reducing the time to market of re-configurable systems.

ARC provides up-to-date open source GNU tools support for its ARC 600 and ARC 700 family of processors and is continuously updating and optimizing the ARC GNU tools for ARC processors and their instruction set architectures. ARC GNU Tools offer all of the benefits of open source tools, including complete source code and a large install base. ARC GNU Tools include the GCC compiler and GDB debugger as well a number of utilities and libraries that make up a complete software tool chain. Because source code for the GNU tool chain is always available, the ARC GNU Tools are configurable; allowing tailoring, customization, and expansion of the tools, libraries, debugger, and board support to meet user-specific requirements.

ARC GNU Tools are provided in source packages than can be built to run on Linux and Windows host platforms (running on Windows requires using a Cygwin environment). ARC GNU Tools are available for software developers using ARC configurable processor cores, ARC Media Subsystems and for ARC-Based™ processors sold by ARC licensees.

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GNU Tools Highlights

GCC - version 4.2.1	C and C++ language front ends Support for ARCompact ISA including ARC 600 and ARC 700 processors Support for ARC extension instructions, registers and condition codes Support for ARC's DSP and extended arithmetic instructions Generates application code for stand alone or embedded Linux targets Provides compiler intrinsics for low-level instructions and SIMD
GDB - version 6.8	C/C++ source level debugging Supports JTAG-based debugging of an ARC processor on an ARCangel development platform Supports gdbserver based debug of a 'remote' task running under Linux on an ARC processor Supports GDB Instruction Set Simulator for ARC processors Supports Ashling Opella XD JTAG interface
Binutils - version 2.17	ARCompact ISA assembler (all ARC processors) Supports ARC SIMD extension instructions Supports ARC ISA extensions instructions, registers and condition codes
Newlib - version 1.15	Optimized for ARC architecture and ISA
uClibc - version 0.9.29	Optimized for ARC architecture Supports static and dynamically linked libraries Includes dynamic linker

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Download GNU Tools for ARC Processors

Members of the Open Source Software Program can receive distributions of GNU tools for ARC processors directly from ARC.

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World-Class JTAG Debuggers for Hardware Debug

The key to efficient board bring-up and hardware debug is a good JTAG in-circuit emulation tool. ARC collaborates with the industry leaders to provide customers many options, offering flexibility in speeds, connectivity and price. ARC partners with Ashling, Corelis, Green Hills and Lauterbach to offer many choices for hardware debug:

	Ashling	Corelis	Green Hills	Lauterbach
Products	Opella® and Opella-XD	NetUSB-ARC	Probe®	TRACE32
Software Debugger	ARC® MetaWare® GNU GDB	ARC® MetaWare®	Green Hills MULTI	Lauterbach TRACE32
Connectivity Options	USB 2.0	USB 2.0 Ethernet	USB 2.0 Ethernet	USB 2.0 Ethernet
Flash Download	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Ashling Opella XD

Ashling’s Opella-XD for ARC Debug Probe is a powerful JTAG Debug Probe for embedded development with ARC International’s configurable RISC cores. Opella-XD uses a high-speed USB 2.0 connection to the host PC and supports JTAG rates from 1kHz to 100MHz making it the fastest Debug Probe in the market.

The Opella-XD Debug Probe integrates with ARC’s MetaWare® IDE and GNU tools and supports code download to the target ARC system and allows control and interrogation of all core-processor and system resources. Opella-XD works on both Windows and Linux hosted platforms. Website

Corelis

Corelis’s USB 2.0-ARC/MetaWare JTAG emulators provide software and firmware developers the ability to obtain the high performance and portability of the Corelis USB-1149.1/E controller while using the familiar MetaWare® Debugger for configurable ARC® processors. The USB 2.0-based JTAG controller to the ScanICE-ARC/MetaWare and NetICE-ARC/MetaWare product line offers a cost-effective, high-throughput and portable JTAG controller for board bring-up and debugging. The USB-1149.1/E also supports JTAG TCK frequencies up to 100 MHz providing for efficient software debugging of large multimedia, communications, and consumer electronics programs. Website

Green Hills Software

Green Hills Software supports ARC processors with a complete development solution which integrates their standard MULTI IDE with the MetaWare Compiler and Debugger. Green Hills' tools for ARC® processors are available from ARC International and from Green Hills Software. Website

Lauterbach

Lauterbach is a leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of complete, modular microprocessor development tools with over 25 years experience in the field of embedded software design. The products range from in-circuit debuggers and emulators to logic analyzers, real-time trace extensions and simulators. The company's solution for system on-chip designs, the TRACE32 PowerTools product family, supports a broad variety of microprocessors, including the ARC 600 and ARC 700 core families as well as the mature ARCtangent-A4 and A5 cores. Website

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