When using the Realview ICE, there are normally portions of the development that are often repeated. Loading and executing a specific image for example, or configuring the SDRAM controller to allow normal development to proceed. These are typically done either in a simple compiled program, or using the inbuilt scripting available in the Realview Debugger. When using the graphical environment however, even when using a single executable, the time taken to click on all the buttons to execute the task can seem laborious. However there is another method available - using the RDDI network protocol to communicate directly with the ICE unit. This protocol allows for all of the standard JTAG operations to be performed automatically from code. At Bluewater we have developed a minimal scripting interface which communicates over this API to automate the tasks which we often perform. This means that with a single click we can bring up a completely un-programmed board into a running state, upload the latest version of our code, and begin executing it with no further interaction. When dealing with a large variety of different development boards, this can be vital in ensuring that information on how to deal with each one is not lost - the script provides all the information necessary. As the details of the actual JTAG operations are still left with the ICE, all the performance advantages of the ICE are still in effect. Operations available from the RDDI network protocol include:

  • Resetting the target
  • Setting & retrieving register values
  • Uploading images to memory
  • Downloading images from memory
A sample library is provided by ARM for these purposes, available from http://www.arm.com/products/DevTools/RDDIRVI.html.