PPC7A Product Manual
General Description
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Software Support
Radstone’s software strategy for PPC boards allows fully integrated system-level solutions to be realised
easily and with confidence. Off-the-shelf, layered software modules deliver the most from low-level
hardware features while exploiting the best high level debug and run-time functionality of popular COTS
operating systems and communications modules.
The software products described below build on those available for previous generations of the PPCx
family, so providing a common look, feel and interface for technology inserts.
Radstone has invested more than 50 man-years of engineering talent into the PowerX architecture so that
customers can develop market-leading products using the O/S and development environment best suited
to their long term program requirements.
Boot Firmware
Developed as an integral part of the Radstone PowerX strategy, the Boot firmware provides a foundation
layer to interface between the raw Radstone board hardware, with its highly programmable device set-
ups and flexibility, and the supported Operating Systems, which require a straight-forward booting and
device interface model.
The PPC Boot Firmware includes comprehensive configuration facilities, interactive or auto-boot
sequencing from a range of device types, automatic PCI resource allocation at initialisation, PCI
display/interrogation utilities and other valuable features for system integrators.
Memory or other speed and feature enhancements are seamlessly absorbed by the Boot firmware, giving
the same look and feel to the O/S and the user application as the Radstone hardware models advance.
This allows the constant use of latest technology in required areas without system impact. Where
particular operating systems define the use of alternate boot methods (e.g. VxWorks bootroms), the Boot
firmware technology is absorbed into such boot methodology.
Built In Test
PPC BIT probes from the lowest level of discrete on-board hardware up to Line Replaceable Unit level
within a system, ensuring the highest degree of confidence in system integrity. BIT includes
comprehensive configuration facilities, allowing automatic initialisation tests to be defined for the
desired mix of system functionality and options. Further tests can be invoked interactively, giving BIT a
valuable role as a field service tool. Both object and source code products are available.
Background Condition Screening
BCS supplements the BIT initialisation test coverage with further health screening that can co-exist with
a standard COTS Operating System.
In contrast to a traditional BIT-style test, the intensity and coverage of which makes it destructive to
operating systems, the configurable BCS package allows functions such as periodic check-summing,
memory scrubbing, and others to be tailored for operation alongside the application in on-line
conditions. Results are stored in FLASH in the same format as BIT results. Code is available for reading
out BIT/BCS results under LynxOS and VxWorks.
Operating System Support
In-house porting expertise for PowerX based boards is focused on key operating systems, including
Wind River Systems’ VxWorks/Tornado and LynuxWorks’ LynxOS. Other operating system ports,
drivers for third party hardware and layered products are provided through strategic partnerships with
dedicated third party vendors, able to offer high quality products and services complementary to the
Radstone range. In this way, state of the art development environments and debug tools that are part of
the above software products are made available for use on Radstone’s flexible hardware architectures.
Please contact Radstone for availability of other operating systems in addition to the standard VxWorks
and LynxOS offerings.
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