Virtual Target is a functional, binary- and register-compatible equivalent of an FPGA SoC board, ensuring that software developed on the Virtual Target can be ported to the actual board with minimal effort. Compatible with Linux and VxWorks, Virtual Target also supports leading development tools in the ARM ecosystem, enabling embedded software engineers to develop their applications using familiar tools. This maximizes the reuse of existing code and increases productivity through unparalleled control and visibility of the target, two critical aspects for developing complex multi-core systems.
“Developing application software for embedded projects typically consumes the most engineering time and resources,” said Vince Hu, vice president of product and corporate marketing at Altera Corporation. “With our Virtual Target for FPGA SoC, we enable engineers to streamline their software development so they can maximize productivity and get to market faster.” The Virtual Target for FPGA SoC, delivered as a pre-installed, ready-to-use, PC-based simulation model with binary and register compatibility, incorporates the same dual-core ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCore™ processor and system peripherals as Altera’s Cyclone® V and Arria® V FPGA SoCs, as well as board-level components such as DDR SDRAM, flash memory, and virtual I/O.
To enable the development of application software targeting both the enhanced processor system and the customer-designed FPGA-based IP, Altera will supply an optional loop-through FPGA expansion for Virtual Target. This expansion utilizes an Altera FPGA development board connected to the PC-based Virtual Target via a PCIe® interface. Virtual Target and the loop-through FPGA expansion allow users to add custom peripherals and hardware accelerators to the processor subsystem, create device drivers for them, and integrate them with application software before final hardware availability. This enables the portability of device-specific firmware and application software to the actual hardware with minimal effort.
“Many semiconductor and systems companies have successfully used virtual prototyping to accelerate software development before and after silicon is available,” said John Koeter, vice president of IP and systems marketing at Synopsys, Inc. “Our collaboration with Altera makes this well-established prototyping technology commercially available for immediate use as virtual targets, providing systems and software engineers with a unique debugging environment that easily scales across Altera’s global customer base.” Virtual Target ships with initial support for Linux and VxWorks. Embedded software developers can run Linux directly on Virtual Target using a pre-installed Linux kernel image with device driver support suitable for the main components of the FPGA SoC development board.
Altera also offers free downloads of a pre-built GNU toolchain and a Linux source. A board support package with VxWorks for the Virtual Target will be available later this quarter, with additional packages for other embedded operating systems to follow. The Virtual Target provides ecosystem tool support and additional debugging features unique to a simulation environment. Tool support for the Virtual Target includes GNU tools, ARM RVDS™, ARM Development Studio 5 (DS-5™), the Lauterbach TRACE32® debugger, and Wind River Workbench. As a simulation model, Virtual Target offers greater visibility into the debugged system, allows users greater control over execution on the target (especially on a multi-core system), and performs numerous debugging tasks that are complicated or impossible in hardware. “There is a growing demand for virtual platforms to accelerate software development, especially for complex designs based on the ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor,” said Mark Onions, director of marketing for systems design at ARM.
“Altera’s virtual target FPGA SoCs, along with ARM’s RVDS and DS-5 software development tools, allow developers to gain a head start and complete their multi-core system designs more quickly.” Stephan Lauterbach, president of Lauterbach GmbH, added: “We have seen an increasing number of users taking advantage of virtual prototyping techniques to accelerate their development. The combination of TRACE32 and the native visibility and control of Virtual Target takes multi-core debugging to a whole new level, enabling users to get a return on their investments in tools and expertise at every stage of their development process.” “Building on the success of our recent collaboration with Altera on VxWorks and Linux for Altera’s software core processors, Altera’s new FPGA SoC devices enhance the opportunities for embedded system developers,” said Warren Kurisu, vice president of product management at Wind River. "Together with Wind River's powerful product offering, including leadership in operating systems for embedded software and best-in-class development tools, these efforts will help embedded systems developers innovate to meet different needs within the embedded spectrum.".
