The document discusses updates to the Target Communication Framework (TCF) in Helios. TCF is an open standard protocol that enables communication between debugging tools and embedded targets. The updates include support for streaming and zero-copy binary transfer, dynamic loading of services, a debug server value-add, and SSL connections. The document also provides an overview of TCF design goals and architecture, current adoption status, and plans for the future.

1. TCF - Target Communication
Framework Update for Helios
Martin Oberhuber
Pawel Piech
Wind River

2. Agenda
• TCF Overview
– Extendable Protocol / Services
– Data-Driven / Discovery
– Value-Add / Pass-Through
• How to get Started / Whats in the Box
• Current State of Adoption
• What's New in Helios
• References

3. Motivation: Simple Stacks and
Collaboration through an Open Standard
Eclipse
SoC (Model)
3rd party SW TCF
TCF
CPU
CPU
Debugger Target Target
Description Server(s) TCF HW
IP-XACT, IP
3rd party SW XML
TCF
DSP
TCF
DSP
Debugger
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4. Design Goals of TCF
• Protocol Framework provides common infrastructure
– communication protocol
– Agent: “Service container”
– Proxying
• Same protocol on all layers supporting value-add
– Support pass-through
• Tools can use services in uniform way
• Service implementers can focus on functionality
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5. TCF - Core Design Ideas
• Use the same extendable protocol end-to-end
– allow value-adding servers to intercept select services
• Extension: Abstract Services as building blocks
– Same tool for multiple targets (e.g. agent, OCD, simulator)
– Avoid tools specific agents
– Bridge gap with specific services to configure common ones
• Data-driven by target
– Service knows best how to represent the system
– If not possible, put the knowledge in the lowest possible layer and data drive
the layers above
– Auto-discover targets and their capabilities
• Support high latency communication links
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6. TCF: Common agent and protocol
UI Tool A Tool B Tool C Tool D
Host Service 4
Value Add
Service 5
TCF Agent
Target Service 1 Service 2 Service 3
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7. Service
UI Tool A Tool B Tool C Tool D
Host Service 4
Value Add
Service 5
TCF Agent
Target Service 1 Service 2 Service 3
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8. Message Channel
UI Tool A Tool B Tool C Tool D
TCF Channel
Host Service 4
Value Add
Service 5
TCF Channel
TCF Agent
Target Service 1 Service 2 Service 3
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9. Channels and Messages
• Communication between peers use channels
• Channels abstract/hide the transport layer
– Currently TCP
– Possible: RS232, JTAG, USB etc
• Channels transmit Messages
– Asynchronous command / response with tokens
– JSON marshalling
– Events – order guaranteed
– Progress
– Can Proxy / Tunnel channels through value-add
• New: Streams service on top of Channels
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10. What's in the Box
• Available from the SVN Repository:
– Lightweight configurable plain C agent
• Compiles out of the box on Linux, Windows native, Cygwin
• Easy to port to other OS, e.g. VxWorks, Symbian
• Supports basic debugging, file transfer, proxy and auto-discovery
– Plain Java protocol framework org.eclipse.tm.tcf.core
– Eclipse layer org.eclipse.tm.tcf for lazy loading (extension reg.)
• Exemplary RSE Plug-in and Platform/Debug integration
– A couple of exemplary plain C commandline utilities
• New: plain C Debug Server value-add
– Protocol specification, Getting Started documentation
• http://wiki.eclipse.org/TCF_FAQ and last year's TCF Tutorial
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11. Demo
• ./agent -L-
• Connect RSE
– discovers agent
– File transfer, processes
• Build CDT Sample app
• Launch Debugger
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12. Current Status of Adoption
• Stable core protocol specification
– Standardization at Power.org (hardware connectivity)
– Working on Services standardization
• Stable C agent framework
– Initial use in commercial products, e.g. Wind River Workbench
– Open Source use in EDC (Eclipse Debugger for C/C++), Nokia
– Whitebox Adoption Model: Freescale, Atmel, Mentor
• Migrate proprietary legacy agents into TCF agent plugins
• TCF value-add for conversion from legacy protocol
• Exemplary RSE and Platform/Debug Integration
• Support for Tracing (Ericsson, Linuxtools, Polymtl.ca)
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13. What's New in Helios
• Streaming and Zero-Copy Binary Transfer (LTTng)
• Agent: Dynamic Loading of Services as Sharedlib
• Debug Server Value-Add
– Splitting ELF reading from agent
• SSL connection to the agent
• Formalized a Programming Pattern for guaranteed data
consistency when dealing with multiple data sources
– ACPM (Asynchronous Cache Programming Model)
– Used in the debug client and TCF Server value-add
– Asynchronous implementation of File System Service
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14. Next Plans
• Come to the TCF Future BOF: Today at 19:15
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15. References / Q&A
• http://wiki.eclipse.org/TCF
– Overview, Getting Started Docs
– SVN Repository access, Mailing list access
• EclipseCon 2009 TCF Tutorial
Questions ?
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