VLSI Offers Real-Time Trace for Debug of Deeply Embedded ARM-Based Systems

VLSI Technology announced availability of a highly configurable N-Trace IP block used for real-time instruction and data trace on deeply embedded ARM7 and ARM9 Thumb Family designs. N-Trace allows users to debug and profile hardware/software interactions, optimize system performance, perform system test and debug boot code- all in real time.

Adopting the standard Embedded Trace Module from ARM, VLSI has implemented the N-Trace IP block through its HDL Integrator (HDLi) IP delivery tool, making it highly reusable and giving designers full control to implement their desired level of debugging sophistication. N-Trace is part of a cooperative development effort to provide designers of embedded ARM systems with increased visibility for debug, reduced development costs and time-to-market advantages.

VLSI's N-Trace IP block is one component of the complete real-time trace solution, which consists of a Hewlett Packard trace port analyzer and a trace aware debugger. VLSI is currently testing the first N-Trace implementation using its Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping system.

The N-Trace reusable IP block is a highly configurable HDL Template giving designers full control to implement their desired level of debugging sophistication. The first implementations use a 9-pin interface