Embedded Software Verification and Debugging


Book Description

This book provides comprehensive coverage of verification and debugging techniques for embedded software, which is frequently used in safety critical applications (e.g., automotive), where failures are unacceptable. Since the verification of complex systems needs to encompass the verification of both hardware and embedded software modules, this book focuses on verification and debugging approaches for embedded software with hardware dependencies. Coverage includes the entire flow of design, verification and debugging of embedded software and all key approaches to debugging, dynamic, static, and hybrid verification. This book discusses the current, industrial embedded software verification flow, as well as emerging trends with focus on formal and hybrid verification and debugging approaches.




Embedded Systems and Software Validation


Book Description

Modern embedded systems require high performance, low cost and low power consumption. Such systems typically consist of a heterogeneous collection of processors, specialized memory subsystems, and partially programmable or fixed-function components. This heterogeneity, coupled with issues such as hardware/software partitioning, mapping, scheduling, etc., leads to a large number of design possibilities, making performance debugging and validation of such systems a difficult problem. Embedded systems are used to control safety critical applications such as flight control, automotive electronics and healthcare monitoring. Clearly, developing reliable software/systems for such applications is of utmost importance. This book describes a host of debugging and verification methods which can help to achieve this goal. - Covers the major abstraction levels of embedded systems design, starting from software analysis and micro-architectural modeling, to modeling of resource sharing and communication at the system level - Integrates formal techniques of validation for hardware/software with debugging and validation of embedded system design flows - Includes practical case studies to answer the questions: does a design meet its requirements, if not, then which parts of the system are responsible for the violation, and once they are identified, then how should the design be suitably modified?




Test Driven Development for Embedded C


Book Description

Another day without Test-Driven Development means more time wasted chasing bugs and watching your code deteriorate. You thought TDD was for someone else, but it's not! It's for you, the embedded C programmer. TDD helps you prevent defects and build software with a long useful life. This is the first book to teach the hows and whys of TDD for C programmers. TDD is a modern programming practice C developers need to know. It's a different way to program---unit tests are written in a tight feedback loop with the production code, assuring your code does what you think. You get valuable feedback every few minutes. You find mistakes before they become bugs. You get early warning of design problems. You get immediate notification of side effect defects. You get to spend more time adding valuable features to your product. James is one of the few experts in applying TDD to embedded C. With his 1.5 decades of training,coaching, and practicing TDD in C, C++, Java, and C# he will lead you from being a novice in TDD to using the techniques that few have mastered. This book is full of code written for embedded C programmers. You don't just see the end product, you see code and tests evolve. James leads you through the thought process and decisions made each step of the way. You'll learn techniques for test-driving code right nextto the hardware, and you'll learn design principles and how to apply them to C to keep your code clean and flexible. To run the examples in this book, you will need a C/C++ development environment on your machine, and the GNU GCC tool chain or Microsoft Visual Studio for C++ (some project conversion may be needed).




Co-verification of Hardware and Software for ARM SoC Design


Book Description

Hardware/software co-verification is how to make sure that embedded system software works correctly with the hardware, and that the hardware has been properly designed to run the software successfully -before large sums are spent on prototypes or manufacturing. This is the first book to apply this verification technique to the rapidly growing field of embedded systems-on-a-chip(SoC). As traditional embedded system design evolves into single-chip design, embedded engineers must be armed with the necessary information to make educated decisions about which tools and methodology to deploy. SoC verification requires a mix of expertise from the disciplines of microprocessor and computer architecture, logic design and simulation, and C and Assembly language embedded software. Until now, the relevant information on how it all fits together has not been available. Andrews, a recognized expert, provides in-depth information about how co-verification really works, how to be successful using it, and pitfalls to avoid. He illustrates these concepts using concrete examples with the ARM core - a technology that has the dominant market share in embedded system product design. The companion CD-ROM contains all source code used in the design examples, a searchable e-book version, and useful design tools.* The only book on verification for systems-on-a-chip (SoC) on the market* Will save engineers and their companies time and money by showing them how to speed up the testing process, while still avoiding costly mistakes* Design examples use the ARM core, the dominant technology in SoC, and all the source code is included on the accompanying CD-Rom, so engineers can easily use it in their own designs




Embedded Software: Know It All


Book Description

The Newnes Know It All Series takes the best of what our authors have written to create hard-working desk references that will be an engineer's first port of call for key information, design techniques and rules of thumb. Guaranteed not to gather dust on a shelf!Embedded software is present everywhere – from a garage door opener to implanted medical devices to multicore computer systems. This book covers the development and testing of embedded software from many different angles and using different programming languages. Optimization of code, and the testing of that code, are detailed to enable readers to create the best solutions on-time and on-budget. Bringing together the work of leading experts in the field, this a comprehensive reference that every embedded developer will need! - Proven, real-world advice and guidance from such "name authors as Tammy Noergard, Jen LaBrosse, and Keith Curtis - Popular architectures and languages fully discussed - Gives a comprehensive, detailed overview of the techniques and methodologies for developing effective, efficient embedded software




Hardware and Software: Verification and Testing


Book Description

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 6th International Haifa Verification Conference, HVC 2010, held in Haifa, Israel in October 2010. The 10 revised full papers presented together with 7 invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 30 submissions. The papers address all current issues, challenges and future directions of verification for hardware, software, and hybrid systems and have a research focus on hybrid methods and the migration of methods and ideas between hardware and software, static and dynamic analysis, pre- and post-silicon.




Hardware/Software Co-Design and Co-Verification


Book Description

Co-Design is the set of emerging techniques which allows for the simultaneous design of Hardware and Software. In many cases where the application is very demanding in terms of various performances (time, surface, power consumption), trade-offs between dedicated hardware and dedicated software are becoming increasingly difficult to decide upon in the early stages of a design. Verification techniques - such as simulation or proof techniques - that have proven necessary in the hardware design must be dramatically adapted to the simultaneous verification of Software and Hardware. Describing the latest tools available for both Co-Design and Co-Verification of systems, Hardware/Software Co-Design and Co-Verification offers a complete look at this evolving set of procedures for CAD environments. The book considers all trade-offs that have to be made when co-designing a system. Several models are presented for determining the optimum solution to any co-design problem, including partitioning, architecture synthesis and code generation. When deciding on trade-offs, one of the main factors to be considered is the flow of communication, especially to and from the outside world. This involves the modeling of communication protocols. An approach to the synthesis of interface circuits in the context of co-design is presented. Other chapters present a co-design oriented flexible component data-base and retrieval methods; a case study of an ethernet bridge, designed using LOTOS and co-design methodologies and finally a programmable user interface based on monitors. Hardware/Software Co-Design and Co-Verification will help designers and researchers to understand these latest techniques in system design and as such will be of interest to all involved in embedded system design.




Debugging Embedded Microprocessor Systems


Book Description

Debugging Embedded Microprocessor Systems provides techniques for engineers, technicians, and students who need to correct design faults in embedded systems. Using real-world scenarios, designers can learn practical, time-saving ways to avoid and repair potentially costly problems. Prevention is stressed. In this book, the author addresses hardware and software issues, including up-front design techniques to prevent bugs and contain design creep. Practical advice includes descriptions of common tools which can be used to help identify and repair bugs, as well as test routines. RTOS and embedded PC environments are also covered. Each chapter of Debugging Embedded Microprocessor Systems opens with an example design problem which illustrates real-world issues such as design changes, time pressures, equipment or component availability, etc. Case studies of past debugging projects are presented in the final chapter. - Addresses real-world issues like design changes, time pressures, equipment or component availability - Practical, time-saving methods for preventing and correcting design problems - Covers debugging tools and programmer test routines




Embedded System Design


Book Description

Until the late 1980s, information processing was associated with large mainframe computers and huge tape drives. During the 1990s, this trend shifted toward information processing with personal computers, or PCs. The trend toward miniaturization continues and in the future the majority of information processing systems will be small mobile computers, many of which will be embedded into larger products and interfaced to the physical environment. Hence, these kinds of systems are called embedded systems. Embedded systems together with their physical environment are called cyber-physical systems. Examples include systems such as transportation and fabrication equipment. It is expected that the total market volume of embedded systems will be significantly larger than that of traditional information processing systems such as PCs and mainframes. Embedded systems share a number of common characteristics. For example, they must be dependable, efficient, meet real-time constraints and require customized user interfaces (instead of generic keyboard and mouse interfaces). Therefore, it makes sense to consider common principles of embedded system design. Embedded System Design starts with an introduction into the area and a survey of specification models and languages for embedded and cyber-physical systems. It provides a brief overview of hardware devices used for such systems and presents the essentials of system software for embedded systems, like real-time operating systems. The book also discusses evaluation and validation techniques for embedded systems. Furthermore, the book presents an overview of techniques for mapping applications to execution platforms. Due to the importance of resource efficiency, the book also contains a selected set of optimization techniques for embedded systems, including special compilation techniques. The book closes with a brief survey on testing. Embedded System Design can be used as a text book for courses on embedded systems and as a source which provides pointers to relevant material in the area for PhD students and teachers. It assumes a basic knowledge of information processing hardware and software. Courseware related to this book is available at http://ls12-www.cs.tu-dortmund.de/~marwedel.




Model Checking Software


Book Description

This volume contains the proceedings of the 12th International SPIN Workshop on Model Checking of Software, held in San Francisco, USA, on August 22 –24, 2005.