This release note covers the changes between v4.0r1 and v4.0r2 of the TASKING VX-toolset for TriCore.
With this release the MCS assembler is license protected too. However there is no need to upgrade the license file.
This section gives an overview of the most important new features and improvements in v4.0r2. See the sections with fixed issues for a complete list.
In the elfpatch tool the new feature Data Reference Modification is implemented. This features allows you to modify (in an object or library) a reference to a global variable into a reference of another global variable of the same type.
To distinguish between the elfpatch features Section Renaming (SR) and Data Reference Modification (DRM) a dedicated option to specify the input commands has to be used:
For DRM the commands in the file must have the foloowing syntax:
<function>
: <old-variable> = <new-variable> ;
For example the following piece of c-code:
int nGlobal;
int foo( int x )
{
return nGlobal + x;
}
Suppose the reference to nGlobal should be changed into copy_nGlobal. The variable copy_nGlobal is declared, defined and maintained somewhere in the application. This is actually unimportant for the DRM. The input must be:
foo : nGlobal = copy_nGlobal ;
In the linker script language it is possible to combine sections into an output section. The linker is capable of merging sections with the same name automatically. But this is only done when the section attribute concatenate is set (i.e. separate is not set). By default the toolset (assembler) is setting the attribute separate in the sections. That means that even if the sections have the same name, they will not be merged by the linker into one section automatically. To be able to have the linker merge the sections, the assembler should not set the separate attribute but the concatenate attriibute. With the new option --concatenate-sections the assembler will set the concatenate attribute instead.
The libraries are build with default assembler behavior. In case it is required to merge sections from the libraries too you need to rebuild the libraries yourself and add the assembler option in the makefile first.
With this release the new tool elfsize is made available. This tool shows the sizes of the sections within an .elf file and the total of used for RAM and ROM. Example output:
> elfsize --list=oas helloc.elf
Total sizes:
.bss: 0x000000b4 (180)
.data: 0x000000c8 (200)
.rodata: 0x0000000e (14)
.text: 0x0000075a (1882)
.zbss: 0x00000080 (128)
[.data]: 0x000000c8 (200)
csa: 0x00001000 (4096)
istack: 0x00000400 (1024)
null_pointer_protection: 0x00000004 (4)
table: 0x00000030 (48)
ustack: 0x00004000 (16384)
ROM: 0x860 (2144) = code: 0x75a (1882) + romdata: 0x106 (262)
RAM: 0x5600 (22016) = data + bss
In this example the ROM total is 0x860, which is split up in code (0x75a) plus romdata (0x106). RAM total is data plus bss.
In case multiple .elf files have been specified in one call then the sizes shown are the total of all files.
A dedicated C compiler for the HSM unit of the AURIX is available to license holders of the Professional and Premium Edition of the VX-toolset for TriCore. Initially this compiler is available through an add-on installation to the v4.0rx release, but at a later stage the compiler will be included in the binary distribution of the TriCore package (v4.1rx).
If you are a license holder of the Professional Edition or the Premium Edition and the C compiler for the HSM is not included in your product delivery, you can request a copy of the compiler by sending a request to iwantacompiler@tasking.com.
Support for the special function registers (SFR) of the HSM is available through a separate installer. For security reasons related to the HSM, Altium will verify the possible availability of the SFR installer to an enduser with Infineon. Once Infineon gives Altium permission to release the SFR installer, we will make it available through a secure FTP location.
The list of open TriCore issues for v4.0r2 can be found on the internet.
The list of open MCS issues for v4.0r2 can be found on the internet.
For a quick start, just start the TASKING VX-toolset for TriCore from the start menu. This will start the Eclipse based development environment. You will be asked to select a workspace. In case you used Eclipse before it is recommended to select a new workspace. After clicking OK, you will see the 'Welcome' view. On this view you will see icons that link to specific information. You can, for example, select the 'Samples' icon and import the TriCore project examples, PCP project examples and/or the MCS project examples.
Another icon on the Welcome page, the 'First Steps' icon, links to the 'TriCore Getting Started', 'PCP Getting Started' and the 'MCS Getting Started' documents. This is a good starting point for exploring the capabilities of the environment and the tools.
All TASKING products include the industry standard FLEXlm license management software. In order to be able to run this toolset, you will need a license key. You can only obtain a license key if you have purchased this product.
To
obtain a license key, you can start the License Administrator from the
program group of your installed TASKING toolset. In case you still need
to install the toolset, you can start the License Administrator by
setting a check mark at the end of the setup/installation process. The
wizard of the License Administrator will guide you through the steps to
obtain your license key.
Once you have received your license key from Altium, you can install it
on your system by running the License Administrator again.
Alternatively you can simply save the license key as the file
'license.dat' in the C:\FLEXLM folder on your PCs hard disk.
More information is available on http://www.tasking.com/support/flexlm. On this page you also find assistance to setup a floating network license, or for installation on Linux or Sun systems.
Altium's TASKING VX-toolset for TriCore is available as Standard, Professional and Premium Edition. At installation time all tools are installed, no matter what bundle you purchased or want to evaluate. However, each tool is protected with its own unique key. After your purchase you will release a license key - specific for the bundle - to unlock the appropriate tools.