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ArmVersatileExpressLinux

ARM Versatile Express Platform


This page includes information for the ARM Versatile Express platform configured for ARM Cortex-A9MP and Linux2.6. The platform is included as part of the standard OVPsim download package.

You can download a self installer that includes the platform source, all peripherals, and a binary of Linux2.6 - in fact everything you need to boot and start to use the ARM Versatile Express Virtual Platform running Linux2.6.

To run the platform you do need an OVPsim license key.

Click to log in before viewing / downloading[for Windows] Versatile Express booting Linux on Cortex-A9MP Single, Dual and Quad Core (53.01 MB)
ARM Versatile Express module and TLM platform including Cortex-A9MP Core, all peripherals and software to boot Linux2.6

Click to log in before viewing / downloading[for Linux] Versatile Express booting Linux on Cortex-A9MP Single, Dual and Quad Core (58.85 MB)
ARM Versatile Express module and TLM platform including Cortex-A9MP Core, all peripherals and software to boot Linux2.6

This standard download includes the ARM Versatile Express platform, peripherals, and Linux2.6 image.

When downloaded, run the installer (Windows32.exe or Linux32.exe) and follow the simple instructions.

Diagram


ARM Versatile Express Virtual Platform

Frame Buffer Test Application


The ramdisk provided with this demo includes a Frame Buffer application that can be executed.

To execute login to the simulated linux kernel using 'root' as the user name and then on the command line type 'df_andi'. This application shows a graphical 'penguin population', as shown in the following screen shot.

Penguin Population Frame Buffer Application

Compiling User Programs, and adding to disk image


The following sections illustrate how user applications can simply be added into a ramdisk for the Linux system. And then run within the Versatile Express virtual platform. In this example we are building and adding the 'benchmarks' user applications provided in the zip file benchmarks.zip, which includes a Makefile, into the ramdisk.

On a Linux host Machine


Firstly download the ARM linux toolchain from CodeSourcery
http://www.codesourcery.com/sgpp/lite/arm/portal/release858
Install this toolchain on your disk

Build benchmark applications in the following manner
% make -C benchmarks TOOLDIR=<pathToCompilerInstallation> all

This will create several executables, now we want to add this to our ramdisk Extract the current Ramdisk 'fs.img' to file system
% unpackImage.sh fs.img fs

Copy benchmarks into the file system
% cp -r benchmarks fs

Package filesystem back into a ramdisk
% packImage.sh fs fs.img

Re run the simulator, this time there will be a top level directory called 'benchmarks', which contains the applications build in the previous steps these can now be executed in the simulated Linux

On a Windows host Machine with Msys/Mingw


Firstly download the ARM linux toolchain from CodeSourcery
http://www.codesourcery.com/sgpp/lite/arm/portal/release858
Install this toolchain on your disk
you will also need a windows version of cpio, this can be found at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/gnuwin32/files/cpio/cpio-2.6-2.exe/download
Install cpio, and ensure it appears on your path in the msys shell

Build benchmark applications in the following manner
% make -C benchmarks TOOLDIR=<pathToCompilerInstallation> all

Unfortunately under windows we cannot unpack the image to a filesystem because windows does not understand symbolic links, which are present on the simulated disk, So under Windows we will simply append the files onto the existing image

% appendImage.sh benchmarks fs.img newfs.img
% mv newfs.img fs.img

Re run the simulator, this time there will be a top level directory called 'benchmarks', which contains the applications build in the previous steps these can now be executed in the simulated Linux

Click to log in before viewing / downloadingDownload script to pack a directory into a disk image
packImage.sh / 151 Bytes

Click to log in before viewing / downloadingDownload script to unpack a disk image to a directory
unpackImage.sh / 155 Bytes

Click to log in before viewing / downloadingDownload script to append a program onto a disk image
appendImage.sh / 402 Bytes



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