RTTarget-32: Core Operating System and Development Tools

• Target Booting
  RTTarget-32's boot code can boot applications directly from floppy disk, hard disk, EPROM disk, flash disk, ROM, a BIOS extension, or DOS. At power-on or reset, the boot code initializes the target computer's hardware, sets up system data structures such as the GDT, IDT, and the page table, and starts the application. A PC compatible BIOS can be used for booting, but is optional. RTTarget-32 boot code can control the complete boot sequence starting at the boot vector.
• Supports Cross Debugging
  Source-level debugging is supported using Borland's free Turbo Debugger or the debugger integrated in Microsoft Visual Studio 6/.NET. Host and target computers are connected using a serial link at up to 921600 baud or a parallel port.
• Run-Time Library
  RTTarget-32 includes functions for physical memory access, port I/O, hardware interrupt handling, serial I/O, real-time clock access, PCI and PnP BIOS calls, PCMCIA card management, 387 FPU emulation, and more.
• Win32 Emulation Library
  RTTarget-32 provides about 240 Win32 API functions, allowing it to run many Win32 programs unmodified. The Win32 API emulation covers memory management, file I/O (RAM files, console files, printer ports), console I/O (screen and keyboard), time-of-day and system tick, DLL management (LoadLibrary/GetProcAddress), exception handling, access to Win32 resources, memory mapped files, etc.
• Supports C/C++ and Pascal Run-Time Systems
  The compiler's run-time system functions such as printf, malloc, fopen, etc., are fully supported. Even advanced C++ and Pascal features such as exception handling, run-time type identification, etc., are available. Alternatively, programs can run without run-time system for even less memory overhead.
• Low Resource Requirements
  32-bit programs developed with RTTarget-32 can run in as little as 16k of memory. A typical "Hello World" program with RTTarget-32's Win32 emulation library, keyboard and screen driver, and a full C++ run-time system can boot and run on a system with about 64k of total memory.
• Supports Privilege Levels
  Programs can run at CPU privilege level 0 or 3 to optimize either for maximum protection or best performance.
• Supports Page-Level Protection
  The CPU's memory protection features are used to guarantee that programs cannot overwrite protected data, code, or critical system tables.
• 387 FPU Software Emulator
  Even on CPUs without a hardware floating point unit, applications can use floating point calculations and types such as float, double, and long double. The 387 math emulator is fully reentrant and interruptible.
• Supports DLLs
  Applications consist of one main program and up to 31 DLLs, which can be statically linked into a program image or loaded dynamically through a file system.
• Data Compression
  Program code and data can be compressed to save EPROM or boot disk space and accelerate downloads.
• RAM Files
  Even when RTFiles-32 is not used, file I/O can be simulated with file images located in reserved RAM or ROM on the target. With On Time's embedded file system RTFiles-32, files on disk can also be accessed.
• Drivers
  RTTarget-32 has built in drivers for keyboard, text-mode screen, serial ports, parallel ports, PS/2 and serial mice, and PCMCIA controllers. Since RTTarget-32 allows direct access to physical memory, I/O ports, and hardware interrupts, developing additional drivers is very easy.

      Using RTTarget-32

RTTarget-32 programs are compiled as standard console mode programs for Windows; one merely links the RTTarget-32 library rtt32.lib. The resulting .exe file is converted by RTTarget-32's locator to produce a binary image of the application. This binary image can be programmed into an EPROM, written to a boot diskette, or submitted to the debugger for downloading. For example, the commands:

cl Test.cpp rtt32.lib
rtloc Test
bootdisk Test a:

would compile, link, and locate program Test and place it on an RTTarget-32 boot diskette as a self-booting application.

RTTarget-32 is shipped with many example projects that show how to use the RTTarget-32 locator and other tools with Microsoft Visual Studio and other compilers.

　

Creating a binary program image file with standard Win32 compilers and RTTarget-32

 

　

RTTarget-32 can be fully integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, Visual Studio.NET, and Visual C++ Express. The Visual Studio integrated debugger can be used to cross debug embedded systems.

　

　

Borland's free Turbo Debugger together with RTTarget-32 supports hardware breakpoints on the target.