Target configuration entries enable you to describe the target architecture to RealView Debugger. This makes it possible for the debugger to present peripheral registers in a more human-readable format, and enables operations involving target memory to take account of the target memory map, for example so that Flash memory can be accessed correctly.
Target configuration information, using BOARD, CHIP,
and COMPONENT groups, is used to define a hierarchy,
starting from the general board-level and becoming more specific, through
whole chips to component modules on a chip. However, RealView Debugger does
not distinguish, functionally, between the different group names
and you can use them as you require.
Within the top-level board file, rvdebug.brd,
you can have as many BOARD, CHIP,
or COMPONENT entries as you require. However,
there is a better way to store them.
When RealView Debugger starts up, it searches for files with the
extension bcd and loads them into a group called (*.bcd)
Board/Chip Definitions, shown in Figure 12.3.
Configuration entries in files loaded into this group can
be referenced from any connection. For example, you can define a
connection that references the file AP.bcd,
to access the ARM Integrator/AP board, and the file CM940T.bcd,
to access the ARM940T processor core module registers and memory
map. In this way, the connection defines a hierarchy of configuration
details from the board level to the processor level.
This makes the target description independent of the connection used to access it, and makes it easier to reuse target descriptions in different debugging sessions.
Extended target visibility is possible using a special group,
the Advanced_Information block that is found
in almost all the main groups, shown in Figure 12.2. For example,
there is an Advanced_Information block in the CONNECTION=testconn2 entry of
the ARM-ARM-USB group, and in the BOARD=AP entry
of the (*.bcd) Board/Chip Definitions group.
Note
In the board file, both target connection groups, for example CONNECTION=testconn2,
and target configuration groups, for example BOARD=AP,
contain an Advanced_Information block. Although
you can use the Advanced_Information block of
the target connection group, it is suggested that you use target
configuration groups and then reference these from
the connection entry you are using. To ensure that these settings
are used, do not change the default settings contained in the target
connection group.
The search procedure, the way files are referenced, and the configuration options are described in more detail in Chapter 13 Configuring Custom Targets.
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