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Embedded Systems Software Design

This two-day course, available in-person or online, introduces you to software design and development for the Xilinx Zynq System on a Chip (SoC) using the Xilinx Software Development Kit (SDK). You will learn the concepts, tools, and techniques required for the software phase of the design cycle.

Topics are comprehensive, covering the basics of SDK tool use, customization of the board support packages (BSP) for resource access and management of the Xilinx Standalone library. Major topics include device driver use, user application debugging, and integration. An overview of the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC is also included.

Practical implementation tips and best practices are also provided throughout to enable you to make good design decisions and keep your design cycles to a minimum. Sufficient practical information is provided to start developing software applications for the ARM Cortex-A9 and MicroBlaze processors.
Release date
May 2015
Level
Embedded Software 3
Training duration
2 days
Price
USD 1600 or 16 Training Credits
Course Part Number
EMBD-SW
Who Should Attend?
Software design engineers interested in system design and implementation and software application development and debugging using the Xilinx Standalone library.
Prerequisites
  • C or C++ programming experience, including general debugging techniques
  • Conceptual understanding of embedded processing systems including device drivers, interrupt routines, writing / modifying scripts, user applications, and boot loader operation.
Software Tools
  • Vivado Design or System Edition 2018.1
Hardware
  • Architectures: Zynq-7000 SoC (Cortex-A9 processor), Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC (Cortex-A53 and Cortex-R5 processor), and MicroBlaze processor
  • Demo board: Zynq-7000 SoC ZC702 or ZedBoard*
Skills gained
After completing this comprehensive training, you will have the necessary skills to:
  • Implement an effective software design environment for a Xilinx embedded system using the Xilinx SDK tools
  • Write a basic user application (under Standalone or Linux) using the Xilinx Software Development Kit (SDK) and run it on an embedded system platform
  • Use Xilinx debugger tools to troubleshoot user applications
  • Apply software techniques to improve operability
  • Maintain and update software projects with changing hardware
Course Outline
  • Overview of Embedded Software Development {Lecture}
  • Embedded UltraFast Design Methodology {Lecture, Demo}
  • Zynq-7000 SoC Architecture Overview {Lecture, Lab, Demo}
  • Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Architecture Overview {Lecture, Lab, Demo}
  • MicroBlaze Processor Architecture Overview {Lecture, Lab}
  • Driving the SDK Tool {Lecture, Lab}
  • System Debugger {Lecture, Lab}
  • Standalone Software Platform Development {Lecture, Lab, Demo}
  • C Coding Support for Standalone {Lecture, Demo}
  • Memory File System (Standalone) {Lecture, Lab}
  • Using Linker Scripts {Lecture, Lab}
  • Introduction to Interrupts {Lecture}
  • Interrupts: Software Considerations {Lecture, Lab}
  • Operating Systems: Introduction and Concepts {Lecture}
  • Linux: A High-Level Introduction {Lecture}
  • Linux Software Application Development Overview {Lecture, Lab, Demo}
  • Writing Code in the Xilinx Linux Environment {Lecture, Demo}
  • Booting Overview {Lecture, Lab}
  • Profiling Overview {Lecture, Lab, Demo}
  • Understanding Device Drivers {Lecture, Demo}
  • Custom Device Drivers {Lecture, Lab}
Topic Descriptions
  • Overview of Embedded Software Development – Overview of the process for building a user application.
  • Embedded UltraFast Design Methodology – Outlines the different elements that comprise the Embedded Design Methodology.
  • Zynq-7000 SoC Architecture Overview – Overview of the Zynq-7000 SoC architecture.
  • Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Architecture Overview – Overview of the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC architecture.
  • MicroBlaze Processor Architecture Overview – Overview of the MicroBlaze processor architecture.
  • Driving the SDK Tool – Introduces the basic behaviors required to drive the SDK tool to generate a debuggable C/C++ application.
  • System Debugger – Describes the basics of actually running a debugger and illustrates the most commonly used debugging commands.
  • Standalone Software Platform Development – Covers the various software components, or layers, supplied by Xilinx that aid in the creation of low-level software.
  • C Coding Support for Standalone – Reviews the basic services (libraries) available when coding in the Standalone environment.
  • Memory File System (Standalone) – Introduces the memory file system (MFS) from the Standalone library, which provides drivers and utilities for effectively converting a region of memory into a file system.
  • Using Linker Scripts – Overview of the purpose and typical use of a linker script.
  • Introduction to Interrupts – Introduces the concept of interrupts, basic terminology, and generic implementation.
  • Interrupts: Software Considerations – Describes many of the considerations that a software coder must take into account when supporting interrupts.
  • Operating Systems: Introduction and Concepts – Introduces the concept of the operating system and provides a simplified view into the generic way that operating systems work.
  • Linux: A High-Level Introduction – Introduces the Linux operating system, a brief history, and how to use it.
  • Linux Software Application Development Overview – Highlights important parts of the underlying Linux system as it pertains to applications.
  • Writing Code in the Xilinx Linux Environment – Reviews the use of the Xilinx SDK tool for Linux software development.
  • Booting Overview – Describes the main points to how booting a processor is handled for Zynq SoC devices and MicroBlaze processors.
  • Profiling Overview – Introduces the purpose and techniques for profiling a user application.
  • Understanding Device Drivers – Explains the concept of a device driver and how it is used by embedded systems.
  • Custom Device Drivers – Describes how to successfully write a custom device driver.
Special Comments
*The listed course price is for the in-person training. The cost of the online training is $2000 or 20 Training Credits and includes a ZedBoard that is yours to keep after the training is completed. If you already own a ZedBoard, the overall cost of the online training remains at $1600 or 16 Training Credits.

* The course version can be found in the training registration form