USB3 provides access to USB 2.0 despite a closed chassis
SoC and system development teams can access system level analytics, optimisation and debug capabilities at speeds of 10Gbits per second, even in a closed chassis. UltraSoC’s USB 2.0 IP is based on a patented hardware-based, bare metal technology that requires no software running to establish communication. When combined with high speed USB 3.1 IP from Synopsys, it allows engineers to efficiently gather high volumes of rich system performance data, with access from cycle zero on start-up. eUSB is also supported for access to devices designed on advanced process nodes.
The IP is designed to be both accessible and low cost. It is based on USB standards, so there is no need for an expensive debug probe. It is compatible with any PC and can work with any development tool via a simple software driver, adds the company.
A debug and analytics interface must be robust in the event of system failure. If the system software fails to boot at start-up or crashes irretrievably during operation, it must still be possible to access the internal analytics, diagnostic and debug capabilities. (This is the “cycle zero requirement”.)
The interface must also be able to cope with the data rates generated within the system. CPU tracing capabilities and embedded monitors can generate large data sets which need to be moved quickly off-chip for analysis. This is an increasing problem as systems become larger and more complex. According to UltraSoC, this combined UltraSoC / Synopsys solution satisfies both requirements.
UltraSoC CEO Rupert Baines, explains: “USB is readily accessible in products ‘off-the-shelf’ and does not require additional chip pins in order to provide high-performance access, unlike dedicated debug interfaces such as JTAG or proprietary high speed debug ports that require a dedicated interface and an expensive debug probe. It’s therefore an ideal interface for accessing analytic data from electronic products which increasingly require continuous monitoring and improvement throughout their lifetime.”
UltraSoC embedded analytics technology delivers analysis and monitoring of an SoC regardless of the CPU or architecture. UltraSoC’s embedded analytics covers all major ISAs including open source RISC-V and even mixed (heterogeneous) architectures and is fully compatible with all third party tools.
