improvements enable higher performance processing systems, leveraging new processor core, bus architecture, IP, memory interfaces, feature and ease-of-use tool enhancements. The v9.2 release of the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (EDK) introduces new MicroBlaze™ processor v7 (with Memory Management Unit – MMU) support, and new Spartan device support as well as a variety of Platform Studio embedded tool suite enhancements and improvements to ease processing design.

New Device Support

• Spartan™-3A DSP
• Spartan-3AN
• Spartan-3A

General Enhancements

• Higher performance processing systems enabled by:
  • New optimized processor bus infrastructure based on CoreConnect PLB v4.6
  • Integration of MultiPort Memory Controller (MPMC3), complete with XPS configuration wizard, to easily configure high performance memory interfaces
• MicroBlaze processor version 7, introducing:
  • Support for a Memory Management Unit (MMU)
  • Support for full, Real Time Operating Systems like Embedded Linux 2.6.
  • LynuxWorks offers Blue Cat Linux 2.6 MicroBlaze Edition supporting MMU
  • PLB v4.6 interconnect
  • Support for Partner Off-Chip Software Trace tools
  • Xilinx MicroBlaze Trace Core (XMTC) included in EDK
  • Partner Software Trace Tools:
    • Computex F-Sight
    • Lauterbach T32
  • Improved Fast Simplex Links
    • Simplified programming of FSL peripherals with new MB instructions
    • Blocking FSL instructions can be interrupted
  • New Floating Point Instructions
    • Float-to-int conversion
    • Floating point square root
  • Updated processor IP catalog containing 50 new or redesigned IP cores, with IP optimized for new high performance PLB v4.6 interconnect
• Full-Access support for Spartan-3A, Spartan-3AN, and Spartan-3A DSP FPGAs
• 64-bit Linux OS support
• EDK project file (.xmp) support in ISE™ software. An .xmp file can now be the top-level source file in ISE software
• Simpler Clock Generation
• Improved timing on reset signals in embedded design
• Support for third party text editors
• Multi-processor support with mutex and mailbox pcores for Inter-Processor Communication

Platform Studio Software Development Kit (SDK) Enhancements

• Support for Remote Debug
• Support for Initialization of Debug Session with Data Files
• Support for Watchpoints
• MicroBlaze GNU tools have been upgraded to new versions:
  • GCC upgraded from 3.4.1 to 4.1.1
  • GDB upgraded from 5.3 to 6.5
  • Support for MicroBlaze floating point instructions and MMU instructions
  • GCC support for DWARF2 debug format
• EDK 9.2 is compatible with the following third party simulation tools:
  • ModelSim 6.1e (Linux and MS Windows)
  • NCSim 5.8 (Linux only)

Xilinx Platform Studio Operating System Support 

• Windows XP (32-bit) SP1, SP2
• Linux Red Hat Enterprise (5.0 32-bit/64-bit, 4.0 32-bit)
• Solaris 9 (2.9/5.9)

Other Related Updates and Topics

• EDK 9.2 support for the Spartan-3E 1600E MicroBlaze Embedded Development Kit, including updated 9.2 reference designs supporting embedded Linux 2.6.
• ChipScope IBA (Integrated Bus Analyzer) core updated for new CoreConnect PLB v4.6
• New ‘EDK Profiling User Guide’ provides overview of all performance analysis tools for data collection and metric display.