Mentor Graphics has updated its Mentor Embedded Sourcery CodeBench and Analyzer embedded development tools with faster performance and improved debugging.

The Sourcery Codebench GNU toolchain and IDE (integrated development environment) is cross-platform on the development side, but primarily targets embedded Linux devices. The new version offers faster compilation and runtime performance, as well as improved debugging, says Mentor Graphics. CodeBench is available in both free and commercial ($399 per seat) versions. A Professional Edition that also includes Sourcery Analyzer and other functions costs $3,000 per seat. It appears that Sourcery Analyzer may also be available separately, but no pricing was supplied.

Aside from compiler performance gains, CodeBench improvements include Subversion revision control support, as well as new support for system-on-chips including the Freescale i.MX6Quad, the Altera Cyclone V, and TI’s ARM Cortex-A15 based OMAP5432. The Sourcery Analyzer trace and performance analysis tool offers enhancements including support for Diagnostic Logging and Trace (DLT) files. The DLT support is said to be useful to GENIVI Linux compliant in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) developers. Mentor offers its own GENIVI-compliant Mentor Embedded ATP development platform based on its Mentor Embedded Linux platform.

Updated Sourcery CodeBench (left) and Sourcery Analyzer
(click images to enlarge)

Back in April, Mentor Graphics announced a Mentor Embedded Sourcery Codebench Virtual Edition that adds electronic system-level (ESL) tools for emulating hardware environments, both pre- and post-silicon, on embedded Linux targets. That special edition adds its Vista Virtual Prototyping and Veloce2 Emulation Systems platforms to the Sourcery CodeBench tools. The mainstream CodeBench release updated here lacks the full Vista ESL support, but in the Professional Edition, it does add a Vista Virtual Prototype for a dual-core, Cortex-A9 SoC.

New features in Sourcery CodeBench include:

• Update of the compiler to GCC 4.8.1, adding access to a new general optimization level (-Og) for fast compilation and superior debugging with improved runtime performance
• Update to Eclipse CDT 8.2
• Enhanced GDB (7.6.50) console for setting and displaying breakpoints, watchpoints, and tracepoints; GDB-related breakpoints now supported and synchronized with the UI
• Subversion revision control support
• Improved C++11 support
• Support for both GNU/Linux and bare-metal applications using a single installation (Professional Edition only)
• Windows 8 host support, including extended compile caching for faster compile times
• Dual-core, Cortex-A9 Vista Virtual Prototype for improved visibility into execution including performance and power consumption (Professional Edition only)
• New support for Altera Cyclone V, Freescale i.MX6Q SABRE Lite, TI OMAP5432, and TI Tiva TM3C123 and TM4C129 SoCs

New features in Sourcery Analyzer include:

• Support for importing Diagnostic Logging and Trace (DLT) files, enabling GENIVI developers to analyze infotainment application trace data
• Quicker integration with Linux platforms
• Data Collection from remote systems using standalone script generation tool
• Extended documentation and improved code template creation of custom analysis agents

 
Further information

The updated version of Sourcery CodeBench is available now, and a free trial version may be found here. The starting price for the Personal Edition is $399 per seat. The Professional Edition, with the updated Sourcery Analysis package, costs $3,000.

More information may be found at the Mentor Graphics Sourcery CodeBench product page. A free webinar on the new version is scheduled for Dec 17, 10-11 a.m. Pacific. Registration may be found on the Sourcery CodeBench webinar page.