Summer of code: omap5912, C6416, suggestions?
"Andrew S. Gardner" <[email protected]> Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:04:24 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.os.netbsd.devel.ports |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
Hello tech-ports and port-arm. I'm Andrew Gardner, and I would like your opinions on two different projects for Google's Summer of Code. Project 1 is adding support for the Spectrum Digital OMAP5912 Starter Kit to evbarm. http://www.spectrumdigital.com/product_info.php?cPath=31_80&products_id=39 Judging from traffic on the lists, NetBSD has been ported to a number of OMAP platforms, but as far as I can tell, the code was developed under a contract that would not permit for the release of the software. This is a relatively straight-forward project: setup cross compilation tool chain, grab documents from TI, identify where/how to modify kernel's expected memory map, etc. Since the OSK comes with a setup and instructions for running Linux on the board, lots of logistical problems will be lessened. A possible follow-on would be to get the DSP/LINK software running on NetBSD so that C55 DSP applications could be developed and loaded. Project 2 is much more ambitious: porting NetBSD to the TI C64 series of DSPs, specifically the C6455 DSP Starter Kit. http://focus.ti.com/docs/toolsw/folders/print/tmdxdsk6455.html This is a more ambitious project for a number of reasons: no GNU toolchain exists; the TI toolchain runs on Windows (and possibly Linux (and then thanks to binary compatibility NetBSD) but details are hard to find); C6455 has some memory protection, but it isn't the same sort of memory protection that you get in a real MMU/virtual memory setup; and, every time that someone brings up MMU-less systems for NetBSD, a consensus doesn't seem to develop about the proper manner in which to approach the various problems that not having an MMU will cause. I think the key here is to clearly define the deliverables and make realistic expectations about how much work is going to be done. I will make clearer descriptions of project scope and deliverables in a formal proposal, but I'd like to get your opinions about these two projects before I submit a formal proposal. Andrew Gardner (Quick background on me: I finished my undergrad studies in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon in May of 2001. I'm currently a part time grad student at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I work a full time job as a software engineer, splitting my time between real-time signal processing applications written in C and assembly for C6201 and C6416 DSPs, and hardware-in-the-loop simulations in a mix of OpenGL/Cg/C/C++/Perl for SGI IRIX and Linux.)