[ixp1200] Problem of linux on ixp1200

[Fei Chen]

Hi,
Thank you very much for your help.
I read some documents about NetBind of Columbia and Vera of Princeton.
It seems NetBind has a RTOS(Linux) configured on IXP1200 but we have
to write the microengine code with microcode following some special 
rules. Also no optimization is allowed. I think it is very boring to
program this way after read something about micro C compiler. For
Vera configuration, I have to remove the ixp12eb board from the box
, which is shipped with the box from Intel, to one of the PCI slots of
the Linux PC. Ajust several jumpers. The mini-kernel can handle the
communication between strongArm and Pentium, like accessing the file 
system on the harddisk. The mini-kernel is pre-burned into flash 
already. The advantage is we don't need to change the way to write 
the microengine program.
I am really not sure my understanding is right or not. It's very kind
if you can give me some comments and recommend some helpful documents.
Thanks again!

Fei


Tan Chee-Wei writes:

 > Hi Fei Chen,
 > 
 > > but I didn't find any document telling me what kind of linux can be used
 > on ixp1200, how to run strongArm and microengine
 > >code on the ethernet evaluation board. Can anyone help me with this?
 > 
 > Vera does not use a RTOS such as Bluecat Linux. It uses a mini-kernel that
 > acts as a bridge between an external processor such as a Pentium and the
 > micoengines, similar to something described in section 2.7.1 in Intel
 > Hardware Reference Manual, Dec 2001, Page 31. There is a need to erase the
 > Intel firmware first before using Vera. StrongARM and Microengine codes are
 > compiled into Motorola Hex Format files on Pentium and are then downloaded
 > via the PCI bus onto IXP1200. Princeton also provide the necessary
 > toolchains to compile StrongARM and microengine codes so there is no need to
 > use the Developer Workbench to download the microengine codes as Micro
 > Object files onto IXP1200.
 > 
 > regards,
 > cheewei
 > 

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- Fei Chen                                              -
- Computer Architecture & Parallel System Lab           -
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering       -
- University of Delaware                                -
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- In theory there is no difference between theory and   -
- practice. In practice there is.                       -
- Unknown                                               -
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