The VisionICE II is a JTAG emulator for PowerPC and MIPS embedded systems development, delivering hardware-assisted on-chip debugging integrated with Wind River’s Tornado environment. The tool combines a high-speed Ethernet host interface with USB 2.0 connectivity and JTAG accelerator technology to enable real-time trace, breakpoints, memory access, and register control. Performance is optimized through hardware logic that caches common JTAG scan chains, delivering download speeds and debug throughput 4 to 10 times faster than comparable products.
Technical Specifications
• Core Architecture: Hardware-assisted debugger utilizing on-chip debugging services embedded in target microprocessors
• Host Connectivity: High-speed Ethernet connection to target; USB 2.0 with JTAG accelerator technology
• Performance Gain: 4 to 10 times faster download and debug throughput versus competitive products
• Software Integration: Bundled debugger provides fully integrated hardware/software debugging solution
– Key Features
• Real-time trace and execution monitoring
• Internal and external hardware/software breakpoints
• Source-level debugging with memory and register observation
• On-chip debug target control: start/stop, single-step, step over/out, reset, and snapshot capture
• Target memory read/write access
• Large-scale register control with bit-level configuration utilities
– Typical Applications
• Board bring-up and system-level diagnostics
• Crash diagnosis and failure analysis
• Embedded software development and validation
• Real-time system debugging and optimization
– Compatibility & Integration
Supported Architectures: PowerPC and MIPS processors including MIPS32 variants (4Kc, 4Kp, 4Km, 4KEc), Broadcom BCM series (BCM1100/1101, BCM3350/3351/3352, BCM4710, BCM7100), IDT RC series (RC32332/334/364/355), Philips PNX series (PNX852X, PNX832X), and Alchemy Semiconductor AU1000. Optional support available for ARM, ColdFire, Intel, and XScale targets through specific configurations.
Development Environment: Native integration with Wind River Tornado toolchain for direct JTAG communication. Published APIs enable integration with other embedded operating systems.
