Embedded Systems Design - Europe - August/September 2007 - (Page 8)

news LabVIEW 8.5 adds multicore processor support National Instruments LabVIEW 8.5 is the latest version of its graphical system design platform for test, control and embedded system development. LabVIEW 8.5 simpliﬁes multicore as well as FPGA-based application development using an intuitive parallel dataﬂow language. Running on parallel multicore architectures version 8.5 enables an improved test throughput, more efﬁcient processor-intensive analysis and more reliable real-time systems on dedicated processor cores. This version also adds a statechart design module for modeling and implementing system behavior to ease the design of embedded and industrial applications. New I/O libraries and analysis functions have been added for industrial monitoring and control. Other enhancements include support for Freescale ColdFire processors and an evaluation bundle with QNX operating system support, project ﬁle management tools and graphical code merging for team-based development, low-level memory management tools for performance optimization, new optimized BLAS linear algebra libraries, improved edge detection for image processing and optimized algorithms for various demodulators and channel coding schemes, control design and simulation enhancements including model predictive control (MPC) and analytical PID controller design, and improved support of .m ﬁle scripts. The parallel dataﬂow language in LabVIEW enables the mapping of applications to multicore and FPGA architectures for data streaming, control, analysis and signal processing. Earlier versions of the tool included an automatic multithreading capability and now LabVIEW 8.5 scales user applications based on the total available number of cores and delivers enhanced thread-safe drivers and libraries to improve throughput for RF, high-speed digital I/O and mixed-signal test applications. Version 8.5 also delivers symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) with the LabVIEW real-time environment where designers of embedded and industrial systems automatically can load balance tasks across multiple cores without sacriﬁcing determinism. With this latest version, users can manually assign portions of code to speciﬁc processor cores to ﬁne-tune real-time systems or isolate time-critical sections of code on a dedicated core. Real-time execution trace toolkit 2.0 has been developed to visually display timing relationships between sections of code and the individual threads and processing cores where the code is executing which should improve debugging and code optimization. An enhanced FPGA Project Wizard has been added to LabVIEW 8.5 to automate I/O conﬁguration, IP development and overall setup for common I/O, counter/timer and encoder applications. The wizard will automate the generation of more complex high-speed DMA data transfer code. Additionally, LabVIEW 8.5 offers multichannel ﬁltering and PID control functions commonly needed in machine automation to signiﬁcantly reduce FPGA resources for high-channel-count applications. A new statechart module should aid the design and simulation of these event-based systems using familiar, high-level statechart notations based on the uniﬁed modeling language (UML) standard. The module is based on the LabVIEW graphical programming language providing a single platform to design, prototype and deploy systems and combining statechart notation with real-world I/O running on deterministic real-time or FPGA-based systems. LabVIEW 8.5 adds a range of I/O, measurement and display enhancements for building industrial systems using programmable automation controllers including a new library of OPC drivers that expands industrial connectivity for LabVIEW users, nearly doubling the number of compatible programmable logic controllers and industrial devices. Wind River buys Romanian embedded software group Wind River Systems, Inc. has bought the outstanding shares in privately owned Romanian embedded software developer S.C. Comsys S.R.L. for $1.4 million. Founded in 2000, Comsys has 52 employees and focuses on device software services in the communications, aerospace and defense sectors. The companies have been working together since 2004 and collaborated on multiple joint engagements for customers such as Palm, IBM and EADS. Wind River says the acquisition 8 would expand its strategic services activity and offerings in Europe, while also leveraging Comsys’ expertise globally across other key customers. “In our three years of working with Comsys, it became very apparent that Wind River and Comsys are highly compatible organizations – there is a shared emphasis on engineering excellence, a passion for device software and an unwavering focus on customers’ needs,” said Ken Klein, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Wind River. “This acquisition will not only enable Wind River to expand its presence in EMEA, but also will give us access to some of the most experienced device software engineers in the world.” Comsys’ Romanian Development Center will begin working on several key Wind River initiatives including Linux – with an emphasis on automotive; VxWorks Platforms, focusing on networking; and test and veriﬁcation for existing aerospace and defense projects. AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2007 | embedded systems design europe | www.embedded.com/europe 008_ESDE.indd 8 7/09/07 14:35:29 http://www.embedded.com/europe

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Embedded Systems Design - Europe - August/September 2007

Contents News Cover Feature: Annual Study Uncovers the Embedded Market DSP Serves the Convergence Needs of Small Business Embedded Test Offers Unique Value for Serial I/O The Software Detective: First-Fault Data Capture Boards May Shrink But Performance Doesn't New Products Advertising Contacts

Embedded Systems Design - Europe - August/September 2007

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