Debugging Baremetal Applications Using nSIM

Building and Debugging Applications

nSIM supports running and debugging applications for all ARC families. Debugging is not supported for ARCv3 families yet.

There is no a definite match between TCF templates for nSIM and -mcpu values for GNU toolchain. If you want to build a program using GNU toolchain and run it on nSIM simulator , then you have two ways of finding right nSIM options:

1. Find proper nSIM options in a compatibility table (link to another page).
2. Use default TCF templates and additional nSIM options.

There is a table with an a rough matching between -mcpu values and TCF templates with additional options:

Compiler	-mcpu	TCF	Additional nSIM options
arc-elf32-gcc	hs	hs36_base
arc-elf32-gcc	hs34	hs36
arc-elf32-gcc	hs38	hs38_full
arc-elf32-gcc	hs38_linux	hs38_full	-on nsim_isa_fpud_option -on nsim_isa_fpud_div_option -on nsim_isa_fpu_mac_option -on nsim_isa_fpu_hp_option
arc-elf32-gcc	archs	hs38_full	-p nsim_isa_mpy_option=2
arc-elf32-gcc	em	em6_mini	-p nsim_isa_shift_option=3 -p nsim_isa_rgf_num_regs=32
arc-elf32-gcc	em4	em6_mini	-p nsim_isa_shift_option=3 -p nsim_isa_rgf_num_regs=32
arc-elf32-gcc	em4_dmips	em6_dmips
arc-elf32-gcc	em4_fpus	em6_dmips	-on nsim_isa_fpus_option
arc-elf32-gcc	em4_fpuda	em6_dmips	-on nsim_isa_fpus_option -on nsim_isa_fpuda_option
arc-elf32-gcc	arcem	em6_dmips	-off nsim_isa_bitscan_option -off nsim_isa_div_rem_option
arc-elf32-gcc	arc700	arc770d
arc-elf32-gcc	arc600	arc625d
arc64-elf-gcc	hs5x	hs58_full	-on nsim_isa_ll64_option
arc64-elf-gcc	hs58	hs58_full	-on nsim_isa_ll64_option
arc64-elf-gcc	hs6x	hs68_full
arc64-elf-gcc	hs68	hs68_full

Building and Running "Hello, World!"

Consider a simple example code (save it as main.c):

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    printf("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}

You need to use -specs=nsim.specs to use input/output features and to pass -on nsim_emt option to nSIM to use ARC GNU input/output protocol:

$ arc-elf32-gcc -mcpu=archs -specs=nsim.specs main.c -o main.elf
$ nsimdrv -tcf $NSIM_HOME/etc/tcf/templates/hs38_full.tcf -on nsim_emt main.elf
Hello, World!

You can use MetaWare's own hostlink protocol for input/output operations by passing -specs=hl.specs to GCC. In this case you don't have to pass any additional options to nSIM:

$ arc-elf32-gcc -mcpu=archs -specs=hl.specs main.c -o main.elf
$ nsimdrv -tcf $NSIM_HOME/etc/tcf/templates/hs38_full.tcf main.elf
Hello, World!