Specifications

Nios II Software Project Types
Application Project
A Nios II C/C++ application project consists of a collection of source code, plus a makefile. A typical
characteristic of an application is that one of the source files contains function main(). An application
includes code that calls functions in libraries and BSPs. The makefile compiles the source code and links it
with a BSP and one or more optional libraries, to create one .elf file.
User Library Project
A user library project is a collection of source code compiled to create a single library archive file (.a).
Libraries often contain reusable, general purpose functions that multiple application projects can share. A
collection of common arithmetical functions is one example. A user library does not contain a main()
function.
BSP Project
A Nios II BSP project is a specialized library containing system-specific support code. A BSP provides a
software runtime environment customized for one processor in a Nios II hardware system. The Nios II
EDS provides tools to modify settings that control the behavior of the BSP.
A BSP contains the following elements:
• Hardware abstraction layer
• Optional custom newlib C standard library
(1)
• Device drivers
• Optional software packages
• Optional real-time operating system
Related Information
• Altera Software Packages for Embedded Systems on page 1-4
• Overview of the Hardware Abstraction Layer on page 5-1
• Nios II Software Build Tools Reference on page 15-1
For more information, refer to the "Nios II Embedded Software Projects" chapter.
• Altera Software Packages for Embedded Systems on page 1-4
• MicroC/OS-II Real-Time Operating System on page 10-1
Altera Software Packages for Embedded Systems
The Nios II EDS includes software packages to extend the capabilities of your software. You can include
these software packages in your BSP.
Table 1-1: Altera Nios II Software Packages Distributed with the Nios II EDS
Name Description
NicheStack TCP/IP Stack - Nios II Edition Refer to the "Ethernet and the NicheStack TCP/IP
Stack - Nios II Edition" chapter.
Read-only zip file system Refer to the "Read-Only Zip File System" chapter.
(1)
The complete HTML documentation for newlib resides in the Nios II EDS directory.
1-4
Nios II Software Project Types
NII5V2
2015.05.14
Altera Corporation
Overview of Nios II Embedded Development
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