User`s guide

Real-Time Analysis
3-2
3.1 Real-Time Analysis
Real-time analysis is the analysis of data acquired during real-time operation
of a system. The intent is to easily determine whether the system is operating
within its design constraints, is meeting its performance targets, and has
room for further development.
Note:
On platforms where RTDX is not supported, instrumentation data is
updated only in stop mode. That is, the data is not communicated to the
host PC while the target program is running. When you halt the target or
reach a breakpoint, analysis data is transferred for viewing in Code
Composer Studio.
RTDX is currently not supported on the C28x and on certain boards such
as the ’C6416 TEB.
3.1.1 Real-Time Versus Cyclic Debugging
The traditional debugging method for sequential software is to execute the
program until an error occurs. You then stop the execution, examine the
program state, insert breakpoints, and reexecute the program to collect
information. This kind of cyclic debugging is effective for non-real-time
sequential software. However, cyclic debugging is rarely as effective in real-
time systems because real-time systems are characterized by continuous
operation, nondeterministic execution, and stringent timing constraints.
The DSP/BIOS instrumentation APIs and the DSP/BIOS Analysis Tools are
designed to complement cyclic debugging tools to enable you to monitor real-
time systems as they run. This real-time monitoring data lets you view the
real-time system operation so that you can effectively debug and
performance-tune the system.
3.1.2 Software Versus Hardware Instrumentation
Software monitoring consists of instrumentation code that is part of the target
application. This code is executed at run time, and data about the events of
interest is stored in the target system’s memory. Thus, the instrumentation
code uses both the computing power and memory of the target system.
The advantage of software instrumentation is that it is flexible and that no
additional hardware is required. Unfortunately, because the instrumentation
is part of the target application, performance and program behavior can be
affected. Without using a hardware monitor, you face the problem of finding