Download the TimeStorm brochure.
TimeStorm delivers a complete set of Eclipse-based, graphical tools that makes it easy for you to develop, debug, and deploy embedded applications, customize and extend the Linux kernel, and customize the filesystem and applications that you are deploying on your embedded applications. TimeStorm runs on Linux and Windows systems and is seamlessly integrated with your target embedded hardware through simple, graphical configuration commands. Some of the key benefits of TimeStorm include:
- Reduced cost of development:
- Point-and-click ease to customize a root filesystem and configure the kernel
- Add in your custom applications or bring in content from other Linux distributions and projects
- Cross-compile your applications and move your complete Linux software platform to your target device
- Consistent development environment:
- The same set of tools can be used for platform architects, application developers, and testing engineers
- Manage multiple projects in one interface
- Accommodates hundreds of Eclipse-compatible plug-ins from open source or third-party vendors
- Runs on both Linux and Windows systems
TimeStorm includes the following components:
Integrated Development Environment
TimeStorm includes a powerful Integrated Development Environment (IDE), based on the popular Eclipse project, for application development and system configuration. The code editor can handle simple or complex team projects with multiple users, large files, or large numbers of files and provides an easy-to-use interface for the fast creation of Linux application programs, Linux kernel modifications, or Linux device driver development. The IDE makes it easy to:
- Create projects using the integrated Project Wizard
- Manage multiple projects
- Use the Import/Export Wizard to bring in or export existing projects
- Perform automatic code formatting
- Define macros
- Perform block operations
- Perform full and incremental searches
- Use bookmarks to mark specific project components or locations
Toolchain Management Plug-In
TimeStorm users cross-compile projects via build configurations, which contain all of the compiler and tool settings necessary to build an application for a target system. The user can create multiple build configurations for a project using different cross-compilers, if so desired making it easy to build and deploy the same application code on different architecture targets. You can:
- Develop and cross-compile your applications on Linux, Windows, and Solaris desktop systems
- Associate different toolchains with different projects, and easily switch between toolchains for existing projects
- Define customized development configurations for debugging and deployment
- Easily transfer applications and any associated files to your embedded target hardware
- Customize the location where applications, libraries, and other files will be installed on your target hardware
Linux Kernel Plug-In
To accommodate the special build requirements of the Linux kernel, TimeStorm includes a kernel configuration plug-in designed to make building the Linux kernel easy. The kernel plug-in includes a native Eclipse editor for configuring the kernel and setting build parameters.
- Select from several kernel configurations tailored for performance, debugging, and application development
- Define custom kernel configurations to reduce size or further optimize performance
- Easily search kernel configuration variables, descriptions, and help text to quickly locate related drivers and settings
- Bookmark recent kernel configuration changes or configuration areas, making it easy to locate and experiment with complex groups of related settings
Root Filesystem (RFS) Plug-In
Regardless of the Linux distribution that you are using, you will want to add your custom applications to the Linux software platform that you plan to deploy. The RFS Plug-In delivers complete control over the contents of the filesystem(s) on your target hardware. With the it, you can:
- Create different types of root filesystems, including initial RAM disks (initramfs), local or NFS-mounted EXT2 or EXT3, and JFFS2 filesystems
- Use the intuitive interface to easily add and remove packages from your target root filesystem
- Add your custom applications or packages from other Linux projects to complete your Linux software platform
Debugging Plug-In
TimeStorm includes a sophisticated debugger that makes debugging applications on embedded hardware as easy as debugging desktop applications. It provides a graphical interface to the GNU debugger (gdb) and to remote GDB debugging processes. TimeStorm also supports local and remote debugging of multi-threaded applications. The development tools make it easy for you to graphically:
- Examine and evaluate the contents of registers, variables, memory, and stack
- Drill down to view complex data structures and evaluate C expressions
- See variable values by simply moving the mouse
- Get register views for your architecture
- View the stack for each thread or process
- Define conditional breakpoints with a single mouse click
Testing and Validation Plug-In
TimeStorm can be used to develop and execute tests for both applications and Linux software platforms. Our testing tools include over 2,200 pre-packaged system tests designed to help you exercise and verify the Linux system that you are deploying.
Built-in wizards make it easy to create custom tests for your applications and critical system functions. These tests are easily edited and debugged using the powerful integrated development environment (IDE). Once your tests are completed, The tool's execution framework makes it easy to automatically download and execute selected tests on your target hardware. The testing tools also automatically collect and collate test results and displays a graphical summary.
Whether you are developing an application or porting Linux to custom hardware, TimeStorm saves you time and money by providing a robust, repeatable test creation and execution environment.
Working with the test suites, users can:
- Execute tests remotely on the target under control of TimeStorm
- Collect test results, and produce reports that show the quality of the tested system
- Add their own tests and automate the testing for better quality control
- Test multiple platforms at the same time
Profiling Plug-In
Knowing how a system performs is the first step in performance optimization. TimeStorm provides a profiling interface that leverages OProfile, a popular Linux profiling tool. Working with OProfile's formidable data collection capabilities, subscribers can easily collect data on where the CPU time is spent, see how the kernel and subscriber space are performing, and find bottlenecks that aren't obvious through code inspection alone.
