PetaLinux Software Development Kit
Quick Links
The PetaLinux Software Development Kit (SDK) is a complete embedded Linux distribution and development environment that works with the Xilinx hardware design flow for Xilinx FPGAs and Zynq™-7000 All Programmable SoCs. Tailored to accelerate design productivity, the solution contains everything necessary to build, develop, test and deploy Embedded Linux systems.
PetaLinux consists of three key elements: pre-configured binary bootable images, fully customizable Linux for the Xilinx device, and PetaLinux SDK which includes tools and utilities that automate otherwise complex tasks across configuration, build, and deployment tasks.
Quick-start Linux Images
All PetaLinux Board Support Packages (BSP) include pre-configured boot loaders, system images and bitstream. Built-in tools allow a single command to deploy and boot these elements to either physical hardware, or to the included full system simulator (QEMU).
With PetaLinux SDK, developers can have their Xilinx-based hardware booted and running in about 5 minutes; ready for application, library and driver development.
PetaLinux Board Support Packages
PetaLinux SDK BSPs provide a complete, integrated and tested, Linux operating system for Xilinx devices including:
- Boot loader
- CPU-optimized kernel
- Full Linux applications & libraries
- C & C++ application support
- Debug and trace
- Thread and FPU support
- And even an integrated web server that offers easy remote management of network and firmware configurations
PetaLinux Development Tools (host)
PetaLinux eases the development of Linux-based products; all the way from system boot to execution with the following tools:
PetaLinux includes:
- Command-line and Eclipse IDE UIs
- Application, Device Driver & Library generators and development templates
- Bootable system Image builder
- Debug & Trace tools
- GCC tools
- Integrated QEMU Full System Simulator
- Automated tools
With these tools developers can customize the boot loader, Linux kernel, or Linux applications. They can add new device drivers, applications, libraries, and boot and test software stacks on the included full system simulator (QEMU) or on physical hardware via network or JTAG.
PetaLinux SDK enables developers to synchronize the software platform with hardware developers as they add new features or devices to the FPGA or Programmable Logic.
PetaLinux SDK will automatically generate a custom, Linux Board Support Package including device drivers for Xilinx embedded processing IP cores, kernel and boot loader configurations. Such capability minimizes low-level software tasks, instead allowing software engineers to focus on their value-added applications.
PetaLinux SDK includes several tools for the custom configuration of the boot loader, Linux kernel, file system, libraries and system parameters.
These configuration tools are integrated with Xilinx hardware development tools and custom-hardware-specific data files so that, for example, PetaLinux SDK device drivers for Xilinx embedded IP cores will be automatically built and deployed according to the engineer-specified address mapping of that device.
PetaLinux SDK integrates development templates, tools, debuggers and trace utilities that allow software teams to create new device drivers, applications, libraries and BSP configurations for their custom design.
Once the product’s software baseline (BSP, device drivers, core applications, etc.) has been created, the PetaLinux SDK tools enable developers to package and distribute all software components for easy installation and use across PetaLinux SDK developers.
PetaLinux Integration with Xilinx SDK
PetaLinux capabilities can be integrated into Xilinx SDK to expand Xilinx SDK’s from an application development platform, to a full system development and deployment solution, and build tools, Root filesystem configuration and build, QEMU full system simulator, deploy tools and target boot management.
Figure 1: Xilinx SDK can call the build of any Linux Element
Figure 2: Xilinx SDK Creates A Custom Project for any PetaLinux BSP
Similarly, users of Xilinx SDK can continue to create, deploy and debug applications to a target that has been customized with the PetaLinux SDK.
The deployment of PetaLinux complements current users of Xilinx SDK by allowing application developers to continue with Xilinx SDK which builds and deploys against the Linux system that is configured with the PetaLinux SDK tools.