Re: [avr-gcc-list] binutils/.../testsuite/avr

[Theodore A. Roth]

On Fri, 3 Dec 2004, E. Weddington wrote:

> I'm sorry, I did not mean to imply that simulavrxx could *not* fulfill
> the role. It certainly could be made to do so, I suppose.
>
> I am not at all familiar with what is required to run automated tests in
> binutils and gcc for the avr target. Other embedded targets, for example
> arm, seem to have a simulator that is generated that is stored with the
> GDB project and is used to run these testsuites. At least I *think*
> that's how it works.
>
> What would be great is if the automated testsuites in binutils and gcc
> could be executed in some manner for the avr target, with a simulator.
> That way test results could be reported back to binutils and gcc. I
> think this would help to "raise the profile" of the avr target in the
> gcc project. However, I do not know enough to say what needs to be done,
> or how to begin. But this is definitely an area that could use volunteers.

Gdb needs a simulator for the testsuite since it interacts with a
program actually running on the target and is strongly coupled with
the state of the memory and registers on the target.

On the other hand, binutils and gcc just spit out a file. As such, there
should be no need for a simulator for the most part. It's just a matter
of compiling or assembling a chunk of code and then comparing the output
to some expected result. The output used for the compare could either be
the raw intermediate asm file for a C code fragment or possibly a
disassemle of the object file.

Of course, the devil is in the details. I've had several failed attempts
at getting the gdb testsuite going for the avr target. For the most
part, this is probably because I suck with TCL. Maybe one of these days
I'll actually succeed.

I'm sure there are plenty of answers in the gcc testsuite as to how to
go about this for the avr.

---
Ted Roth
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