Open Virtual Platforms

OVP: Fast Simulation, Free open source models, Public APIs: Open Virtual Platforms.

If you are developing embedded software then virtual platforms will be increasingly important to you - especially if you are working on designs with more than one processor.

Using a virtual plaform or simulation model of your target hardware is the only way you will be able to really control its operation, see what is really happening and really debug your complex software - virtual platforms provide the most efficient was to develop embedded software.

If you are interested to learn about virtual platforms and how they can help you develop  sofware then you should become familiar with the Open Virtual Platforms initiative. The OVP website provides a lot of background information, education as to usage, and provides open source models and documentation for you to get started. The website also allows you to download a fully functional simulator for free evaluation and which is free for non-commercial usage.

OVP and its portal will become an important resource for you.

Please do take the time to browse the different pages on the OVPworld site and continually visit it as it provides more and more information, technology and documents.

You really should make sure you go to the download area and take a look at all the different capabilities and models being offered for free by this community. Download one of the simpler platforms into your PC and see how your embedded software development environment can run 100s of MIPS, often faster than real time. There are many models, full platforms, and platforms that run complex operating systems such as uClinux, Linux, and Nucleus.

OVP was announced in March 2008 and now includes processor models for ARM, MIPS, ARC, NEC, openCores processors and provides many platforms: homogeneous, heterogeneous, single core, multicore, manycore, C, C++, SystemC, TLM2.0 etc. The processor and peripheral models are available as open source  via the library page - have a go and  start to use the simulator and modeling technology with the existing models and keep coming back and have a look at OVPs progress. If you want to help out - please email info@ovpworld.org.

To read about the rationale behind OVP please go here. To learn about the technology go here.

What is OVP? - It is simulation to develop software on: Fast Simulation, Free open source models, Easy to use!

During 2005-2007 Imperas developed some fantastic virtual platform and modeling technology to enable simulating embedded systems running real application code. These simulations run at speeds of 100s and 100s of MIPS on typical desktop PCs and are completely Instruction Accurate and model the whole system.

Imperas decided to open up this technology and OVP is the vehicle to make it public.

OVP has three main components - the OVP APIs that enable a C model to be written, a collection of free open source processor and peripheral models, and OVPsim a fast, easy to download and use simulator that executes these models.

With OVP you can put together a simulation model of a platform, compile it to an executable, and connect it to your debugger to provide a very efficient fast embedded software development environment.

If you would like to look at a presentation regarding OVP have a look at:

There are many companies and organizations getting involved with OVP - the ecosystem is starting…

If you want more information on OVP - please see the OVP forum - or please email OVP.