On-chip and Off-chip Real-Time Debugging for Remotely-Accessed Embedded Programmable Systems

Abstract

Embedded programmable systems are becoming common in system designs, resulting in the need for educational institutions to teach advanced embedded systems design and develop debugging competence in students. Remote laboratory experimentation provided as part of a web-based distance learning allows flexible access to on-campus resources free of time or geographical constraints. However, adapting and redeveloping existing software and hardware resources to this purpose is both time consuming and expensive. This paper introduces a remote-access laboratory architecture, which extends current e-learning strategies to provide real-time debugging for embedded programmable systems via the web. An example experiment illustrates the on-chip and off-chip real-time debugging capabilities of the laboratory.