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To debug an embedded system, the debugger software must have access to the debug interface of the microcontroller to retrieve internal information.
Different microcontrollers use different physical debug interfaces (also called on chip debug interfaces,e.g. JTAG, Nexus, BDM). To access the on chip debug interface, a specific protocol and tight timing with distinct voltage levels on the lines to the microcontroller must be used.
A PC is not capable of controlling the on-chip debug interface directly. A sophisticated level converter between PC and microcontroller is necessary, a so-called hardware debugger. The hardware debugger is controlled by software — usually the integrated development environment (IDE).
Hardware debugger manufacturers support only limited sets of microcontroller families. Because the hardware debugger is controlled by a debugger software, different microcontrollers require different debugger software which causes additional learning effort for the developer.
Read more about this topic: Embedded System Debug Plug-in For Eclipse
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