What is Ethernet TAP probe?

The Ethernet TAP probe has these features:

• Supports the following systems: PowerPC™ processors, StarCore processors, ColdFire® processors, 56800 Hybrid Controllers (processors and microcontrollers), ARM® processors, and RCF base-band controllers.
• Supports all CPU core speeds.
• Lets you control and debug software running in-target, with minimal intrusion into target system operation.
• Lets you debug code in cache, ROM, RAM, and flash memory.
• Provides high performance:
  • Split-second single-step execution.
  • Capable of download speeds greater than 12 MB per minute from host to target system.
    Note: The actual download speed depends on the target system processor, the debug port's clock frequency, the network speed, and the debugger.
• Supports 10/100BaseT Ethernet network connection.
• Supports telnet access to your target system's serial port, allowing you to interact with your target system's serial port over the network.
• Supports both big and little endian byte-order.
• Automatically supports target system signal levels from 1.8V to 3.3V.
• Software debug capabilities including:
  • Control instruction execution.
  • Display and modify target system memory.
  • Examine and modify any processor registers.
  • Run to breakpoints in ROM, RAM, or flash memory.
  • Single-step through source and assembly language code views.
  • Step into, over, or out of functions.

The Ethernet TAP probe works with the CodeWarrior debugger to give you control over the emulation functions and your target system.

The Ethernet TAP probe system is composed of two parts:

• The Ethernet TAP probe hardware, which provides visibility into and control of your target system and connects to your host computer through a 10BaseT or 100BaseT Ethernet link.
• A target system probe tip, which is designed to provide a physical and electrical interface to the target system processor that you want to gain visibility into.

The Ethernet TAP probe provides these key benefits:

• Visibility: The Ethernet TAP probe makes it possible for you to observe registers and the current state of target system memory. You can halt program execution at predefined states and examine the data for a particular program state.
• Control: You can conveniently control the state of the target system by downloading code, manually modifying processor registers and memory, single-stepping through the code, or setting breakpoints.

Target system connections can be made using any one of the debug ports (JTAG/COP, DPI, ColdFire BDM, OnCE, or ARM® JTAG).

The Ethernet TAP probe connects to the target system in any of the following three ways:

• Connect to the debug port header on the target system directly with the probe tip.
• Connect to the debug port header on the target system using a flexible extension cable. Use it when more clearance is required.

The extension cable is provided with your Ethernet TAP probe.

See Target system connection option for an illustration of the debug port interface.

The Ethernet TAP probe offers debugging capabilities without requiring you to modify any target system code or provide any special I/O port in the target system for communications with a monitor.