PetaLinux Version 0.20 Release Notes

Contents

  1. PetaLinux Version 0.20 Release Notes
    1. Copyright
    2. Version
    3. Overview
    4. What's New in this release
      1. Software
      2. Hardware
      3. Tools
      4. Documentation

This document provides information on the PetaLinux version 0.20 release.

Copyright (c) 2007 PetaLogix
John.Williams@petalogix.com
Benny.Chen@petalogix.com

Version

VersionDateAuthorChange Log
1.00 25/05/07 BJC Initial document release.

Overview

PetaLinux version 0.20 is a major release that includes support for new kernel version, platforms and tools. These Release Notes will cover what's new for PetaLinux v0.20.

What's New in this release

Software

  • Linux 2.6 Kernel Support: PetaLinux now supports the Linux 2.6.20 kernel for the MicroBlaze architecture without affecting the existing Linux 2.4 kernel support. Enhancements were also made to the build framework to allow the user to switch easily between working with the 2.4 and 2.6 kernels.
  • Update to uClinux-dist 30 January 2007: PetaLinux is now up to date with the uClinux-dist release from 30/01/07.
  • gdb for 2.6: PetaLinux GDB has been updated to support single and multi-threaded application debug for the Linux 2.6 kernel environment.
  • Spartan 3E500 and 3E1600 support: Platform support for the Xilinx Spartan 3E500-RevC and 3E1600-RevA boards have been added to PetaLinux for both 2.4 and 2.6 kernels.
  • NFS support for existing platform: NFS support is now enabled by default for all existing platforms in PetaLinux.
  • U-Boot for 2.6 Kernel: U-Boot has been updated to support the Linux 2.6 kernel without sacrificing the automated platform port functionality.
  • U-Boot Cache Support: Caching is now enabled for U-Boot which significantly increases the performance of the bootloader. Ethernet file transfer for kernel images are now noticeably quicker.
  • New Web Server Content: New default web content were included for the local thttpd server.

Hardware

  • EDK9.1 Reference Designs: PetaLinux now includes EDK 9.1 reference designs for the supported platforms.
  • Spartan 3E1600-RevA Reference Design: The Xilinx Spartan 3E1600-RevA board reference design is now available in PetaLinux.
  • Improved Pre-built demos: PetaLinux has included pre-built demos for booting both the Linux 2.4 and 2.6 kernels for the following platforms. ML401, Spartan3E500-RevC and Spartan3E1600-RevA. The user can now boot between the 2 kernel versions without needing to re-build the design.
  • PetaLinux BSP v 1.00.b: A new version of the PetaLinux BSP has been included to extend the auto-config facilities to support the 2.6 kernel.

Tools

  • PetaLinux Tools Support 2.6 kernels: The PetaLinux tool suite (E.g. petalinux-copy-autoconfig) have been updated to support the 2.6 kernel. All tools now provide the "-k" option to allow the user to select between running for the 2.4 or 2.6 kernel.

Documentation

  • All documentation updated to reflect changes in tools, reference designs and supported kernel versions.