Skip to main content

Ozone target control

Ozone provides full control over the target microcontroller- or microprocessor-based system.

SEGGER Ozone
  1. 1.Target control and communication
  2. 2.Terminal communication
  3. 3.Control program execution with breakpoints
    1. 3.1.Data breakpoints
  4. 4.Examine program flow with stepping

Target control and communication

Ozone provides full control over a target via the debug interface. Control options include code stepping, breakpoint-setting, and bi-directional terminal communication with the target firmware. This enables users to examine a target system at every step in the process.

A terminal interface displays a series of benchmark tests and a system startup process. It reports reading and writing transfer speeds, initialization of components, and warnings about parameter divergences. The final message indicates that the "Infinite Improbability Drive" is ready, with the system startup completed.

Terminal communication

Ozone can communicate with the target firmware using a terminal interface. This way, the target firmware can push log and error message into Ozone's terminal window. A firmware created for running specific tests can be controlled via the terminal interface and return the test results using the same.

User interface peripherals not present during the debug process can be simulated using the terminal interface. Messages send via Ozone can be used to simulate input devices. Messages sent by the target that would go to a display in the final product could go be sent to the debugger during development.

For communication Ozone can utilize the Cortex-M SWO capability, Semihosting and SEGGER's Real Time Transfer (RTT) technology. RTT provides extremely fast IO coupled with low MCU intrusion.

Control program execution with breakpoints

Breakpoints are a core debug tool. Ozone supports code breakpoints at source and instruction level. Ozone users benefit from conditional breakpoints, that assist to halt the application, when the user requires, without having to modify the code.

If users require to examine a loop at a later iteration, they will set a skip count and tell Ozone to skip the breakpoint automatically the specified number of times relieving them from counting and stepping manually. Similarly an iterative skip count can be used to halt every other occurrence.

In situations where a function is called from a multitude of places in the application, it can be helpful to stop the firmware only if it is called from a specific task. Ozone can offer the required condition, if an RTOS awareness plugin is active.

In addition, Ozone is even capable of evaluating complex conditions each time a breakpoint is hit to determine whether control is passed to the user or execution is continued to the next breakpoint. The evaluation can also make use of RTOS awareness.

Furthermore, Ozone benefits from J-Link's unlimited flash breakpoints.

Data breakpoints

To monitor memory locations important to the program flow, users can set data breakpoints. These trigger a program halt every time the memory location is accessed. Conditions to determine whether the data breakpoint shall trigger include memory address/area, access type (read/write), access size, and value. This supports detecting unwanted memory access or memory access, that does not yield the expected result. In addition, stack overflows can be identified as well as heap use-after-free.

The image shows a software interface displaying debugging information. It lists various code types, locations, and descriptions for error handling, including memory management faults and bus errors, along with a section for vector catches related to system faults.
The image displays a code snippet in a programming environment, showcasing parts of a C/C++ program. Key elements include function definitions, initialization of the operating system, and task management code. A play icon indicates it may be part of a tutorial or instructional video.

Examine program flow with stepping

Ozone provides the standard step modes: single step to the next line, into a function, over a function and also enables stepping on instruction level. If users want to temporarily exclude functions from execution, they can simply move the program counter to the next code line and continue execution.

For one time inspection of a state at a specific location, users can place the cursor there and chose the run to cursor mode, which let's the application run to the specified location.