This repository contains the designs, documentations, and source files for the Embedded Virtual Machine (embvm) project's core interfaces, libraries, and subsystems. This project is required to build Embedded VM applications and reusable modules (including drivers, OS interfaces, subsystems, and more).
Note that this project is dual-licensed. The open-source version of this project is released under GPLv3. A commercial license, which provides holders with the ability to create and distribute software without open-source obligations, can be purchased in the Embedded Artistry store. We release additional modules that use the embvm-core project under the MIT license, allowing them to work with both the GPLv3 and commercial licenses, as well as making them free for modification and use outside of the Embedded VM framework.
The Embedded Virtual Machine (Embedded VM or embvm for short) is an embedded software framework that helps developers create portable and reusable embedded software components. The Embedded VM core project provides the core abstractions, boot-related code, utilities, and supporting libraries that are used to build Embedded VM applications. These abstractions are used to quickly create and port embedded systems software from one platform to another.
For a comprehensive introduction to the project, please see the Getting Started Guide. You can also find a detailed overview of the project and its design goals in the System Overview.
This project is under active development. Reusable programs, platforms, and drivers have been successfully written using the Embedded VM, and they run on ARM Cortex-M4 embedded platforms. Supporting utilities are continually being tested, tuned, and optimized. Interfaces are evolving, and many interfaces still need to be created.
A number of reusable subsystems are planned, but not yet implemented. These include:
Additional chipsets and drivers will be added as required by client platforms or as time allows.
C interface shims will be developed to enable developers to work in C while interacting with the C++ framework core
Planned processor additions include:
Planned RTOS additions include:
Application skeletons will be created for:
Additional libraries and utilities will be provided:
The instructions below will help you download and build the project.
Detailed documentation on the design and use of the Embedded VM can be found in the docs/ folder.
If this is your first encounter with the Embedded VM project, we recommend beginning with our Getting Started Guide. This guide includes links to demo projects that are built using the Embedded VM.
This project uses Embedded Artistry's standard Meson build system, and dependencies are described in detail on our website.
At a minimum you will need:
git-lfs, which is used to store binary files in this repositoryThis project stores some files using git-lfs.
To install git-lfs on Linux:
sudo apt install git-lfsTo install git-lfs on OS X:
brew install git-lfsAdditional installation instructions can be found on the git-lfs website.
The Meson build system depends on python3 and ninja-build.
To install on Linux:
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip ninja-buildTo install on OSX:
brew install python3 ninjaMeson can be installed through pip3:
pip3 install mesonIf you want to install Meson globally on Linux, use:
sudo -H pip3 install mesonThis project uses git-lfs, so please install it before cloning. If you cloned prior to installing git-lfs, simply run git lfs pull after installation.
This project is hosted on GitHub. You can clone the project directly using this command:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/embvm/embvm-coreIf you don't clone recursively, be sure to run the following command in the repository or your build will fail:
git submodule update --init --recursiveIf Make is installed, the project can be built by issuing the following command:
makeThis will build all targets for your current architecture.
You can clean builds using:
make cleanYou can eliminate the generated buildresults folder using:
make distcleanYou can also use meson directly for compiling.
Create a build output folder:
meson buildresultsAnd build all targets by running
ninja -C buildresultsCross-compilation is handled using meson cross files. Example files are included in the meson/cross folder. You can write your own cross files for your specific processor by defining the toolchain, compilation flags, and linker flags. These settings will be used to compile the project.
Cross-compilation must be configured using the meson command when creating the build output folder. For files stored within meson/cross, we provide a Makefile CROSS to simplify the process. This variable will automatically supply the proper Meson argument, meson/cross/ prefix, and .txt filename extension.
You can use a single file, or you can layer multiple files by separating the names with a colon.
make CROSS=arm:cortex-m4_hardfloatYou can also do this manually with the Meson interface. Note, however, that you will need to include a special --cross-file=meson/cross/embvm.txt cross file to ensure that the required Embedded VM settings are applied.
meson buildresults --cross-file meson/cross/arm.txt --cross-file meson/cross/cortex-m4_hardfloat.txt --cross-file=meson/cross/embvm.txtFollowing that, you can run make (at the project root) or ninja -C buildresults to build the project.
Note: Tests will not be cross-compiled. They will only be built for the native platform.
Full instructions for working with the build system, including topics like using alternate toolchains and running supporting tooling, are documented in Embedded Artistry's Standardized Meson Build System on our website.
The tests for this library are written with Catch2, which is included as a subproject and does not need to be installed on your system. You can run the tests by issuing the following command:
make testBy default, test results are generated for use by the CI server and are formatted in JUnit XML. The test results XML files can be found in buildresults/test/. You can manually run the test programs if needed.
For more information on testing, see Unit Testing with Catch2.
Build configuration is covered in depth in the Configuration and Tuning guide.
We provide a large amount of documentation for the Embedded VM project.
Full documentation can be built locally by running the following command:
make docsDocumentation can be found in buildresults/docs, and the root page is index.html.
If you need further assistance or have any questions, please file a GitHub issue or send us an email using the Embedded Artistry Contact Form.
You can also reach out on Twitter: mbeddedartistry.
If you are interested in contributing to this project, please read our contributing guidelines.
Copyright © 2020 Embedded Artistry LLC
Note that this project is dual-licensed. The open-source version of this project is released under GPLv3. A commercial license, which provides holders with the ability to create and distribute software without open-source obligations, can be purchased in the Embedded Artistry store.
We release additional modules that use the embvm-core project under the MIT license, allowing them to work with both the GPLv3 and commercial licenses, as well as making them free for modification and use outside of the Embedded VM framework. Note, however, that using these modules as-is will result in the embvm-core project being used in your application, requiring you to abide by GPLv3 or commercial licensing terms.
See the LICENSE.md file for further licensing details.
I would like to thank the following individuals for their direct contributions to this project:
I would like to thank the following individuals for their inspiration on this project:
I would like to thank the following individuals for the open source libraries that have been incorporated into this framework: