Virtual Hardware  Version 1.2.3 - beta
Infrastructure Service and Tool Integration
Run with MDK-Professional

This section explains how Arm Virtual Hardware (AVH) processors can be used with Keil MDK tools for developing and debugging embedded applications on a local computer.

Tools Installation

  • Download Keil MDK v5.37 or above and install it on your Windows PC, if not present yet.
  • Ensure that MDK-Professional Edition is activated in MDK as this is required for running AVH models. If MDK-Professional license is not available, you can request an evaluation license.
  • [Optional] Enable Telnet Client on Windows 10. This will allow to observe UART output from the AVH device during debug.
    • Open Start > Settings.
    • In the search box, type Turn Windows features on or off and click on the suggested item. The Windows Features dialog opens.
    • Select the Telnet Client check box and click OK. The installation might take several minutes to complete.

Project Configuration

Two important configuration areas need special attention in MDK projects for Arm Virtual Hardware CPUs:

  • Target selection in the project. This is required for new projects or when changing the target device in an existing project.
  • Run and debug configuration in the project. This step is typically needed for setting up any project, but with reference examples brief verification of the default settings can be sufficient.

Table below lists the Cortex-M cores supported with Arm Virtual Hardware, corresponding device names, the CMSIS Pack with device support, as well as simulation models provided with MDK.

Arm Cortex-M core AVH Device name CMSIS Pack with device definition Virtual Hardware model in MDK 1 Description
Cortex-M0 CMSDK_CM0_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M0.exe CPU with Cortex-M0 core
Cortex-M0+ CMSDK_CM0plus_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M0plus.exe CPU with Cortex-M0+ core
Cortex-M3 CMSDK_CM3_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M3.exe CPU with Cortex-M3 core
Cortex-M4 CMSDK_CM4_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M4.exe CPU with Cortex-M4 core
Cortex-M4, FP CMSDK_CM4_FP_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M4.exe CPU with Cortex-M4 core and Floating Point Unit (FPU) support
Cortex-M7 CMSDK_CM7_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M7.exe CPU with Cortex-M7 core
Cortex-M7, FP(SP) CMSDK_CM7_SP_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M7.exe CPU with Cortex-M7 core and Single Precision FPU support
Cortex-M7, FP(DP) CMSDK_CM7_DP_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_CMx_BSP from v1.8.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M7.exe CPU with Cortex-M7 core and Double Precision FPU support
Cortex-M23 IOTKit_CM23_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_IOTKit_BSP from v1.5.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M23.exe CPU with Cortex-M23 core
Cortex-M33 IOTKit_CM33_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_IOTKit_BSP from v1.5.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M33.exe CPU with Cortex-M33 core
Cortex-M33, FP IOTKit_CM33_FP_VHT Keil.V2M-MPS2_IOTKit_BSP from v1.5.0 VHT_MPS2_Cortex-M33.exe CPU with Cortex-M33 core and Floating Point Unit (FPU) support
Cortex-M55 SSE-300-MPS3 ARM.V2M_MPS3_SSE_300_BSP from v1.2.0 VHT_MPS3_Corstone_SSE-300.exe
VHT_Corstone_SSE-300_Ethos-U55.exe
VHT_Corstone_SSE-300_Ethos-U65.exe 		Corstone-300 SoC with Cortex-M55.
Same device definition is used, but a model shall be selected
depending on the required microNPU (none, Ethos-U55 or Ethos-U65)
Cortex-M85 SSE-310-MPS3 not available yet VHT_Corstone_SSE-310.exe CPU with Cortex-M85 core

1 The Virtual Hardware Targets can be found in the /ARM/VHT/ folder in the MDK installation directory as used for Tools Installation, for example,C:/Keil_v5/ARM/VHT/.

Target selection

AVH device support is implemented with the same CMSIS principles as used for real hardware targets and explained in CMSIS Pack and CMSIS-Core(M).

When opening an existing MDK project or importing it from a .cprj file you will be asked if any missing packs required by the project shall be installed. If you agree to that, also the necessary pack with device definition for the target device used in the project will be automatically installed.

When creating a new project or when changing the target in an existing project you need to select an AVH target as follows:

  • Install the CMSIS pack with target device definition, if not present yet:
    • Start Pack Installer utility.
    • In Devices tab expand ARM section and select the target Cortex-M core.
    • In the Packs tab under Device Specific category select the target CMSIS pack that implements the required AVH device according to the table in Project Configuration.
    • Press Install or Update button in the Action field to get the latest version installed. For example for Arm Cortex-M4:
    • Observe the button status changed to Up to date and return to the project in µVision.
  • Select AVH device as the target in your project:
    • In the project open Options for target... dialog and select Device tab.
    • In the list of device vendors expand ARM group.
    • Expand the group of your target Cortex-M core.
    • In the list select the target device according to the table in Project Configuration and press OK.
      For example for Arm Cortex-M4:

Run and debug configuration

Perform the following steps to configure execution and debug of an MDK project on an AVH device:

  • Open Options for Target... dialog and navigate to the Debug tab.
  • In Use: drop-down menu select the Models Debugger.
    The exact name varies slightly depending on the target device core: Models Cortex-M Debugger for Cortex-M0/M0+/M3/M4/M7 devices and Models ARMv8-M Debugger for Cortex-M23/M33/M55/M85.
    For example for Corstone-300 with a Cortex-M55 core:
  • Click on the Settings button. This opens corresponding Models Target Driver Setup_ dialog.
    Following fields are important to fill:
    • Command: shall contain the path to the AVH model executable file that corresponds to the selected AVH device. See table in Project Configuration.
    • Arguments: can be used to specify additional FVP command-line options to be used with the model execution.
    • Target: specifies the CPU to be used for execution. Click the Browse button (...) and select the target CPU available on the target.
    • Configuration File: points to the file with model configuration parameters (passed to the model executable with -f option).
    A correct configuration for Corestone-300 can be as follows:

Fast Models Debug Driver Configuration explains the configuration dialog in details.

Project Export

Universal .cprj format is required for building the program with Arm Virtual Hardware cloud environment. So it is important to keep the MDK project files and the cprj file synchronized. For that after saving modifications in the MDK project go to the µVision menu Project - Export and select Save project to CPRJ format.

Program Build and Debug

Project build and debug on an AVH device can be done in the similar way as any other Keil MDK project:

  • Press Rebuild button in µVision toolbar (or use F7 hotkey).
  • Start the debug session from µVision toolbar (or with Ctrl-F5). The model executable window should pop up (with C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe) but it will stay empty during the session.
  • If enabled in Run and debug configuration, a Telnet client will start. Program output should be expected there.
  • Debug the project as usual with available µVision functionality. Refer to µVision User's Guide for details about user interface and debug capabilities.