source: rtems/doc/develenv/intro.texi @ 5cd3258

@c
@c  COPYRIGHT (c) 1988-2002.
@c  On-Line Applications Research Corporation (OAR).
@c  All rights reserved.
@c
@c  $Id$
@c

@ifinfo
@node Introduction, Directory Structure, Top, Top
@end ifinfo
@chapter Introduction

This document describes the RTEMS development
environment.  Discussions are provided for the following topics:

@itemize @bullet
@item the directory structure used by RTEMS,

@item usage of the GNU Make utility within the RTEMS
development environment,

@item sample applications, and

@item the RTEMS specific utilities.
@end itemize

RTEMS was designed as a reusable software component.
Highly reusable software such as RTEMS is typically distributed
in the form of source code without providing any support tools.
RTEMS is the foundation for a complex family of facilities
including board support packages, device drivers, and support
libraries.  The RTEMS Development Environment is not a CASE
tool.  It is a collection of tools designed to reduce the
complexity of using and enhancing the RTEMS family.  Tools are
provided which aid in the management of the development,
maintenance, and usage of RTEMS, its run-time support
facilities, and applications which utilize the executive.

A key component of the RTEMS development environment
is the GNU family of free tools.  This is  robust set of
development and POSIX compatible tools for which source code is
freely available.  The primary compilers, assemblers, linkers,
and make utility used by the RTEMS development team are the GNU
tools.  They are highly portable supporting a wide variety of
host computers and, in the case of the development tools, a wide
variety of target processors.

It is recommended that the RTEMS developer become
familiar with the RTEMS Development Environment before
proceeding with any modifications to the executive source tree.
The source code for the executive is very modular and source
code is divided amongst directories based upon functionality as
well as dependencies on CPU and target board.  This organization
is aimed at isolating and minimizing non-portable code.  This
has the immediate result that adding support for a new CPU or
target board requires very little "wandering" around the source
tree.