Chapter 10. Where to look for answers

Now we will step through a list of needs you might have when programming eCos, and we will point you to the various parts of the documentation that might help you find answers.

If you want to

install eCos

See Part I and Part III.

program with eCos

Use the programming tutorial (see Part IV) to learn to write and run simple eCos programs. Then read the eCos User's Guide for more information about eCos programming techniques. After that, most of the reference manual is appropriate reading.

configure eCos for your purposes

find details about the Configuration Tool

Read the part of the eCos User's Guide called The eCos Configuration Tool.

get complete information on any configuration option

Read the eCos Reference Manual: Configuration Option Reference.

write or port a µITRON application

Look at the µITRON API chapter in the eCos Reference Manual, as well as Dr. Sakamura's book on µITRON. Future releases of eCos will include a tutorial on writing and porting µITRON programs.

run an existing eCos test

See Chapter 14.

reduce code size

You can reduce it further by configuring the kernel and the C library to use low-memory implementations of certain features and to eliminate unneeded functionality.

import a new eCos release into your own source control system

Read the chapter Managing the package repository in the eCos User's Guide.

port eCos to a new platform

Read the discussion of platform porting in the section Kernel porting notes in the appendix The eCos Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in the eCos Reference Manual.

write a new device driver

The device driver infrastructure will be changing in the next release, but some information can be found in the eCos Device Drivers part of the eCos Reference Manual.