Distinction

Distinction

[kaushal]

hello list,
           Iam unable to find the exact differences between the terms:
    1.architecture
    2.Platform
    3.Variant 
    4.Core

These terms,associated with hardware,must be having a set of features
specific to each.The terms coined due to eCos code base
architecture.When I tried to compare it with Linux I don't find
reflection in the src code for the last three terms(platform variant and
core).eCos arranges the HAL packages based on the above mentioned
criteria.In Linux Only the arch directory had various sub
directories.Under which category do these 'sub-directory names ' fall?I
googled a lot but found vague/contradicting/redundant(definition has the
term in it) results.Thanks in advance.

cheers-
kaushal.

Re: Distinction

[Steve Graegert]

On 9/12/05, kaushal <kaushal@rocsys.com> wrote:
> hello list,
>            Iam unable to find the exact differences between the terms:
>     1.architecture
>     2.Platform

In case of hardware, the HAL itself provides a platform for
applications to run on a given architecture.  The HAL
specifies/describes/is the platform.

>     3.Variant

Variants are different types of hardware devices of the same family. 
For example, microcontroller and embedded devices of the same family
are often of different variant with different, sometimes unique, bus
or memory systems, addressing schemes and the like.  In these cases,
software build for one variant often needs to be rebuild for the
other.  Software running such often devices lack an abstraction layer
that eases portability.  An example is Infineon's C166 microcontroller
family with the variants C167CS (supporting flash) and ST10F269
(supporting RAM) being almost completely incompatible to each other on
the binary level.  Nevertheless, they are compatible on the hardware
level and are based on the same fundamental design.

>     4.Core

AFAIK a core is the smallest piece of hardware (call it a component)
that can be incorporated into a larger component by adding more value,
either by additional hardware or extensible firmware.  Sometimes a
core is nothing more than a couple of gates allowing external sensors
being attached.  Others are quite complex and designed for special
applications, such as DSPs, and are driven by special oscillators.

Hope this helps a bit.

Regards

	\Steve

--

Steve Graegert <graegerts@gmail.com>
Software Consultancy {C/C++ && Java && .NET}
Mobile: +49 (176)  21248869
Office: +49 (9131) 7126409

Re: Distinction

[kaushal]

hi steve,
   
      The details are little confusing.If I consider the case of x86
ARCHITECTURE,as an example,can I say:
    Architecture  X86
    Platform       ?
    Variants       PI,PII,PIII,Athlon,...
    core           ?

cheers-
kaushal.
On Mon, 2005-09-12 at 21:05 +0200, Steve Graegert wrote:
> On 9/12/05, kaushal <kaushal@rocsys.com> wrote:
> > hello list,
> >            Iam unable to find the exact differences between the terms:
> >     1.architecture
> >     2.Platform
> 
> In case of hardware, the HAL itself provides a platform for
> applications to run on a given architecture.  The HAL
> specifies/describes/is the platform.
> 
> >     3.Variant
> 
> Variants are different types of hardware devices of the same family. 
> For example, microcontroller and embedded devices of the same family
> are often of different variant with different, sometimes unique, bus
> or memory systems, addressing schemes and the like.  In these cases,
> software build for one variant often needs to be rebuild for the
> other.  Software running such often devices lack an abstraction layer
> that eases portability.  An example is Infineon's C166 microcontroller
> family with the variants C167CS (supporting flash) and ST10F269
> (supporting RAM) being almost completely incompatible to each other on
> the binary level.  Nevertheless, they are compatible on the hardware
> level and are based on the same fundamental design.
> 
> >     4.Core
> 
> AFAIK a core is the smallest piece of hardware (call it a component)
> that can be incorporated into a larger component by adding more value,
> either by additional hardware or extensible firmware.  Sometimes a
> core is nothing more than a couple of gates allowing external sensors
> being attached.  Others are quite complex and designed for special
> applications, such as DSPs, and are driven by special oscillators.
> 
> Hope this helps a bit.
> 
> Regards
> 
> 	\Steve
> 
> --
> 
> Steve Graegert <graegerts@gmail.com>
> Software Consultancy {C/C++ && Java && .NET}
> Mobile: +49 (176)  21248869
> Office: +49 (9131) 7126409
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-c-programming" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html

Re: Distinction

[Steve Graegert]

On 9/13/05, kaushal <kaushal@rocsys.com> wrote:
> hi steve,
> 
>       The details are little confusing.If I consider the case of x86
> ARCHITECTURE,as an example,can I say:
>     Architecture  X86
>     Platform       ?
>     Variants       PI,PII,PIII,Athlon,...
>     core           ?

Kaushal,

I have chosen not to describe the differences between these terms,
because it is hard to differentiate between "platform" and
"architecture".  One could argue that AMD64 is an architecture while
others would say it is a platform.  The same is true for x86.  One
example I can think of is the Alpha architecture that allows a quite
clear distinction:

I would put it the following way:

Architecture: Alpha
Platforms: EV5, EV6, EV67, EV7
Variants: 61164a/b (EV5), 62164a/b (EV6),  61364 (EV67)
Cores: 21172 (61164) and 21272 (62164) Core Logic

I am not that deep into this Intel/IA/AMD stuff and cannot say
something useful about it.

Regards

	\Steve

--

Steve Graegert <graegerts@gmail.com>
Software Consultancy {C/C++ && Java && .NET}
Mobile: +49 (176)  21248869
Office: +49 (9131) 7126409

> cheers-
> kaushal.
> On Mon, 2005-09-12 at 21:05 +0200, Steve Graegert wrote:
> > On 9/12/05, kaushal <kaushal@rocsys.com> wrote:
> > > hello list,
> > >            Iam unable to find the exact differences between the terms:
> > >     1.architecture
> > >     2.Platform
> >
> > In case of hardware, the HAL itself provides a platform for
> > applications to run on a given architecture.  The HAL
> > specifies/describes/is the platform.
> >
> > >     3.Variant
> >
> > Variants are different types of hardware devices of the same family.
> > For example, microcontroller and embedded devices of the same family
> > are often of different variant with different, sometimes unique, bus
> > or memory systems, addressing schemes and the like.  In these cases,
> > software build for one variant often needs to be rebuild for the
> > other.  Software running such often devices lack an abstraction layer
> > that eases portability.  An example is Infineon's C166 microcontroller
> > family with the variants C167CS (supporting flash) and ST10F269
> > (supporting RAM) being almost completely incompatible to each other on
> > the binary level.  Nevertheless, they are compatible on the hardware
> > level and are based on the same fundamental design.
> >
> > >     4.Core
> >
> > AFAIK a core is the smallest piece of hardware (call it a component)
> > that can be incorporated into a larger component by adding more value,
> > either by additional hardware or extensible firmware.  Sometimes a
> > core is nothing more than a couple of gates allowing external sensors
> > being attached.  Others are quite complex and designed for special
> > applications, such as DSPs, and are driven by special oscillators.
> >
> > Hope this helps a bit.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >       \Steve
> >
> > --
> >
> > Steve Graegert <graegerts@gmail.com>
> > Software Consultancy {C/C++ && Java && .NET}
> > Mobile: +49 (176)  21248869
> > Office: +49 (9131) 7126409
> > -
> > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-c-programming" in
> > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> > More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>

Re: Distinction

[kaushal]

hi Steve,
         Thanks for the help.After some more research I think the
following could be the link:
            core:The processor
            Architecture:The processor specific issiues
	    Platform:If a micro controller/Integrated processor is built on the
basis of a processor the 'platform' corresponds to the
microcontroller/IP specific details.
	    Variants:Different boards made up of the microcontrollers/IP and
interfacing various devices.

This was my observation.Please correct me if Iam wrong.

cheers
-kaushal.

On Tue, 2005-09-13 at 19:57 +0200, Steve Graegert wrote:
> On 9/13/05, kaushal <kaushal@rocsys.com> wrote:
> > hi steve,
> > 
> >       The details are little confusing.If I consider the case of x86
> > ARCHITECTURE,as an example,can I say:
> >     Architecture  X86
> >     Platform       ?
> >     Variants       PI,PII,PIII,Athlon,...
> >     core           ?
> 
> Kaushal,
> 
> I have chosen not to describe the differences between these terms,
> because it is hard to differentiate between "platform" and
> "architecture".  One could argue that AMD64 is an architecture while
> others would say it is a platform.  The same is true for x86.  One
> example I can think of is the Alpha architecture that allows a quite
> clear distinction:
> 
> I would put it the following way:
> 
> Architecture: Alpha
> Platforms: EV5, EV6, EV67, EV7
> Variants: 61164a/b (EV5), 62164a/b (EV6),  61364 (EV67)
> Cores: 21172 (61164) and 21272 (62164) Core Logic
> 
> I am not that deep into this Intel/IA/AMD stuff and cannot say
> something useful about it.
> 
> Regards
> 
> 	\Steve
> 
> --
> 
> Steve Graegert <graegerts@gmail.com>
> Software Consultancy {C/C++ && Java && .NET}
> Mobile: +49 (176)  21248869
> Office: +49 (9131) 7126409
> 
> > cheers-
> > kaushal.
> > On Mon, 2005-09-12 at 21:05 +0200, Steve Graegert wrote:
> > > On 9/12/05, kaushal <kaushal@rocsys.com> wrote:
> > > > hello list,
> > > >            Iam unable to find the exact differences between the terms:
> > > >     1.architecture
> > > >     2.Platform
> > >
> > > In case of hardware, the HAL itself provides a platform for
> > > applications to run on a given architecture.  The HAL
> > > specifies/describes/is the platform.
> > >
> > > >     3.Variant
> > >
> > > Variants are different types of hardware devices of the same family.
> > > For example, microcontroller and embedded devices of the same family
> > > are often of different variant with different, sometimes unique, bus
> > > or memory systems, addressing schemes and the like.  In these cases,
> > > software build for one variant often needs to be rebuild for the
> > > other.  Software running such often devices lack an abstraction layer
> > > that eases portability.  An example is Infineon's C166 microcontroller
> > > family with the variants C167CS (supporting flash) and ST10F269
> > > (supporting RAM) being almost completely incompatible to each other on
> > > the binary level.  Nevertheless, they are compatible on the hardware
> > > level and are based on the same fundamental design.
> > >
> > > >     4.Core
> > >
> > > AFAIK a core is the smallest piece of hardware (call it a component)
> > > that can be incorporated into a larger component by adding more value,
> > > either by additional hardware or extensible firmware.  Sometimes a
> > > core is nothing more than a couple of gates allowing external sensors
> > > being attached.  Others are quite complex and designed for special
> > > applications, such as DSPs, and are driven by special oscillators.
> > >
> > > Hope this helps a bit.
> > >
> > > Regards
> > >
> > >       \Steve
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Steve Graegert <graegerts@gmail.com>
> > > Software Consultancy {C/C++ && Java && .NET}
> > > Mobile: +49 (176)  21248869
> > > Office: +49 (9131) 7126409
> > > -
> > > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-c-programming" in
> > > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> > > More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
> >
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-c-programming" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html