Glossary

Terms used in this guide, in alphabetical order. Hover over an abbreviation such as TAP or SVD anywhere in the guide to see what it stands for.

Activate (a licence)

Enter your licence key in the License Activation window so the Ashling GDB server can debug hardware. See Activate a licence.

Activate (an SDK)

What happens when you select an SDK for a project: any missing components are downloaded, and the project is set up to build and debug with that SDK. See Select an SDK.

Ashling Project View

The top section of the Ashling view. It lists each folder in your workspace as a project, with its SDK selection, binaries, build actions and debug configurations.

Ashling view

The extension's view, opened with the Ashling icon in the Activity Bar. See A tour of the Ashling view.

.axf

The file extension Arm toolchains use for ELF program files. The extension treats .axf and .elf files the same way.

Component

One package inside an SDK, such as the toolchain (riscv-toolchain), the GDB server (gdbserver-riscv) or the examples. Each component shows as a chip with its version in the SDK Manager.

Core

One processor in a device. On devices with several cores, each debug session connects to one core.

Debug configuration

The settings for one debug session: program, probe, target and startup options. Stored in the project's .vscode/launch.json. See Debug a program.

Debug probe

The hardware between your computer and the target board: Ashling Vitra-XS, Opella-XD or Opella-LD.

ELF (.elf)

The program file a build produces and the debugger loads onto the target.

GDB server

The program that connects GDB to the target through the debug probe. Ashling SDKs include the Ashling GDB server; the QEMU SDK uses QEMU's built-in GDB server instead.

JTAG, cJTAG, SWD

The interfaces a probe uses to reach a device. JTAG uses four or five wires; cJTAG and SWD (Arm only) use two. Pick the one your board uses in Transport type.

Kit (CMake)

CMake Tools' name for a compiler set. The extension creates one kit per SDK, named for example Ashling SDK: risc-v-sdk 26.4.1.

QEMU

An open-source emulator. The Ashling SDK for RISC-V QEMU runs RISC-V programs on it, so you can debug without hardware or a licence.

SDK

A bundle of everything a project needs for one target family: toolchain, GDB, GDB server or QEMU, build tools, examples and, where needed, probe drivers and licence activation. See Install and manage SDKs.

SDK root folder

The folder SDKs are installed in. By default .vcpkg in your home folder. See Change the SDK root folder.

SVD file

A System View Description file from the device vendor. It describes the device's peripheral registers, so the Peripherals view can show them.

TAP

Test Access Port: the JTAG interface to one part of a device. A device with several cores can have several TAPs.

Tool

A program inside a component, such as riscv64-unknown-elf-gcc or the GDB server executable. The SDK Manager checks an SDK by starting its tools.

udev rules

A Linux file that gives user accounts access to USB devices. Ashling probes need one on Linux. See Probe drivers.

vcpkg

Microsoft's open-source package manager. The SDK Manager uses it to download and install SDKs, which is why the default SDK root folder is .vcpkg.

VSD

VLSI System Design, maker of the VSD RISC-V boards. The Ashling SDK for VSD debugs them without a licence, on Windows only.