VisualDSP++ 4.5 Loader and Utilities Manual - Analog Devices

Definition of Terms
Definition of Terms
Loader and Loader Utility
The term loader refers to a loader utility that is part of the VisualDSP++
development tools suite. The loader utility post-processes one or multiple
executable (.dxe) files, extracts segments that have been declared by the
TYPE(RAM) command in a Linker Description File (.ldf), and generates a
loader file (.ldr). Since the .dxe file meets the Executable and Linkable
Format (ELF) standard, the loader utility is often called elfloader utility.
See also “Loader Utility Operations” on page 1-10.
Splitter Utility
The splitter utility is part of the VisualDSP++ development tools suite.
The splitter utility post-processes one or multiple executable (.dxe) files,
extracts segments that have been declared by the TYPE(R0M) command a
Linker Description File (.ldf), and generates a file consisting of processor
instructions (opcodes). If burned into an EPROM or flash memory device
which connects to the target processor’s system bus, the processor can
directly fetch and execute these instructions. See also “Splitter Utility
Operations” on page 1-11.
Splitter and loader jobs can be managed either by separate utility programs
or by the same program (see “Non-bootable Files Versus
Boot-loadable Files” on page 1-9). In the later case, the generated output
file may contain code instructions and boot streams.
Loader File
A loader file is generated by the loader utility. The file typically has the
.ldr extension and is often called an LDR file. Loader files can meet one
of multiple formats. Common formats are Intel-hex, binary, or ASCII representation.
Regardless of the format, the loader file describes a boot
image, which can be seen as the binary version of the loader file. See also
“Non-bootable Files Versus Boot-loadable Files” on page 1-9.
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