Configurable debug system with wire list walking

A software development system, comprising:

• a memory storage system holding a software development tool program;
• a host computer connected to the memory storage system, the host computer operable to execute the software development tool program;
• an access mechanism for connecting to a hardware system, the hardware system being operable to execute an application program;
• and
• wherein the software development tool is operable to support a plurality of hardware system architectures by using a method for automatically determining capabilities of a first hardware system connected to the test port, the method comprising the steps of:
• accessing a first database corresponding to a first hardware system selected from the multiple hardware system architectures for use during a software debug session;
• creating a software representation for use by the software development system of a set of debug components of the first hardware system in accordance with the first database such that interconnections of the set of debug components are also represented;
• accepting a first request to the software development system for a debug job in which the request is comprised of at least a first action and one or more events that will trigger the action during execution of the application program;
• traversing the software representation of the set of debug components to determine if a first debug component required to execute the first action is present in the first hardware system and if a first set of debug components capable of detecting the one or more events are interconnected to the first debug component in such a way that the first action will be triggered when the one or more events occur;
• sending a debug command to the first hardware system via the test port to initialize a set of debug components selected by the step of traversing;
• and
• performing the debug job using the set of debug components selected by the step of traversing while executing the application program on the first hardware system.

A digital system, comprising:

• a microprocessor having a first architecture for executing application programs;
• a memory circuit connected to the microprocessor holding a first application program for execution by the microprocessor;
• and
• wherein the first application program was developed with a software development system using a method for automatically determining capabilities of a hardware system to permit it to support multiple hardware system architectures, comprising the steps of:
• accessing a first database corresponding to the first architecture selected from the multiple hardware system architectures for use during a software debug session;
• creating a software representation for use by the software development system of a set of debug components of the first hardware system in-accordance with the first database such that interconnections of the set of debug components are also represented;
• accepting a first request to the software development system for a debug job in which the request is comprised of at least a first action and one or more events that will trigger the action;
• traversing the software representation of the set of debug components to determine if a first debug component required to execute the first action is present in the first hardware system and if a first set of debug components capable of detecting the one or more events are interconnected to the first debug component in such a way that the first action will be triggered when the one or more events occur;
• and
• performing the debug job using a set of debug components selected by the step of traversing.