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><H1
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><A
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NAME="DEVS-WATCHDOG-SYNTH">Synthetic Target Watchdog Device</H1
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFNAMEDIV"
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><A
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NAME="AEN19056"
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></A
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><H2
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>Name</H2
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>Synthetic Target Watchdog Device&nbsp;--&nbsp;Emulate watchdog hardware in the synthetic target</DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="AEN19059"
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></A
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><H2
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>Overview</H2
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><P
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>Some target hardware comes equipped with a watchdog timer. Application
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code can start this timer and after a certain period of time,
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typically a second, the watchdog will trigger. Usually this causes the
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hardware to reboot. The application can prevent this by regularly
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resetting the watchdog. An automatic reboot can be very useful when
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deploying hardware in the field: a hardware glitch could cause the
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unit to hang; or the software could receive an unexpected sequence of
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inputs, never seen in the laboratory, causing the system to lock up.
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Often the hardware is still functional, and a reboot sorts out the
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problem with only a brief interruption in service.
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    </P
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><P
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>The synthetic target watchdog package emulates watchdog hardware.
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During system initialization watchdog device will be instantiated,
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and the <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>watchdog.tcl</TT
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> script will be loaded by the
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I/O auxiliary. When the eCos application starts the watchdog device,
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the <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>watchdog.tcl</TT
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> script will start checking the
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state of the eCos application at one second intervals. A watchdog
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reset call simply involves a message to the I/O auxiliary. If the
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>watchdog.tcl</TT
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> script detects that a second has
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<A
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HREF="devs-watchdog-synth.html#SYNTH-WATCHDOG-WALLCLOCK-ELAPSED"
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>elapsed</A
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>
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without a reset then it will send a <TT
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CLASS="LITERAL"
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>SIGPWR</TT
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> signal
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to the eCos application, causing the latter to terminate. If gdb is
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being used to run the application, the user will get a chance to
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investigate what is happening. This behaviour is different from real
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hardware in that there is no automatic reboot, but the synthetic
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target is used only for development purposes, not deployment in the
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field: if a reboot is desired then this can be achieved very easily
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by using gdb commands to run another instance of the application.
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    </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="DEVS-WATCHDOG-SYNTH-INSTALL"
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></A
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><H2
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>Installation</H2
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><P
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>Before a synthetic target eCos application can use a watchdog device
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it is necessary to build and install host-side support. The relevant
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code resides in the <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>host</TT
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>
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subdirectory of the synthetic target watchdog package, and building it
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involves the standard <B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>configure</B
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>,
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<B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>make</B
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> and <B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>make install</B
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> steps. The
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implementation of the watchdog support does not require any
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executables, just a Tcl script <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>watchdog.tcl</TT
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> and
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some support files, so the <B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>make</B
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> step is a no-op.
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    </P
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><P
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>There are two main ways of building the host-side software. It is
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possible to build both the generic host-side software and all
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package-specific host-side software, including the watchdog support,
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in a single build tree. This involves using the
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<B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>configure</B
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> script at the toplevel of the eCos
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repository. For more information on this, see the
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>README.host</TT
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> file at the top of the repository.
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Note that if you have an existing build tree which does not include
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the synthetic target watchdog support then it will be necessary to
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rerun the toplevel configure script: the search for appropriate
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packages happens at configure time.
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    </P
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><P
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>The alternative is to build just the host-side for this package.
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This requires a separate build directory, building directly in the
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source tree is disallowed. The <B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>configure</B
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> options
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are much the same as for a build from the toplevel, and the
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>README.host</TT
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> file can be consulted for more
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details. It is essential that the watchdog support be configured with
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the same <TT
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CLASS="OPTION"
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>--prefix</TT
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> option as other eCos host-side
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software, especially the I/O auxiliary provided by the architectural
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synthetic target HAL package, otherwise the I/O auxiliary will be
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unable to locate the watchdog support.
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    </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="SYNTH-WATCHDOG-TARGET-CONFIG"
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></A
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><H2
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>Target-side
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Configuration</H2
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><P
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>The watchdog device depends on the generic watchdog support,
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<TT
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CLASS="VARNAME"
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>CYGPKG_IO_WATCHDOG</TT
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>: if the generic support is
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absent then the watchdog device will be inactive. Some templates
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include this generic package by default, but not all. If the
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configuration does not include the generic package then it can be
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added using the eCos configuration tools, for example:
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    </P
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><TABLE
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BORDER="5"
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BGCOLOR="#E0E0F0"
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WIDTH="70%"
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><TR
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><TD
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><PRE
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CLASS="SCREEN"
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>$ ecosconfig add CYGPKG_IO_WATCHDOG</PRE
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><P
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>By default the configuration will use the hardware-specific support,
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i.e. this package. However the generic watchdog package contains an
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alternative implementation using the kernel alarm facility, and that
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implementation can be selected if desired. However usually it will be
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better to rely on an external watchdog facility as provided by the I/O
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auxiliary and the <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>watchdog.tcl</TT
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> script: if there
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are serious problems within the application, for example memory
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corruption, then an internal software-only implementation will not be
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reliable.
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    </P
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><P
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>The watchdog resolution is currently fixed to one second: if the
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device does not receive a reset signal at least once a second then
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the watchdog will trigger and the eCos application will be terminated
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with a <TT
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CLASS="LITERAL"
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>SIGPWR</TT
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> signal. The current implementation
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does not allow this resolution to be changed.
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    </P
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><P
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>On some targets the watchdog device does not perform a hard reset.
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Instead the device works more or less via the interrupt subsystem,
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allowing application code to install action routines that will be
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called when the watchdog triggers. The synthetic target watchdog
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support effectively does perform a hard reset, by sending a
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<TT
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CLASS="LITERAL"
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>SIGPWR</TT
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> signal to the eCos application, and there is
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no support for action routines.
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    </P
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><P
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>The synthetic target watchdog package provides some configuration
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options for manipulating the compiler flags used for building the
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target-side code. That code is fairly simple, so for nearly all
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applications the default flags will suffice.
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    </P
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><P
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>It should be noted that the watchdog device is subject to selective
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linking. Unless some code explicitly references the device, for
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example by calling the start and reset functions, the watchdog support
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will not appear in the final executable. This is desirable because a
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watchdog device has no effect until started.
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    </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="SYNTH-WATCHDOG-WALLCLOCK-ELAPSED"
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></A
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><H2
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>Wallclock versus Elapsed Time</H2
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><P
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>On real hardware the watchdog device uses wallclock time: if the
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device does not receive a reset signal within a set period of time
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then the watchdog will trigger. When developing for the synthetic
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target this is not always appropriate. There may be other processes
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running, using up some or most of the cpu time. For example, the
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application may be written such that it will issue a reset after some
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calculations which are known to complete within half a second, well
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within the one-second resolution of the watchdog device. However if
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other Linux processes are running then the synthetic target
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application may get timesliced, and half a second of computation may
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take several seconds of wallclock time.
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    </P
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><P
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>Another problem with using wallclock time is that it interferes with
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debugging: if the application hits a breakpoint then it is unlikely
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that the user will manage to restart it in less than a second, and the
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watchdog will not get reset in time.
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    </P
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><P
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>To avoid these problems the synthetic target watchdog normally uses
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consumed cpu time rather than wallclock time. If the application is
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timesliced or if it is halted inside gdb then it does not consume any
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cpu time. The application actually has to spend a whole second's worth
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of cpu cycles without issuing a reset before the watchdog triggers.
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    </P
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><P
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>However using consumed cpu time is not a perfect solution either. If
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the application makes blocking system calls then it is not using cpu
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time. Interaction with the I/O auxiliary involves system calls, but
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these should take only a short amount of time so their effects can be
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ignored. If the application makes direct system calls such as
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<TT
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CLASS="FUNCTION"
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>cyg_hal_sys_read</TT
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> then the system behaviour
339
becomes undefined. In addition by default the idle thread will make
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blocking <TT
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CLASS="FUNCTION"
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>select</TT
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> system calls, effectively waiting
344
until an interrupt occurs. If an application spends much of its time
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idle then the watchdog device may take much longer to trigger than
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expected. It may be desirable to enable the synthetic target HAL
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configuration option <TT
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CLASS="VARNAME"
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>CYGIMP_HAL_IDLE_THREAD_SPIN</TT
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>,
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causing the idle thread to spin rather than block, at the cost of
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wasted cpu cycles.
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    </P
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><P
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>The default is to use consumed cpu time, but this can be changed in
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the target definition file:
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    </P
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><TABLE
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BORDER="5"
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BGCOLOR="#E0E0F0"
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WIDTH="70%"
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><TR
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><TD
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><PRE
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CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
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>synth_device watchdog {
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    use wallclock_time
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    &#8230;
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}</PRE
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="SYNTH-WATCHDOG-GUI"
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></A
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><H2
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>User Interface</H2
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><P
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>When the synthetic target is run in graphical mode the watchdog device
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extends the user interface in two ways. The <SPAN
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CLASS="GUIMENU"
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>Help</SPAN
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>
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menu is extended with an entry for the watchdog-specific
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documentation. There is also a graphical display of the current state
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of the watchdog. Initially the watchdog is asleep:
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    </P
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><DIV
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CLASS="INFORMALFIGURE"
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><A
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NAME="AEN19112"><P
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></P
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><DIV
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CLASS="MEDIAOBJECT"
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><P
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><IMG
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SRC="asleep.png"
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ALIGN="CENTER"></P
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></DIV
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><P
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></P
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></DIV
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><P
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>When application code starts the device the watchdog will begin to
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keep an eye on things (or occasionally both eyes).
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    </P
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><DIV
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CLASS="INFORMALFIGURE"
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><A
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NAME="AEN19117"><P
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></P
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><DIV
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CLASS="MEDIAOBJECT"
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><P
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><IMG
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SRC="awake.png"
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ALIGN="CENTER"></P
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></DIV
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><P
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></P
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></DIV
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><P
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>If the watchdog triggers the display will change again, and optionally
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the user can receive an audible alert. The location of the watchdog
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display within the I/O auxiliary's window can be controlled via
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a <B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>watchdog_pack</B
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> entry in the target definition
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file. For example the following can be used to put the watchdog
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display to the right of the central text window:
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    </P
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><TABLE
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BORDER="5"
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BGCOLOR="#E0E0F0"
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WIDTH="70%"
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><TR
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><TD
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><PRE
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CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
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>synth_device watchdog {
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    watchdog_pack -in .main.e -side top
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    &#8230;
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}</PRE
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><P
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>The user interface section of the generic synthetic target HAL
453
documentation can be consulted for more information on window packing.
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    </P
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><P
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>By default the watchdog support will not generate an audible alert
457
when the watchdog triggers, to avoid annoying colleagues. Sound can be
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enabled in the target definition file, and two suitable files
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
461
>sound1.au</TT
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> and <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>sound2.au</TT
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> are
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supplied as standard:
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    </P
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><TABLE
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BORDER="5"
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BGCOLOR="#E0E0F0"
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WIDTH="70%"
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><TR
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><TD
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><PRE
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CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
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>synth_device watchdog {
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    sound sound1.au
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    &#8230;
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}</PRE
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><P
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>An absolute path can be specified if desired:
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    </P
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><TABLE
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BORDER="5"
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BGCOLOR="#E0E0F0"
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WIDTH="70%"
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><TR
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><TD
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><PRE
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CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
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>synth_device watchdog {
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    sound /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/emacspeak/sounds/default-8k/alarm.au
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    &#8230;
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}</PRE
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><P
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>Sound facilities are not built into the I/O auxiliary itself, instead
503
an external program is used. The default player is
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<B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>play</B
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>, a front-end to the
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<SPAN
509
CLASS="APPLICATION"
510
>sox</SPAN
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> application shipped with some Linux
512
distributions. If another player should be used then this can be
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specified in the target definition file:
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    </P
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><TABLE
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BORDER="5"
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BGCOLOR="#E0E0F0"
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WIDTH="70%"
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><TR
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><TD
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><PRE
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CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
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>synth_device watchdog {
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    &#8230;
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    sound_player my_sound_player</PRE
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><P
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>The specified program will be run in the background with a single
531
argument, the sound file.
532
    </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="DEVS-WATCHDOG-SYNTH-ARGS"
538
></A
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><H2
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>Command Line Arguments</H2
541
><P
542
>The watchdog support does not use any command line arguments. All
543
configuration is handled through the target definition file.
544
    </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="DEVS-WATCHDOG-SYNTH-HOOKS"
550
></A
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><H2
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>Hooks</H2
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><P
554
>The watchdog support does not provide any hooks for use by other
555
scripts. There is rarely any need for customizing the system's
556
behaviour when a watchdog triggers because those should be rare
557
events, even during application development.
558
    </P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="REFSECT1"
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><A
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NAME="DEVS-WATCHDOG-SYNTH-TCL"
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></A
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><H2
566
>Additional Tcl Procedures</H2
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><P
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>The watchdog support does not provide any additional Tcl procedures or
569
variables for use by other scripts.
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    </P
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