AM6442: rt-Linux & licensing for commercial use

Aravindh S said:

1. Does the AM6442 processor support real-time Linux frameworks like PREEMPT-RT?

Yes. https://www.ti.com/tool/PROCESSOR-SDK-AM64X search for RT

Aravindh S said:

Can you provide details of the OEM licensing requirements for using the AM6442 processor in commercial products?

https://e2e.ti.com/support/processors-group/processors/f/processors-forum/1483864/am6442-linux-rt-require-any-license . Do note navigating open source licensing is your responsibility, TI just documents in the SW manifest which licenses apply for the SW available from TI.

Aravindh S said:

Are there any specific configurations or settings needed to enable real-time capabilities on AM6442 with PREEMPT-RT?

With the latest Linux kernal and AM64x SDK, the only configuration needed is PREEMPT_RT=y

Aravindh S said:

Does TI offer official support for real-time Linux in the Processor SDK for AM6442?

https://e2e.ti.com/support/processors-group/processors/f/processors-forum 

Aravindh S said:

Is the AM6442 compatible with TI’s Code Composer Studio (CCS) for debugging real-time Linux applications, and what debugging features are available?

Yes, but Linux debugging is usually done using open source Linux tools such as gdb. For chasing real-time, flamegraph is a great tool.

Aravindh S said:

Can you provide any real-time Linux examples or reference designs for the AM6442 processor?

Real-time Linux is a standard open source environment, there is nothing TI proprietary about it. As an entry point to what is real-time Linux I'd suggest to start with https://bootlin.com/training/preempt-rt/ .

Aravindh S said:

Are there any hardware accelerators available on the AM6442 that can be utilized for real-time tasks?

Everything on the AM6442 can be used in real-time tasks.

Aravindh S said:

What performance profiling tools does TI provide to monitor real-time performance on AM6442?

Basic cyclictest to start, it is in the default filesystem https://software-dl.ti.com/processor-sdk-linux-rt/esd/AM64X/latest/exports/docs/devices/AM64X/linux/RT_Linux_Performance_Guide.html#stress-ng-and-cyclic-test . Then open source tools like flamegraph, eBPF. See https://www.osadl.org/Video-on-latency-fighting-Technical-Hei.hot-2021-05-full-size.0.html and other OSADL material like https://www.osadl.org/fileadmin/dam/presentations/HOT-09-2020/HOT-2020-09-Technical-Session-2b-Trouble-shooting-of-real-time-Linux-Latency-fighting.pdf 

Aravindh S said:

Does TI provide commercial support for real-time Linux on AM6442, or is it only available through open-source communities?

https://e2e.ti.com/support/processors-group/processors/f/processors-forum is the official support channel. For commercial embedded Linux support real-time capable 3rd parties on AM64x include for example BayLibre https://baylibre.com/home/ , Linutronix https://www.linutronix.de/  and IBV https://www.ibv-augsburg.de/en/ .

Aravindh S said:

Can TI assist with custom configuration or consulting services for integrating real-time Linux in AM6442-based products?

See above.

  Pekka