Linux development environment - use an Ubuntu VM on Windows?

David Aldrich92784

I am interested to know what development environment configurations people are using to develop for ARM on TI devices (such as the TCI6634).

I believe it is best to run CCS on Linux for this use case. A TFTP server and terminal server will also be required. So the traditional approach is to use a dedicated PC runnng a Linux distro such as Ubuntu.

However, we traditionally develop with CCS for DSPs on Windows. Our engineers have Windows laptops and do not have Linux boxes. So I am thinking that we could provide the Linux environment using a VirtualBox Ubuntu virtual machine, running on Windows. The entire development environment can then be hosted on the Windows laptop.

What are people's experiences of using a virtual machine for this purpose? Does this work well or is a dedicated Linux box preferred?

Best regards

David

over 11 years ago

0 Titusrathinaraj Stalin over 11 years ago

TI__Guru** 116100 points

Hi David,

Yes, You can have virtual linux OS (VMware or virtual box) running on windows machine.

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/How_to_Build_a_Ubuntu_Linux_host_under_VMware

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/How_to_Build_a_Ubuntu_Linux_host_under_VirtualBox

0 David Aldrich92784 over 11 years ago in reply to Titusrathinaraj Stalin

Genius 3720 points

Hi Titus

Thanks for the link. I also found this text on the TI wiki:

Likewise, we would strongly recommend getting a native Ubuntu LTS machine set up for development. For the cost of a little bit of hard drive space, Ubuntu can have direct access to the host’s hardware. Virtual Machines (VMs) have come a long way over the years, and many people use them daily without problems. However, when you are working with a target embedded system (that may be a prototype board), whether it be a TI board or eventually your own, removing the complexity of a VM from the get go can avoid a lot of frustration (i.e. wasted time). When using a VM while connecting and disconnecting hardware components, you have to be very diligent about making sure what is connected to what. You might prefer using an hour to get more work done than debugging a perceived problem caused by the fact the virtual host grabbed a USB port when you weren’t watching.

I would be interested to know whether using a VM really can be troublesome and whether using a native Ubuntu machine really is preferred.

David

0 Titusrathinaraj Stalin over 11 years ago in reply to David Aldrich92784

TI__Guru** 116100 points

Hi David,

Yes, That is true.

We could face some issues from ethernet, USB, serial peripherals since those peripherals were shared between native and virtual OS.

Native Linux env setup is recommended for embedded base developments,

0 David Aldrich92784 over 11 years ago in reply to Titusrathinaraj Stalin

Genius 3720 points

Ok, thanks.

David

0 Josh Elliott over 11 years ago in reply to David Aldrich92784

TI__Expert 3010 points

Hi David,

I would recommend not using a VM, especially if you plan on using USB JTAG for debug, which tends to be very buggy and slow. However, if you are just doing software development, then it works out fine, although there are still more setup headaches that you will run into that you would otherwise avoid on a native linux installation.

Regards,

Josh

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Linux development environment - use an Ubuntu VM on Windows?