TI’s Processor Software Development Kit (SDK) helps developers keep up with the latest available operating system releases to bring new features into their products. It also helps developers save time and resources by allowing them to scale from one processor family to another. For example, TI’s Processor SDK-Android eases software migration between Sitara™ processors AM57x and AM65x. The latest TI Processor SDK (6.0) now supports Android 9, also known as “Pie” with Linux Kernel 4.19.
Here are some key new features and benefits that Android Pie brings as part of the TI Processor SDK:
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Modular software architecture with Project Treble. Software developers have historically spent significant effort migrating from one Android release to another. With Treble, Android version updatability is easier and faster, by creating a silicon vendor interface between the Android OS and the vendor implementation.
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Improved Security. Nowadays security is of most importance for developers in virtually all applications, including consumer and industrial. Any improvement in this area is welcome. Android Pie introduced a number of security features such as Protected Confirmation which allows an application to request a user to confirm an operation (e.g. making a payment) and if the user accepts the operation cryptographic techniques are used to protect the operation. Other features include a unified biometric authentication dialog, support for hardware security module, secure key import into Keystore, an option to only allow key decryption on unlocked devices, deprecation of WPS (WiFi Protected Setup), and others.
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A feature introduced in Android Oreo, which is now stabilized in the Processor SDK with Android Pie, is accelerated dual HD graphical display. Developers using Sitara processors benefit from this new feature by implementing more advanced and richer graphical user interfaces for HMI (Human Machine Interface) applications such as patient monitoring, industrial PCs, PLC panels, EV charging infrastructure, and others.
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A key peripheral found in Sitara processors is the PRU-ICSS. It is a programmable core used by industrial automation applications for implementing industrial protocols. The latest Android Pie release now adds support for Ethernet enabled via the PRU-ICSS (10/100) on the AM57x processors and PRU-ICSSG (1Gb) on the AM65x processors.
Whether it is Android, Linux or TI-RTOS, the TI Processor SDK provides support for the latest operating system releases and allows customers to scale up and down between Sitara processors. The Processor SDK is fully supported by TI and freely downloadable from TI’s website.