PEmicro’s GDB Server can be installed directly into an Eclipse based IDE from an update site on PEmicro’s website. This adds the ability to debug via PEmicro’s Multilink, Cyclone, and OpenSDA hardware interfaces via the standard GDB debugger. Features include flash programming, breakpoints, watchpoints, trim, memory preservation, real-time variables, semi-hosting, and more. PEmicro periodically updates the plugins on its website with new device support, new features, and bug fixes.

The following instructions demonstrate how to install and update the PEmicro ARM plugin into NXP’s S32 Design Studio for ARM. The same plugin can be installed in any Eclipse-based ARM IDE and supports many ARM based devices. The PEmicro update site which is used in this example has plugins for Power e200, NXP ARM and non-NXP ARM architectures. Follow these steps to install the PEmicro GDB plugin:

1. Open the S32 Design Studio for ARM, or other Eclipse IDE, and click on the help option in the top-level menu.

Figure 1: Open and Click Help Option

2. Click on the Install New Software option.

Figure 2: Click Install New Software

3. Click on the "Work with:" input box and enter pemicro. If no pre-configured URL shows up, enter the following full URL : https://www.pemicro.com/eclipse/updates

Figure 3: Enter 'Work With' URL

4. Ungroup the plugins by unchecking the following option:

Figure 4: Ungroup the Plugins

5. Select the plugin to install and click next. For S32 Design Studio for ARM, or other NXP ARM based IDEs, select the plugin “GNU ARM PEMicro Interface Debugging Support”. For S32 Design Studio for Power Devices, or other e200 based IDEs, select the plugin “GNU E200 PEMicro Interface Debugging Support”. For non-NXP eclipsed based IDEs, select the plugin “PEmicro ARM Device Expansion Plugin”.

Figure 5: Select Plugin

6. Confirm the correct plugin is selected and go to next 

Figure 6: Confirm Plugin

7. Read through the license agreement, and then select the "I accept the terms of the license agreement" radio button. After that click on Finish.

Figure 7: Read & Accept License Agreement

8. Restart your S32 Design Studio installation.

Figure 8: Re-Start S32 Design Studio

When the S32 Design Studio has finished loading, your new plugin will be installed and ready for use. The same mechanism can be used to check for updates and download new versions of the same plugin in the future.