QNX News Releases
Find Memory Leaks Instantly with New QNX Visualization Tool for Embedded Design
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OTTAWA, December 5, 2006 - Memory errors are the bane of embedded development, causing mysterious crashes that can take weeks or even months to debug. But with the new memory analysis tool from QNX Software Systems, developers can immediately detect subtle memory leaks and errors, even when debugging the most complex embedded design.
Armed with powerful visualization features, the QNX® Momentics® memory analysis tool allows developers to pinpoint memory leaks, buffer overruns, invalid pointers, double frees, and a host of other common memory errors. In many cases, the developer simply has to click on a displayed error to trace the problem back to the offending source code. Moreover, the tool introduces an innovative approach to optimizing memory usage: a database that records how programs allocate and free memory. Like a personal video recorder, this feature can play back a program’s long-term pattern of memory allocation, allowing the developer to detect subtle overhead problems that consume all available RAM — problems that traditional analysis tools cannot catch.
“Most embedded systems have to run nonstop for months or years at a time, so even the smallest, slowest memory leak will eventually result in failure,” said Bill Graham, development tools product manager at QNX Software Systems. “With this innovative record-and-play feature, developers can ferret out hidden errors, slash memory overhead, and create systems that always have enough memory for critical applications and services.”
Besides improving reliability and performance, the QNX memory analysis tool can uncover inefficiencies that, when corrected, allow the developer to add more functionality — but without adding more RAM. This capability offers a competitive advantage in high-volume embedded systems, where even a small reduction in RAM costs can translate into large savings.
QNX Momentics IDE 4
The new memory analysis tool is part of a major upgrade to the QNX Momentics integrated development environment (IDE). The new release, version 4, offers many new features, including visualization tools for achieving the highest possible performance in multi-core systems and partitioned applications. It also offers the first fully componentized IDE in the embedded market, allowing developers to download the latest QNX tool updates without having to wait for, or migrate to, a new version of the IDE. No other RTOS vendor offers this flexibility.
The QNX Momentics IDE 4 is the first IDE for embedded development that incorporates the most current versions of the Eclipse platform (v3.2) and the Eclipse CDT C/C++ development tools (v3.1), both of which form part of the landmark Eclipse Callisto release. As a result, QNX developers can now enjoy an immense boost in scalability (the time to index large projects has now improved by orders of magnitude) and leverage the latest third-party Eclipse tools.
“The richness and maturity of our memory analysis capabilities is a testament to QNX Software System’s early adoption of the Eclipse platform. By leveraging Eclipse since 2002, we’ve been free to focus higher up the stack, on tools that add immense value and significantly improve productivity,” commented QNX’s Graham.
Availability
The QNX Momentics IDE 4, including the new multi-core visualization tools, is available now.
About QNX Software Systems
QNX Software Systems, a Harman International company (NYSE: HAR), is the industry leader in realtime, embedded OS technology. The component-based architectures of the QNX® Neutrino® RTOS and QNX Momentics® development suite together provide the industry’s most reliable and scalable framework for building innovative, high-performance embedded systems. Global leaders such as Cisco, DaimlerChrysler, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens depend on QNX technology for network routers, medical instruments, vehicle telematics units, security and defense systems, industrial robotics, and other mission- or life-critical applications. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and distributes products in over 100 countries worldwide.
Editorial Contacts
Paul Leroux
QNX Software Systems
+1 613 591-0931
paull@qnx.com
QNX, Momentics, and Neutrino are trademarks of QNX Software Systems GmbH & Co. KG, registered in certain jurisdictions, and are used under license. All other trademarks and trade names belong to their respective owners.