RTL simulation is no longer capable of providing all of the verification required for today’s complex designs. Modern systems are a complex mixture of hardware and software, digital and analog[], and the boundaries of the system are often difficult to define.

The adoption of Linux[] in the communications network infrastructure space is very evident. A carrier grade operating system platform brings tremendous benefits for the entire service life of a deployed system, but, as they say, “getting there can be half the battle.” Getting the system developed and debugged for deployment in time for the market window is essential. The quality and depth of the development tools available have a big impact on an organization’s ability to design, implement and test an application quickly and efficiently.

This paper outlines an approach to using a number of known Linux[] technologies to deliver a highly configurable, scalable, and virtualized Linux environment that includes a very low overhead run-time capability that can match bare-machine and/or RTOS performance.