The U.K.’s LDRA has updated its tool suite for the PowerPC assembler language to support all 32- and 64-bit PowerPC chips, the company said. Customers can now move to the latest versions of PowerPC chips and compliers and perform object code verification (OCV), required for DO-178B/C compliance.
“Historically, all microprocessors and microcontrollers on aircraft have been PowerPC–based, yet many of these legacy chips are no longer available or avionics manufacturers are seeking major improvements in performance,” said IanHennell, operations director at LDRA. “In either case, avionics original equipment manufacturers are forced to switch from legacy to new PowerPC chips to make significant improvements to their DO-178B/C systems. As such systems are upgraded, they must comply with the latest certification requirements, which include in-depth analysis such as object code verification.”
According to LDRA, it is the only company that provides a complete structural coverage analysis tool for both application source and assembler code from unit to system and integration levels. LDRA said this makes it easy for avionics customers to certify systems as they upgrade legacy PowerPC chips. The company also said its tool suite is the only commercially available software solution that is able to qualify assembler code for certification.
“Used to demonstrate source-to-object-code traceability, the LDRA tool suite for PowerPC assemblers can analyze the relationship between the two levels of code and highlight any instances of additional or extraneous code at the object level,” the company said. “This integration ensures that the LDRA tool suite will support organizations that must demonstrate process compliance, particularly for applications where complete OCV must be realized to meet the highest levels of safety certification as required under the DO-178B/C Level A safety-assurance standard.”
The updated assemblers have also been integrated into the latest LDRA front ends.