StackAnalyzer — Stack Usage Analysis

Stack overflow is now a thing of the past.

StackAnalyzer automatically determines the worst-case stack usage of the tasks in your appli­cation. The analysis results are shown as annotations in the call graph and control flow graph.

Call graph with stack usage annotations

Control flow graph with stack usage annotations

Features

• Detailed and precise information on both user-stack and system-stack usage by application tasks.
• Stack analysis for all hierarchy levels: routines, basic blocks, assembly instructions.
• Freely selectable entry points for the analysis.
• Easy recognition of critical program sections thanks to customizable color coding.
• Fully integrated, feature-rich graphical and textual viewers for control flow, analysis results, source code, assembly code, and configuration files.
• Seamless integration with other analysis tools from AbsInt (e.g. aiT for worst-case execution time analysis) in a single intuitive user interface called a³.

Why do you need StackAnalyzer?

Stack memory has to be allocated statically by the programmer. Underestimating stack usage can lead to serious runtime errors which can be difficult to find. Overestimating stack usage means a waste of memory resources.

• StackAnalyzer provides automatic tool support to calculate the stack usage of your application. The analysis results are valid for all inputs and each task execution.
• StackAnalyzer not only reduces development effort but also helps to prevent runtime errors due to stack overflow.
• The analysis results provide valuable feedback in optimizing the stack usage of your application.

Supported targets

StackAnalyzer for C16x/ST10 supports all 16-bit C16x/XC16x/C16x2 and ST10/Super10 microcontrollers from Infineon and ST. It reads executables in IEEE695 format (.abs) as produced by the TASKING C compiler or executables in OMF166 format as produced by the KEIL compiler.
StackAnalyzer for PowerPC supports all 32-bit PowerPC micropro­ces­sors from Motorola and IBM. It reads executables in .elf format as pro­duced by either of the following compilers: GCC DiabData C compiler from WindRiver GHS ADA compiler GHS C/C++ compiler
StackAnalyzer for HC12/HCS12 reads linked binary executables for M68HC12/STAR12/HCS12X microprocessors as produced by the Cosmic C compiler or the Hiware C compiler from Metrowerks.
StackAnalyzer for ARM reads binary executables given either as .elf files that have been produced from C source code by the C compiler in the ARM Developer Suite or as .out files in coff format that have been produced from C source by the TI C compiler.
StackAnalyzer also supports the following processor/compiler combi­nations: TMS320C3x/Texas Instruments (TI) NEC V850/GHS (Green Hills) x86 (restricted)/Lynxworks GCC x86rm (realmode)/ic86 M68k/GCC M68k/HP68K TriCore/TASKING (Altium) TriCore/HighTec gcc ARC/Metaware LEON3/GCC NEW: H8/GCC

Stack depth analysis for further target processors and compilers is currently under development. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

Qualification support

We offer special qualification support for StackAnalyzer:

• Qualification Support Kits (QSKs) that simplify the qualification process for DO-178B level A.
• Qualification Software Life Cycle Data (QSLCD) Reports that document our development pro­cesses, including all verification and quality assurance activities.

In the past, our QSKs and QSLCD Reports have been successfully used by leading corporations in their DO-178B qualification process, most notably in the avionics industry.

StackAnalyzer is also an integral part of the SCADE development envi­ronment, which is DO-178B qualified up to level A for Military and Aerospace Industries, IEC 61508 certified at SIL 3 by TÜV for Heavy Equipment and Energy, and EN 50128 certified at SIL 4 by TÜV for Rail Transportation.

The bottom line

When searching for actual products performing stack usage analysis for embedded software, the StackAnalyzer seems to be the most promising (and probably only) choice.

Volker Barthelmann, University of Erlangen

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