# Evaluating risc-v architecture & tools

**URL:** <https://forums.sifive.com/t/evaluating-risc-v-architecture-tools/1254>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [May 29, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://forums.sifive.com/t/evaluating-risc-v-architecture-tools/1254 "2018-05-29T13:45:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jmonesti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aca169/32.png) [@jmonesti](https://forums.sifive.com/u/jmonesti)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://forums.sifive.com/t/evaluating-risc-v-architecture-tools/1254/1 "2018-05-29T13:45:33Z")

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hello,

currently using FreedomStudio to conduct an evaluation of risc-v architecture & tools, I found the runner riscv64-unknown-elf-run delivered along with the binutils, but found no mean to launch it from within Eclipse

did I miss something ?

it runs fine from the command line, though. which simulator is it ? spike-based ?

identically, there is a riscv64-unknown-elf-gdb supporting ‘target sim’, but I can’t use this within the IDE. Any clue ?

thanks in advance  
Jean-François

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**Author:** ![jimw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f14d63/32.png) [@jimw](https://forums.sifive.com/u/jimw)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 11:34pm UTC](https://forums.sifive.com/t/evaluating-risc-v-architecture-tools/1254/2 "2018-05-31T23:34:31Z")

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I’m not an Eclipse user, so I can’t help you much with that. it does appear that our FreedomStudio release is set up to talk to hardware, and doesn’t have any preconfigured simulator support. The support HiFive1 and Artix-7 boards are not very expensive if you want to try one.

The -run program is the gdb simulator. part of the gdb source tree. It is a simple ISA simulator with some semihosting support so that things like printf can work. It is useful for compiler testing. It is probably not very useful for serious embedded development as it doesn’t try to implement system registers and instructions. The gdb sim is just for running user mode programs. You probably want to use qemu, as that is the best supported simulator, and the simulator with the most features.

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**Author:** ![jmonesti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aca169/32.png) [@jmonesti](https://forums.sifive.com/u/jmonesti)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:14am UTC](https://forums.sifive.com/t/evaluating-risc-v-architecture-tools/1254/3 "2018-06-01T08:14:28Z")

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Jim,

Thank you very much for your response

> [@jimw](#):
>
> I’m not an Eclipse user, so I can’t help you much with that. it does appear that our FreedomStudio release is set up to talk to hardware, and doesn’t have any preconfigured simulator support. The support HiFive1 and Artix-7 boards are not very expensive if you want to try one.

This was my conclusion.

(we do deliver simulator support in our IDE, reason why I was expecting support for spike in yours…)

Regarding the boards, I don’t have any for now, but I’ll need one sooner or later to get cycle count figures.

> [@jimw](#):
>
> The -run program is the gdb simulator. part of the gdb source tree. It is a simple ISA simulator with some semihosting support so that things like printf can work. It is useful for compiler testing.

Code size evaluation is what I’m doing right now. I’m using the simulator to confirm that my code is functional.

> [@jimw](#):
>
> You probably want to use qemu, as that is the best supported simulator, and the simulator with the most features.

It gave it a try, but  
. I was surprised you do not deliver it along FreedomStudio  
. I found no pre-compiled binary on the web  
. I downloaded (1) the repository, my best attempt:

> mkdir build  
> cd build  
> …/configure --target-list=riscv32-linux-user (2)  
> (…)  
> make  
> make: \*\*\* virtual memory exhausted. Stop. (3)

(1) can’t git clone, corporate firewall ☹  
(2) must specify a target, missing dependencies I can’t install (can’t sudo) ☹  
(3) building on a computer farm, likely some sort of user quota -to be investigated ☹

Bref…

I’ll stick with riscv64-unknown-elf-run on the command line

Thanks