by Pat Brouillette and Jason Roberts, Intel Corporation
Debugging is the single most time-consuming task for embedded developers, more than double any other activity[1]. Improvements in debug capability are required to accelerate product releases for increasingly complex systems. When debugging software systems, developers quickly learn that simple printf() statements introduce degradations in system performance or introduce new observations making it more difficult to debug. SVEN and OMAR greatly improve visibility into the execution of complex systems executing “in use case” without disturbing their execution.

Intel’s SVEN and OMAR technologies act like a “black box” flight recorder allowing detailed analysis of the most complex debugging and performance issues. According to effort tracking indicators, the pilot organizations using SVEN and OMAR within Intel have proven that software debug has been reduced from an expected 50 percent to 11 percent[2] of the total development effort. The time gained has instead been used to accelerate new feature development and thus has contributed to making total software development more agile and predictable.

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