Board Support Package Overview (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

1/5/2010

The following table shows the elements that are contained in a board support package (BSP).

Element	Description
Boot loader	During development, downloads the OS images. For more information, see Boot Loaders.
OEM adaptation layer (OAL)	Links to the kernel image and supports hardware initialization and management. For more information, see OEM Adaptation Layer.
Device drivers	Supports peripherals on-board or are attached at run time. For more information, see Device Driver Development Overview.
Run-time image configuration files	When created, a BSP can be reconfigured through environment variables and .bib and .reg file modifications. For more information, see OS Design Configuration Files.

The following illustration shows how the OAL, boot loader, drivers, and run-time image configuration files interrelate with the BSP and the standard development board (SDB) or hardware platform.

Platform Builder for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 provides sample BSPs for many SDBs that are readily available in the industry.

By using the integrated BSP support, you can quickly evaluate the new OS features in Windows Embedded CE 6.0 and focus on product design issues. For more information about the sample BSPs provided in Platform Builder, see Supported Board Support Packages.

In addition, Microsoft provides an extensive infrastructure to develop a BSP for your own SDB or custom hardware. This infrastructure offers support for developing the OAL and drivers for your hardware platform. By using this infrastructure, you can focus on customizing, refining, and developing additional OS components.

By using the sample BSPs and the new BSP infrastructure, you can significantly reduce the development time on your product designs and bring products to market faster.

See Also

Concepts

BSP Creation by Cloning
BSP Tools
Device Driver Libraries

Other Resources

Developing a Board Support Package