Board Support Packages

Article
06/30/2006

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

Element	Description
Boot loader	During development, downloads the operating system (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	Support peripherals on-board or are attached at run time. For more information, see Driver Development.
Configuration files	Once created, a BSP can be reconfigured through environment variables and .bib and .reg file modifications. For more information, see Platform Configuration Files.

The following illustration shows how the OAL, boot loader, drivers, and configuration files interrelate with the BSP and the standard development board (SDB).

Microsoft® Platform Builder version 4.2 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 operating system (OS) features in Microsoft Windows® CE .NET 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 platform. By using this infrastructure, you can focus on customizing, refining, and developing additional OS components. For more how to create a BSP from the beginning, see How to Create a Board Support Package.

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.

Board Support Packages

See Also

Additional resources