xPC Target 4.2

Accessing and Controlling the Target Application

Accessing the Target System

There are several ways to access and communicate with the target system. A keyboard and monitor connected to the target PC provide a direct interface for issuing control commands and status monitoring. From the host PC, via the host-target link, you can use the MATLAB command line or xPC Target Explorer, a windowing GUI tool that runs in MATLAB. xPC Target Explorer simplifies configuration and control of the target PC. You can even access and control multiple target PCs running concurrently. Once you have access to the target system, you can perform target application control, parameter tuning, and signal (data) acquisition.

Controlling the Target Application

Control functions let you download applications to the target PC, start and stop test execution, and change the sample time, stop time, and other application properties. Statistics and metrics related to run-time performance and CPU usage are also available.

You communicate with and control the target application using an object-oriented command-line interface in MATLAB. You can also include the commands in M-files for automated batch testing. xPC Target Explorer enables you to configure, control, and monitor operations of the target PC in a window-based environment.

Examples of xPC Target Explorer windows, including boot device selection (above left), target application properties (above center), and communication options (above right). Click on image to see enlarged view.