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So I have a linux embedded system. When I

cat /proc/cpuinfo

I get

model name: ARMv7

hardware : imx.6

After googling and searching stackoverflow, I still do not really understand the difference between them.

imx.6 seems to be a microcontroller. and ARMv7 seems to be the processor.

  1. So, does the imx.6 on my system has an ARMv7 in it?
  2. What is the actual difference (on my mainboard and in their functionality) between a microcontroller and a processor?

Thanks a lot for your input!

sunshine
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  • Just hover over the tags you added to the question and they give all of the information with references at Wikipedia and from NXP. Also, this is stretching topics about programming. As well as the answer you have, there are several types of IMX6 chips with different features sets. Another keyword is [SOC or System on Chip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_on_a_chip). – artless noise Jan 21 '22 at 18:35
  • I’m voting to close this question because it's specifically about microprocessor hardware. – TomServo Jan 24 '22 at 03:38

1 Answers1

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iMX.6 is the name of chip

Cortex®-A7 is the name of the core in the iMX.6

Armv7-A is the name of Architecture which Cortex®-A7 belongs to.

Zongru Zhan
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  • Ah, so I was not so far from the truth. Thank you a lot. So, the imx.6 is the microcontroller, the system on a chip, consisting of a CPU+peripherial to build up a whole system on one chip. And the ARMv7 is the description for the Cortex®-A7 CPU on the microcontroller, which is designed by the ARMc7-a architecture. – sunshine Jan 21 '22 at 09:58
  • Yes, not very far. The namings are a little confusing for new developers. You will get acquainted with them as you learn how to use the chips and boards. – Zongru Zhan Jan 21 '22 at 10:11
  • armv7 is the architecture specification. cortex-a7 is one implementation of that architecture, then a company buys a copy of that cortex-a7 product and integrates it into their chip with a bunch of other stuff from themselves or other ip vendors – old_timer Jan 21 '22 at 14:35
  • also understand armv7-a and armv7-m are two different architectures. the one you have here is an armv7-a as mentioned in the answer. so as not to confuse them in the future when you are looking for armv7 stuff. – old_timer Jan 21 '22 at 16:44
  • @ZongruZhan Thanks a lot for taking your time to answer and review my understanding. I was really confused, now I start to dive in. – sunshine Jan 24 '22 at 05:40