Device support for ARM Cortex-M based microcontrollers relies on CMSIS which is a common industry standard. It is straightforward and can be implemented by the chip vendor to be used by various toolchains. Currently, Atollic, IAR, and Keil use CMSIS-Pack technology for device support. A plug-in for Eclipse is available for custom toolchains.
CMSIS-Pack describes a delivery mechanism for software components, as well as device and board support. The typical content of a device family pack (DFP) is: