Software enables RTOS to run simultaneously with general purpose OS

Age : 45 Joined : 08 Mar 2008 Posts : 1850

Real-Time Systems GmbH (RTS) has announced their Real-Time Hypervisor software. The software enables real-time operating systems (RTOS), such as Wind River VxWorks, to run simultaneously with a general purpose OS, for example Linux, on a single hardware platform while ensuring real-time behaviour of the RTOS. This breakthrough technology utilises the advantages of modern multi-core processors where each core may be assigned a separate operating system. RTS expects this product to find wide use in Industrial Automation, Medical, Telecom as well as in Military markets.

Many embedded applications simultaneously require hard real-time performance, data processing, visualisation as well as seamless connectivity to the enterprise. Unless so called "Real-Time Extensions" meet all specified requirements, multiple hardware platforms are necessary to safely and independently host the GPOS alongside an RTOS. By leveraging modern multi-core hardware architectures like the Intel Core Duo Processors, the RTS Real-Time Hypervisor enables safe and independent operation by allocating processor cores, memory and devices to individual operating systems. Users can specify the boot sequence and even reboot one operating system while the other remains in full operation. In order to facilitate communication between operating systems, a configurable User-Shared Memory as well as a TCP/IP based virtual network driver is supplied as part of the RTS solution.

Deployment of multiple operating systems on multi-core processor platforms is a logical step in embedded systems design, reducing total hardware costs while increasing reliability and system performance.

A version of the RTS Real-Time Hypervisor, executing Linux in parallel with VxWorks and deployed on the congatec "conga-X945" Intel Core Duo processor based embedded computer module, is being showcased at this week's Embedded World Exhibition and Conference in Nuremberg Germany.

The RTS Real-Time Hypervisor is available as a beta-version now. Final customer release will be in summer 2007.