VxWorks

Infobox OS
name = VxWorks



caption =
developer = Wind River Systems
source_model =
kernel_type = Micro kernel
supported_platforms = x86, MIPS, PowerPC, SH-4, ARM, StrongARM, xScale
ui =
family = Real-time operating systems
released = birth year and age|1985
latest_release_version = 6.6
latest_release_date = Dec 2007
latest_test_version =
latest_test_date =
marketing_target = Embedded systems
programmed_in =
prog_language = Ada, C, C++, Java
language =
updatemodel =
package_manager =
working_state = Current
license = EULA
website = [http://www.windriver.com/ www.windriver.com]

VxWorks is a real-time operating system made and sold by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA.

VxWorks is designed for use in embedded systems. Unlike "native" systems such as Unix, VxWorks development is done on a "host" machine running Unix or Windows, cross-compiling target software to run on various "target" CPU architectures.

History

Wind River Systems was formed by a partnership of Jerry Fiddler [ [http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/alumni/JerryFiddler.php Jerry Fiddler Profile] ] and Dave Wilner. [ [http://www.lbl.gov/Publications/Currents/Archive/Aug-8-1997.html#RTFToC2 Software On Board Mars Pathfinder Has Berkeley Lab Ties] Berkeley Labs NewsletterAugust 8 1997] [ [http://www.lbl.gov/images/PID/Fiddler.html Jerry Fiddler and Dave Wilner at Berkely Labs] Photo from 1997] In 1981, Fiddler had come out of Berkeley Labs [ [http://www.lbl.gov/ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory] 1983] to write software for control systems, but wanted to pursue a career in computer generated music, [ [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.09/wind_pr.html Lord of the Toasters] , Wired (magazine) interview with Jerry Fiddler, September 1 1994] which he funded through a consultancy business focused on real-time. His early clients included the National Football League and film director Francis Ford Coppola — for whom he designed a unique film editing system. [ [http://www.eetimes.com/special/special_issues/1998/timespeople98/fiddler.html Embedded Systems: Jerry Fiddler Change is music to his ears] EE Times interview 1998] Wilner, a former colleague at Berkeley, joined Fiddler and they formed a partnership called Wind River Systems (named after Wind River (Wyoming) where Fiddler had vacationed that year). Wind River was incorporated in 1983, with each partner contributing $3,000 and a desk to the business.

Wind River's first success was less a new product than an improvement on a primitive ROM chip with a 4K kernel sold by Ready Systems, now a Mentor Graphics product. [ [http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/computer-software/408657-1.html Ready/Microtec merger expected] Business Exchange November 15 1993] [http://www.secinfo.com/dr6nd.9u.htm#5hg, SEC Info January 19 1996] The product, VRTX lacked everything from a file system to a development environment. Wind River created an accessory called VxWorks that turned the VRTX kernel into an OS and a development environment. Fiddler and Wilner had negotiated an agreement to sell VRTX with VxWorks. In 1987, anticipating that Ready Systems was going to cancel its reseller contract, Wind River developed its own kernel and a smaller, faster, lighter OS - written by an intern. [ [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.09/wind_pr.html Lord of the Toasters] , Wired (magazine) interview with Jerry Fiddler, September 1 1994]

The name "VxWorks" is believed to be a pun ("VRTX Works") on the VRTX real-time operating system. [ [http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6608022966.html MontaVista boasts banner year, claims embedded Linux leadership] February 9 2004]

OS overview

VxWorks [ [http://www.windriver.com/products/vxworks Wind River VxWorks Page] ] is a proprietary, real-time operating system developed by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA in 1987.

VxWorks has been ported to a number of platforms and now runs on practically any modern CPU that is used in the embedded market. This includes the x86 family, MIPS, PowerPC, Freescale ColdFire, SH-4 and the closely related family of ARM, StrongARM and xScale CPUs.

The key features of the current OS are:
* multitasking kernel with preemptive and round-robin scheduling and fast interrupt response
* Memory protection to isolate user applications from the kernel
* SMP support
* Fast, flexible inter-process communication including TIPC
* Error handling framework
* Binary, counting, and mutual exclusion semaphores with priority inheritance
* Local and distributed message queues
* Full ANSI C compliance and enhanced C++ features for exception handling and template support
* POSIX PSE52 certified conformance [ [http://get.posixcertified.ieee.org/cert_prodlist.tpl IEEE POSIX Certification Register] ] ]
* File system.
* IPv6 Networking stack
* VxSim simulator

Tornado (Development Environment for VxWorks 5.x releases)

Tornado is an Integrated development environment (IDE) for software cross-development targeting VxWorks 5.x. [ [http://www.windriver.com/products/run-time_technologies/Real-Time_Operating_Systems/VxWorks_5x/ Wind River VxWorks 5.x Page] ]

Tornado consists of the following elements:

* VxWorks 5.x target operating system
* Application-building tools (cross-compiler and associated programs)
* An integrated development environment (IDE) that facilitates managing and building projects, establishing host-target communication, and running, debugging, and monitoring VxWorks applications
* VxSim simulator

Workbench (Development Environment for VxWorks 6.x releases)

Workbench replaced Tornado IDE for VxWorks 6.x [ [http://www.windriver.com/products/run-time_technologies/Real-Time_Operating_Systems/VxWorks_6x/ Wind River VxWorks 6.x Page] ] . The Wind River Workbench is now built on Eclipse technology. [ [http://www.windriver.com/products/product-notes/Workbench-Tech-Note.pdf Workbench Product Note] ] Workbench is also the IDE for the Wind River Linux [ [http://www.windriver.com/products/linux/ Wind River Linux Main Page] ] and On-Chip Debugging [ [http://www.windriver.com/products/OCD/ Wind River OCD Main Page] ] product lines.

Workbench for VxWorks consists of the following elements:
* Eclipse framework and Eclipse (CDT [ [http://www.eclipse.org/cdt/ CDT] ] ) project
* Project and Build System
* Wind River Compiler and Wind River GNU Compiler
* Debugger
* Wind River Host Shell and Kernel Shell for VxWorks
* VxWorks Kernel Configurator
* Run-time analysis tools
* VxSim simulator

Notable products using VxWorks

* The Honda Robot "ASIMO"
* The Airbus A400M Airlifter (in development)
* The Boeing 787 airliner (in development)
* The Boeing 747-8 airliner (in development)
* The BMW iDrive system
* Linksys WRT54G wireless routers (versions 5.0 and later)
* Xerox "Phaser" and other Adobe PostScript-based computer printers
* The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS)
* DIGIC II and some early DIGIC III image-processors by Canon
* Thuraya SO-2510 Satellite phone and ThurayaModule
* The Apache Longbow attack helicopter
* The ALR-67(V)3 Radar Warning Receiver used in the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
* Siemens VDO automotive navigation systems
* External RAID controllers designed by LSI Corporation and used in IBM System Storage's DS3000 and DS4000 (formerly FAStT) plus some storage systems from Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems/StorageTek, Teradata, Dell, Sepaton, BlueArc and several other companies worldwide.
* Industrial robot controllers by ABB and KUKA

pacecraft using VxWorks

* The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter [ [http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/mission/sc_command.html Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter] ]
* The "Phoenix" Mars Lander [ [http://news.oreilly.com/2008/07/the-software-behind-the-mars-p.html The Software Behind the Mars Phoenix Lander] ]
* The "Deep Impact" space probe
* The James Webb Space Telescope (in development)
* The "Spirit" and "Opportunity" Mars Exploration Rovers [ [http://blogs.windriver.com/deliman/vxworks/index.html Mike Deliman's Windriver Employee Blog] ]
* Stardust (spacecraft)

References

The Voyager reflist|2

External links

* [http://www.windriver.com Wind River Homepage]
* [http://www-sgc.colorado.edu/~dixonc/vxworks/docs/books.html Tornado 2.0 Online Manuals]
* [http://www.slac.stanford.edu/exp/glast/flight/sw/vxdocs/books.html Tornado 2.2 Online Manuals]