REAL TIME OPERATING SYSTEM

PROGRAMMING-I: µC/OS-II and

VxWorks

Lesson-9:
Basic RTOS Functions in VxWorks

2008 Chapter-9 L9: "Embedded Systems - Architecture, Programming 1

and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 RTOS Programming Tools:
MicroC/OS-II and VxWorks
Lesson 9:
Basic RTOS Functions in VxWorks

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 1. VxWorks Features

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 WindRiver VxWorks
• High-performance, Unix-like,
multitasking Environment scalable and
hierarchical RTOS
• Host and target based development
approach
• Supports ‘Device Software Optimization
─ a new methodology that enables
development and running of device
software faster, better and more reliably
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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks RTOS Kernel…

• VxWorks 6.x processor abstraction

layer
• The layer enables application design
for new versions later by just changing
the layer-hardware interface
• Supports advanced processor
architectures─ ARM, ColdFire, MIPS,
Intel, SuperH,…
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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks RTOS Kernel…
• Hard real time applications
• Supports kernel mode execution of
tasks
• Supports open source Linux and TIPC
(transparent inter process
communication) protocol

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks RTOS Kernel…
• Provides for the preemption points at
kernel
• Provides preemptive as well as round
robin scheduling,
• Support POSIX standard asynchronous
IOs
• Support UNIX standard buffered I/Os

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks RTOS Kernel…

• PTTS 1.1 (Since Dec. 2007)

• IPCs in TIPC for network and clustered
system environment
• POSIX 1003.1b standard IPCs and
interfaces additional availability
• Separate context for tasks and ISRs
[Each task has a separate TCB, while
ISRs a common stack]
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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks RTOS Kernel…

Schedules the ISRs separately and has
special functions for interrupt handling

Watchdog timers

Virtual I/O devices including the pipes

and sockets (Sections 7.14 and 7.15)

Virtual Memory Management
functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks RTOS Kernel…

Power management functions that

enhance the ability to control power
consumption

Automatic detection and reporting of
common memory and other errors

Interconnect functions that support
large number of protocols

APIs for IPv4/IPv6 dual mode stack

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Host-Target Development Approach

• Host Windows, Linux or Unix for

Embedded Development and cross
compiled for target system processor

RTOS ROM resident code downloaded
to the using TCP/IP or serial port to a
target board

Target has no virtual memory support
and needed kernel functions are at the
target ROM
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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Scalability

Scalable OS – only needed OS
functions become part of the
application codes

Configuration file includes the user
definitions for the needed IPC
functions needed

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Hierarchical

RTOS kernel extendibility and
interfaces hierarchy includes timers,
signals, TCP/IP Sockets, queuing
functions library, NFS, RPCs,
Berkeley Port and Sockets, Pipes, Unix
compatible loader, language
interpreter, shell, debugging tools and
linking loader for Unix.

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Protected Environment
• Protection features – for example, if a
task is expecting a message from another
task, which is being deleted by using the
task-delete function, then RTOS inhibits
the deletion
• No priority inversion problem─
the task gets an inherited priority when option
of priority inheritance selected

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Header Files
• VxWorks.h – header file
• kernelLib.h – kernel library functions
header file
• taskLib.h – tasks library functions
header file
• sysLib.h system library functions
header file

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks Basic Functions

• System Level – OS initiate, start, system

timer clock rate set, ISR enter and exit,
enable and disable
• Task Service Functions – initiate,
resume, activate, run, suspend, (now or
after delay)
• Task control functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks Basic Functions…
• IPCs – Semaphore, Queue and Pipes,
POSIX IPCs
• No Mailbox
• Queue permit array of messages
• Network Functions
• IO Functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 2. Signal (Software interrupt from
task) Handling

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Signal

• IPC signal used for exception handling

or handling software interrupt event
• Signal-servicing routine─ a C function,
which executes on occurrence of an
interrupt or exception.
• Signal connect function connects the
function with an interrupt vector

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 3. Semaphore Functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Semaphore functions for Synchronization

• event signal flag,

• mutually exclusive access using resource
key (mutex) and
• counting mechanism using three type of
semaphores in the tasks and ISRs
• P-V semaphore functions when POSIX
library included

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Two ways in which a pending task
among the pending tasks unblock
• Provides for– (a) as per task priority
(b) as a FIFO, when accepting or
taking an IPC

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 4. Queues Functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Queue…
• Instead of queuing the message
pointers in µC/OS-II , provides for
queuing of the messages.
• Queues can be used for priority posting
of message using post front as in
µC/OS-II

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Queue
• Provides for two ways in which a
pending task among the pending tasks
can unblock – (a) as per task priority
(b) as a FIFO, when accepting or
taking an IPC

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 5. Virtual device Functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 5. Virtual device Functions

Pipe Drivers for inter-process
communications as an I/O virtual device

Network-transparent sockets.

Network drivers for shared memory and
Ethernet.

RAM "disk" drivers for memory resident
files

files

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 6. Task Service Functions

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Task functions
• Task creation and activation distinct
states
• Functions for the task creating,
running, waiting, suspending
(inhibiting task-execution) and
resuming, spawning (creating followed
by activating), task-pending cum
suspending and pending cum
suspension with timeout functions
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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
7. VxWorks Functions naming Basics

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 VxWorks Naming Basics

No OS or OS_ prefix for functions

For example, taskInit ( ) - a
VxWorks function, which initiates a
task

Prefix VX_ for the options and macros

For example, VX_PIVATE_ENV

VX_NO_STACK_FILL|

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 Summary

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
We learnt
• VxWorks basic features in the
functions
• high performance,
• scalable and hierarchical
• OS initiate and start
• scheduling
• error handling
• system clock and service
• time delay
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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
We learnt
• task,
• memory
• pipes,
• files
• network
• IPC

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and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
 End of Lesson 9 on
Basic RTOS Functions in VxWorks

2008 Chapter-9 L9: "Embedded Systems - Architecture, Programming 35

and Design" , Raj Kamal, Publs.: McGraw-Hill, Inc.