Press Releases

SYSGO, the European provider of safety-critical device software, today introduces ELinOS Real-Time, an industrial grade hard real-time Linux solution for use in industrial applications. ELinOS Real-Time combines the functionality of embedded Linux with the security and hard real-time features of SYSGO's microkernel-based real-time operating system PikeOS. SYSGO thus succeeds in combining highly safety-critical operating systems and embedded Linux in one standard product.

"The lack of hard real-time features as well as safety factors have always held back the use of Linux in the embedded sector," says Detlev Schaadt, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at SYSGO. "ELinOS Real-Time addresses these weaknesses and now gives our customers the opportunity to use embedded Linux in safety-critical applications and applications with hard real-time requirements."

ELinOS Real-Time is based on SYSGO's microkernel-based real-time operating system PikeOS, which was developed specifically for safety-critical systems. In the ELinOS Real-Time architecture, embedded Linux runs in a separate partition (address space and I/O resource protected area) on the microkernel, i.e. as a process in user mode. To implement real-time applications, ELinOS Real-Time has a POSIX PSE51 environment (single process, multi-threaded). Each real-time POSIX application is executed in its own separate partition and is thus optimally protected from interference by the Linux processes. During the guided configuration process, the user defines which partition has access to which I/O areas, which channels should be available for communication between individual partitions and their number. The user can choose between shared memory or First-In First-Out (FiFo) procedures to exchange data between POSIX and Linux or between different POSIX applications.

To further enhance the benefits of using Linux and real-time applications in parallel, POSIX applications can access the Linux File System as well as the Linux Network Stack by default.

ELinOS Real-Time extends the graphical ELinOS configuration editor ELK for handling all necessary real-time parameters. ELK provides customers with assistance right from the start and does not require any specific prior knowledge. The configuration editor uses examples to provide easy access to real-time technologies such as inter-partition communication, the use of the Linux File System for POSIX or the integration of POSIX drivers. With ELK, users define which Linux services and applications are to be used and allocate storage capacity, I/O access rights and priorities to each partition. After each configuration change, the editor performs an integrity check to ensure the validity of the overall configuration.

COGNITO, SYSGO's embedded target analyser, is already included in CODEO, SYSGO's integrated development environment. With CODEO, ELinOS real-time customers are able to analyse the timing behaviour of their embedded Linux and POSIX applications and also take a closer look at the target resource information. This includes memory utilisation, interrupt allocation, process tree visualisation, display of available sockets, etc. Furthermore, the user can create embedded applications in a comprehensive development environment that has been optimised for the requirements of the embedded environment. For example, it offers the possibility to debug POSIX real-time applications independently.

SYSGO also already offers several extensions for ELinOS Real-Time, including a POSIX IPv4/IPv6 TCP/IP stack, real-time Java or Ada runtime environment and even a VxWorks library.

More information at www.sysgo.com/elinos