| Adding Real-time to Windows Embedded |
(continually updated)
Microsoft says that Windows CE provides true real-time performance capabilities, but that Windows XP Embedded requires add-ons to serve as a real-time system. But what exactly are CE's real-time capabilities, and how do you add real-time to XP Embedded?
This WindowsForDevices.com "quick reference guide" is designed to answer these questions and more. It provides a handy reference -- with pointers to techniques, technologies, and products -- to help you get the real-time performance you need from your Windows Embedded based systems and devices.
Additionally, three discussion forums provide a place where you can ask -- and answer -- questions about real-time solutions and technologies for Windows Embedded based systems and devices.
Please note: This guide will be updated frequently, so check back periodically for the latest info. Also, if you have suggestions of other articles to include in this guide, please contact us with that information -- thanks!
- Achieving hard real-time on Windows XP, XP Embedded -- This whitepaper from Venturcom examines Venturcom RTX, which provides a real-time subsystem that runs with the Windows XP platform (defined for the purposes of this paper as Windows XP and Windows XP Embedded). It implements deterministic scheduling of real-time threads, inter-process communication mechanisms between the real-time environment and the native Windows XP environment, and other extensions to Windows XP which are often found in specialized real-time operating systems. The paper describes how the components of RTX provide these features, explores current results and experiences, and points out possible future directions for enhancement.
- Adding real-time determinism to Windows XP Embedded -- The case for adding real-time extensions to the Windows XP platform has been made many times. Many solutions exist which provide some real-time capability at the Windows XP kernel device driver level, but this class of solution does not allow for a robust applications environment sufficient for ease of applications development and to allow for scaling across a wide spectrum of applications classes. This paper by TenAsys CTO Christopher Main examines how TenAsys Corp.'s INtime software not only adds deterministic behavior for applications but also allows those real-time applications to exist in an environment which is robust, reliable, and scalable.
- Windows CE and Windows XP together on the same PC -- Windows XP doesn't provide real-time capabilities, hindering its utility for industrial applications. However, because it supports so many apps, sometimes it would be useful to have it running on the same platform as Windows CE, which does provide real-time. That's possible with CeWin, a real-time extension software add-on for desktop Windows that guarantees deterministic response on interrupts which are targeted to Windows CE. These interrupts can be generated by any PCI or ISA PC plug-in board controlled by Windows CE, and always have a higher priority than the desktop Windows OS.
- Interview: Venturcom's real-time, benchmarking, and tools for XP Embedded -- Microsoft spoke with Venturcom regarding its perpective on real-time, performance benchmarking, and tools for Windows XP Embedded. Venturcom, one of Microsoft's Windows Embedded Partner Gold-level members, provides software products and engineering services that complement and leverage the Windows operating environment to accelerate time-to-market for embedded systems and reduce the total cost of ownership of Windows-based devices.
- Interview: Adding deterministic, real-time control to XP Embedded using INtime -- Microsoft spoke with Kim Hartman, Director of Sales and Marketing at TenAsys Corp., about how that company's INtime software adds deterministic, real-time capabilities to Microsoft's Windows XP Embedded and other Windows platforms.
- Tutorial: Real-time behavior of the .NET Compact Framework -- with the arrival of Visual Studio .NET 2003, with integrated support for Smart Device Programmability, it is possible to develop applications for a broad range of devices by using managed code. Software developers can now use new exciting languages like Visual Basic .NET and Visual C# for device development. Although this sounds promising, one question is still to be answered: "Is it possible to make use of the real-time capabilities of Windows CE .NET while using managed code to write applications for an embedded device?" This technical article, originally published by the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), will answer that question and suggest a possible scenario in which real-time behavior can be combined with Microsoft .NET functionality.
- Managing a real-time hardware interface with INtime and XP Embedded -- This article from TenAsys Corp. provides a brief introduction to how that company's INtime software allows a real-time operating system to run on the same platform as Windows XP Embedded by encapsulating each system in a virtual-machine architecture.
- Inside Venturcom's RTX real-time extensions -- This article is a question-and-answer between Microsoft and Venturcom's John O' Keefe. It provides technical insight into the latter company's RTX real-time extensions to Windows XP embedded.
- Real-time determinism in Windows CE -- Determinism in a real-time system is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. How well does Microsoft's Windows CE perform? In this article, Chris Tacke and Lawrence Ricci of Applied Data Systems benchmark the real-time performance of Windows CE 3.0 on the StrongARM platform, and then compare it in detail to the earlier CE. NET and CE 2.12 releases.
- Testing Real-Time Systems in Windows CE .NET -- in this technical article, Microsoft product manager Mike Hall and Entelechy Consulting founder Steve Maillet ponder real-time support for Windows CE .NET and survey the tools used to measure and test the real-time performance of a device.
- Dedicated Systems Tests Windows CE .NET on Its Real-Time Capabilities: -- In a recent technical report from Dedicated Systems, Windows CE .NET exhibited true hard-real-time behavior during most of the tests. The study is available for download (free registration required).
- Real Time and Windows Embedded -- Q&A with Windows Embedded MVP, Nat Frampton, on defining hard real time, tools for developing on Windows CE .NET, and real-time performance figures with Windows CE .NET. Frampton is the President of Real Time Development Corporation.
Questions? Visit our discussion forums . . .
(Click here for further information)
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