According to Adeneo and IntervalZero, "soft-control" refers to moving hard real-time control logic from specialized hardware components over to software. This will be of particular benefit in products that have complex HMIs (human-machine interfaces), and require both the precise coordination of multiple tasks and deterministic hard real-time performance, the companies add.
At the heart of the Soft-Control Accelerator software/services offering is IntervalZero's
RTX software, said to add real-time capabilities to Windows by providing precise control of IRQs, I/O, and memory. Described as a "true extension in that it does not encapsulate Windows, and does not interfere with or modify the Windows infrastructure," RTX allows code to be built as Windows executables (EXE) that run in User Mode (Ring 3) to utilize memory protection, or as real-time subsystem (RTSS) executables that run in Kernel Mode (Ring 0) for maximum performance.
RTX architecture allows running code in Ring 3 or Ring 0IntervalZero and Adeno tout soft-control's ability to help create real-time systems more quickly and at lower cost, but concede that OEMs may have difficultly coming to grips with the concept. Therefore, Soft-Control Accelerator includes not only
RTX 2009 SMP software -- see below for further details -- but also three days of onsite consulting that "can be customized to meet the OEM's needs design, architecture, development, integration or training." The package also includes a further year of support, the companies add.
BackgroundAccording to IntervalZero, the RTX 2009 and RTX 2009 SMP versions,
first released last month, both support Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, and Windows Embedded Standard 2009. However, it's said, RTX 2009 includes support for real-time operations on one shared or dedicated RTX processor in a uniprocessor or multiprocessor environment, while RTX 2009 SMP makes it possible to operate either on one shared processor, or on up to seven dedicated RTX processors in a multicore/multiprocessor environment.
New product features and updates cited by IntervalZero for both RTX 2009 and RTX 2009 SMP include:
- Support for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and 2, Windows XP Service Pack 3; and support for Visual Studio 2008
- Improved MSI-x support
- Expanded support of RTX dedicated mode, so the real-time subsystem (RTSS) can run on up to seven dedicated CPUs, with assigned affinities for processes, threads, interrupts and timers.
- Updated RTX tools that support an SMP environment
- Several new APIs for profiling across processors
- Additional RTX Property APIs
IntervalZero was
one of the first third-party suppliers of add-on software targeting the use of Microsoft operating systems in real-time applications. Previously known as Ardence, the company was
acquired by Citrix in January 2007, then
spun off in July 2008.
IntervalZero CEO Jeffrey Hibbard stated, "Soft-control architecture is ... a very different way for OEMs to think about how they develop their hard real-time embedded systems. It can completely change the basis of competition for industrial automation and medical systems OEMs in particular, [but] they first need to understand what its all about and the new capabilities it offers them. Soft-Control Accelerator is a quick and easy way to start doing that."
Further informationIntervalZero did not release pricing information for RTX 2009 and RTX 2009 SMP, nor was pricing specified for the Adeneo/IntervalZero Soft-Control Accelerator offering, but all the products appear to be available now.
More information on RTX 2009 can be found on the IntervalZero website,
here. Meanwhile, it's said, those interested in Soft-Control Accelerator should contact Adeneo directly.
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