The information within these pages gives detailed information specific to the ERAU Real-Time Laboratory. Some of the information may apply to systems outside of ERAU but many specifics will be noted (such as machine names). This information was upto date at the time of its writing, but as equipment is added/removed to the lab, some of the information may become outdated.
The following architectures (platforms/operating systems/etc...) are available in the ERAU Real-Time Laboratory:
VxWorks
VxWorks is the embedded operating system used with the ARCOM embedded systems located in the real-time laboratory. As a hard-real-time OS with its own primitives and POSIX compliance, it is the primary learning tool for the lab. For more information on using VxWorks, see the on-line tutorial.
Windows XP
Windows XP stations are the workhorses of the RT Lab. They are used for everything from developing code for VxWorks in Tornado to creating UML designs with Rhapsody.
Linux
Linux is a freely available UNIX operating system which runs on a multitude of platforms (including Intel, Alpha, SPARC, and others). It has grown very popular over the past few years and is making a large impression on the computer industry. It is maintained and developed by thousands of programmers in virtually every country in the world. It can easily be installed on a home PC and was extensively used to develop these experiments. rtlinux is the linux machine available in the real-time lab, you can easily rlogin into this machine.
QNX
QNX is a realtime, extensible POSIX OS with a lean microkernel and a team of optional cooperating processes. This flexible architecture lets you scale QNX down for lean embedded systems, or scale it out to create a virtual super-computer orchestrating hundreds of processors.