Articles & White Papers
White Papers
Using ThreadX With Freescale's MCF51MM for Medical Device Development and Regulatory Approval - FTF 2010
Express Logic's ThreadX RTOS is used to develop an EKG demo that runs on the freescale MCF51MM ColdFire V1 board in the Tower System. This paper was opresented at Freescale's FTF2010 in Orlando, Florida, June 23, 2010. See: Using ThreadX With Freescale's MCF51MM and CodeWarrior for Medical Device Development.
How Priority Assignment Can Impact Context Switching In Real-Time Systems
Read this informative white paper on how to use event trace tools to analyze real-time system behavior and increase throughput. Find out how adjusting thread priorities can reduce context switching and increase overall throughput by 80%. See: AnalyzingReal-TimeSystemBehavior.pdf.
The Role of the RTOS in Power Conservation in Portable Devices
Portable electronic devices share certain requirements that can influence the choice of a real-time operating system (RTOS). While most developers might see these requirements dictating choices in the hardware area, they also pose demands on the software, and on the RTOS in particular. This paper explores the software-related requirements of portable devices and how the RTOS can help developers meet those requirements. Readers will learn how Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS can help developers produce more successful portable devices for consumer, medical and industrial needs. Read the paper in PDF format.
Shoot Out at the RTOS Corral
How Design Outcome Data Analysis can be used to assist Medical Device Developers in Selecting the OS Most Appropriate to Their Product Design Requirements by Jerry Krasner, Ph.D., MBA - March 2009
RTOS Real-Time Performance vs. Ease Of Use
Assessing performance needs of an application vs. other considerations
Real-time operating system (RTOS) vendors often make claims of “fast real-time performance,” and “rapid real-time response,” to convince developers to use their RTOS for a given application. The implication is that “faster is better,” and sub-microsecond interrupt response and context switch times are offered as compelling evidence.....More
Efficient Embedded Memory Protection for Express Logic’s ThreadX® Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)
White paper describing various approaches to memory management, including Express Logic's Embedded Memory Protection(tm) (EMP) for ThreadX(r). EMP is a simple, efficient method of providing memory protection for embedded applications, and it avoids most of the overhead and complexity of process model approaches currently available.
Preemption-Threshold™
White paper containing an overview of preemption-threshold, Express Logic's new technique of reducing context switches. In addition, researchers at Concordia University in Montreal and the University of Pittsburgh have published several papers on preemption-threshold, centering on its benefits to real-time systems. Please review their work at the following URL:
http://www.cs.utah.edu/~regehr/reading/open_papers/preempt_thresh.pdf
ThreadX® Performance Analysis
White paper on ThreadX performance analysis. This paper describes performance analysis from a non-intrusive perspective and one that requires very slight modifications to the context switching code of ThreadX.
RTOS Interrupt Architectures
Two Approaches - Unified and Segmented
This paper contains a comparison between two approaches to RTOS Interrupt Architecture that handle Interrupt Service Routines. The two approaches are "Unified" and "Segmented". There are significant differences between them with regard to the efficiency and simplicity of the resulting system.
Measuring Real-Time Performance of an RTOS
Thread-Metric is a free benchmark suite designed to measure the performance of an RTOS. It can be adapted to measure any RTOS, enabling performance comparison to assist in RTOS evaluation and selection. Links below provide a presentation that describes the Thread-Metric suite, and the code itself.
View
the Presentation
Download the Thread-Metric Benchmark Suite
RTOS Selection and Its Impact on Enhancing Time-To-Market and On-Time Design Outcomes
How time-to-market and on-time design considerations can cost or make you money - and why you should consider these factors in choosing or replacing your operating system. View the PDF.
Articles
An RTOS for an SMP Multicore Processor
As semiconductor designers turn to multi-processor (MP) architectures as a means of offering greater performance than is possible with single processors, such designs introduce programming complexity that can make them difficult to use. Better software tools are needed to make MP development easier, and included among them is the operating system, which has the
unique capability of enabling an MP system to be programmed much like a single processor system. This article explores how an RTOS can support a MP architecture and deliver high performance without requiring changes to the application program.
http://www.rtcmagazine.com/home/article.php?id=100751
Case Study: NASA's "Deep Impact" employs embedded systems, running ThreadX, to score bullseye 80 million miles away
January 19, 2006. This article describes the challenges faced by the team at Ball Aerospace in developing a spacecraft system to intercept and collide with the comet Tempel 1. The system used ThreadX to control the high-resolution and infrared imaging systems onboard. http://www.mil-embedded.com/articles/authors/lamie/
Express Logic Threads Itself Through All Types of Gadgetry
This October, 2005, San Diego Business Journal article profiles Express Logic's role in NASA's Deep Impact space mission and the company in general. Download the Acrobat PDF file: San Diego Business Journal, October 31, 2005.
Open Tools Offer New Choices for Developers
A new spirit of cooperation amongst tool and RTOS vendors is enabling developers to use the tools they prefer from an integrated, open environment. This article can be viewed at:
http://www.cotsjournalonline.com/home/article.php?id=100342
Multitasking Mysteries Revealed
This article by Bill Lamie (President/CEO of Express Logic) appeared in the February 1997 issue of Embedded Systems Programming. It provides an overview on multitasking and describes its applicability in the real-time embedded arena. Please contact us for a reprint.
Chasing Down Memory Bugs
This article by Bill Lamie (President/CEO of Express Logic) appeared in the April 1996 issue of Embedded Systems Programming. It discusses various memory-oriented software bugs and provides several techniques (including source code) for catching them. Please contact us for a reprint.
Device Software Has 'Deep Impact' on NASA Space Mission
An exclusive, in-depth look at a device software project to help discover the origins of our solar system–and mankind itself. http://www.dso.com/
Efficient Memory Protection for Embedded Systems
By using simple memory protection in the development of an embedded system, developers will enjoy increased system reliability and faster time-to-market, without sacrificing performance or memory footprint. http://www.rtcmagazine.com/home/article.php?id=100120
Open Tools Offer New Choices for Developers
A new spirit of cooperation amongst tool and RTOS vendors is enabling developers to use the tools they prefer from an integrated, open environment. http://www.cotsjournalonline.com/home/article.php?id=100342
Pardon The Interruption: Two Approaches To RTOS Interrupt Architectures
While both Segmented and Unified Interrupt Architecture RTOSs for ARM core-based designs enable deterministic real-time management of an embedded system, there are significant differences between them with regard to the efficiency and simplicity of the resulting system. This article evaluates the two approaches to RTOSs Interrupt Architecture. http://www.iqmagazineonline.com/magazine/pdf/v_3_4_pdf/Pg58_61_press_Pardon.pdf
A SMP RTOS For The ARM MPCore Multiprocessor
Synopsis: To quench their customers’ thirst for ever-increasing high-performance, semiconductor designers are turning to multi-processor (MP) architectures as a means of offering greater performance than is possible with single processors. Multiprocessing is ideal for demanding applications executing multiple tasks at the same time such as consumer entertainment and convergence devices in the home and car. Examples include a settop- box recording several TV channels while sharing home movies across the Internet, and an in-car navigation system delivering simultaneous back-seat video gaming. But MP designs introduce programming complexity that can make them difficult to use and can threaten development schedules. Better software tools are needed to make MP development easier, and included among them is the operating system, which has the unique capability of enabling an MP system to be programmed much like a single processor system. To the extent that this can be achieved, developers can reap the benefits of MP performance without the cost of overly complex software development. http://www.iqmagazineonline.com/magazine/article.php?nav=article&article_id=256
Real-Time Embedded Multithreading: Using ARM Cores And The Threadx RTOS
Synopsis: This article contains a discussion of embedded multithreading used in the ARM® processor family, and Express Logic’s popular ThreadX® real-time operating system (RTOS).
The ARM architecture is arguably today’s most popular embedded platform. Because of its inherent simplicity, it can be found in a wide variety of devices — from cell phones to laser printers. Express Logic's ThreadX RTOS is also simple and addresses the same target markets as the ARM processor family. ThreadX is one of the most popular RTOSs for the ARM processor, thus this article has relevance for many embedded developers, both those familiar with ThreadX and ARM, and those who have an interest in learning more about them. http://www.iqmagazineonline.com/magazine/article.php?nav=article&article_id=111
RTOSes Balance Performance with Ease of Use
Some systems require lightning speed response times. For most, however, the trick is to right-size real-time performance to fit the application need. http://www.cotsjournalonline.com/home/article.php?id=100221
PRODUCT HOW-TO: Doing embedded design with an Eclipse-based IDE
Step-by-step, Express Logic's John Carbone describes how to use the Ecipse-based BenchX Integrated Development Environment to do embedded systems design.
http://www.embedded.com/design/212500435
FTF 2010 Session Handout
View Express Logic's session on "Developing a Medical Application Using ThreadX and Freescale's MCF51MM." This paper describes the benefits of using an RTOS, and how ThreadX Certification Pack™ helps achieve regulatory compliance.
FTFHandout.pdf
