Index Real-Time Magazine 98q3 on WINDOWS & REAL-TIME

Index Real-Time Magazine 3Q98

Editorial
By Martin Timmerman, Chief-Editor of Real-Time Magazine, Real-Time Consult.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p. 3
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RTOS EVALUATION

RTOS Evaluations Kick Off!
Real-Time Consult started a research program about two years ago to qualify and compare real-time operating systems (RTOS). Now, a description and a framework for an evaluation project are defined and ready for use. This paper gives an overview and a framework for that project

By Martin Timmerman, Chief-Editor of Real-Time Magazine, Bart Van Beneden Project Manager, Laurent Uhres, Software Engineer, Real-Time Consult.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.6 (237KB)
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Windows NT Real-Time Extensions: better or worse ?
This article presents an overview of the capabilities of the real-time extensions for Windows NT 4.0 as a real-time operating system (RTOS). The extensions that are covered are RTX 4.1 from VenturCom, INTime 1.20 from Radisys and Hyperkernel 4.3 from Imagination Systems. This paper is part of an evaluation project concerning real-time extensions for Windows NT 4.0.

By Martin Timmerman, Chief-Editor of Real-Time Magazine, Bart Van Beneden Project Manager, Laurent Uhres, Software Engineer, Real-Time Consult.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.11 (1065KB)
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Is Windows CE 2.0 a real threat to the RTOS World ?
This article gives an overview of the capabilities of Windows CE 2.0 as a real-time operating system (RTOS). This article is part of an evaluation project for real-time operating systems.

By Martin Timmerman, Chief-Editor of Real-Time Magazine, Bart Van Beneden Project Manager, Laurent Uhres, Software Engineer, Real-Time Consult.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.20 (308KB)
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WINDOWS CE

Windows CE Displaces Proprietary RTOSs in Embedded Systems Applications.
Though originally developed for hand-held PCs, Windows CE provides an attractive alternative to proprietary RTOSs for many embedded applications. This article will discuss the advantages of using Windows CE as an embedded operating system, with particular emphasis given to the development environment, Win32 API, and run-time environment. The article will also discuss the porting and device driver development issues faced by embedded Windows CE developers.

By Richard Eppel, President, Annasoft Systems.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.25 (188KB)
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WINDOWS NT

Why NT and when CE ?
This paper attempts to clarify the differences between Windows NT and Windows CE. Windows NT gives users an open system with an abundance of applications available to them, however, it does lack determinism. Hyperkernel, real-time extensions to NT, provides the stability and determinism required to take Windows NT into today's real-time applications. Windows CE is a truly embedded operating system, not a PC operating system. While it may become real-time in the future, it must prove its stability and reliability. The Hyperkernel Portability Layer (HPL) is a complete "open" solution API that enables NT applications to be recompiled as CE applications. This provides enormous flexibility for application developers, enabling the creation of operating system independent code.

By Rhonda Landis, Vice President of Software Development, Imagination Systems.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.31 (110KB)
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Realtime Extensions to Windows NT. Are they right for your next real-time project?
With the recent introduction of real-time extensions to Windows NT, many real-time developers are starting to consider NT for their next project. It's easy to see why. Rather than connect real-time and desktop applications over a network, it appears that developers can now integrate both into a single system, while using a single API.

By Greg Bergsma, Senior Technology Analyst, QNX Software Systems.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.35 (225KB)
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Windows NT Real-Time Extensions as used in Industrial Automation.
During the last two years the Industrial Automation market place has seen the proliferation of Windows NT4.0 working with a number of associated software 'extension' products. Companies like VenturCom, Radisys and Nematron (Imagination Systems) have appeared on the scene. In so doing they have provided the foundation elements for the building of so-called Soft-Logic solutions and 'all-in-one' visualisation and control packages - take as example Intellutions Paradym and WonderWare Factory Suite.

By Stephen Porter, Marketing Development Manager, Wind River Systems.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.40 (117KB)
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Developing applications with the Real-time Object Paradigm: a way to implement real-time system on Windows NT.
For several years, the LETI has studied the object-oriented paradigm as a basis for a new generation of real-time systems development tools. This work resulted in the completion of the ACCORD platform aimed at helping users to design and implement real-time systems. This CASE tool provides high level facilities for building applications. Starting from a design modelling based on the concept of real-time object, it permits to produce executable code that can run on top of Windows NT. Thanks to this approach, application coding can be achieved using generic features offered by the ACCORD middle-ware package to insure real-time behaviour and considering Windows NT as a provider of basic real-time mechanisms. In this paper, we present the real-time Object Model (TOM) of ACCORD, next we explain how real-time constraints are specified, then we show the links between ACCORD and Windows NT and how they support users in building real-time systems with Windows NT operating system.

By Sébastien Gérard, PhD candidate, LETI, François Terrier, Project leader of LSP Group, LETI, Agnès Lanusse, Head of the Process Safety Laboratory at LETI, CEA.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.48 (548KB)
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WIN 32

A Comparison of Approaches.
A variety of products are available today that support the integration of hard real-time programming environments with Microsoft's Windows NT operating system (OS). In most instances the goal of these products is to provide developers with a convenient way to leverage their knowledge of Microsoft Win32 application programming interfaces (API) and tools so they may create deterministic applications which will run in conjunction with standard, off-the-shelf, Win32 applications. The nature of the real-time execution environment and the philosophy applied to the real-time API are often referenced when comparing these products. Both of these characteristics affect the ability of a Win32 developer to create bug-free, reliable, real-time applications.

By Paul Fischer, Technical Marketing Engineer, Embedded Software Operations, RadiSys Corporation.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.58 (123KB)
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Win32: A Suitable Standard for Real-Time Embedded Systems?
Using Windows NT or Windows 95 for real-time systems is a big temptation. This subject has been discussed in many recent articles and several products have been released which claim to support real-time processing under these systems. An interesting alternative to using these rather complex operating systems designed for desktop applications are dedicated embedded systems development tools which create a Win32 compatible environment on the target without the overhead and the real-time deficiencies of NT or 95.

By Peter Petersen, General Manager, Thomas E. Schotland, President US Office, On Time Informatik GmbH.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.64 (172KB)
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Windows-based systems and the Win32 API.
Using Windows NT or Windows 95 for real-time systems is a big temptation. This subject has been discussed in many recent articles and several products have been released which claim to support real-time processing under these systems. An interesting alternative to using these rather complex operating systems designed for desktop applications are dedicated embedded systems development tools which create a Win32 compatible environment on the target without the overhead and the real-time deficiencies of NT or 95.

By Chris Jones, Principal Software Engineer, Mike Cherepov, Principal Software Engineer, VenturCom Corp.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.70 (223KB)
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OPC

Real-Time Extensions to OPC
The use of OPC (OLE for Process Control) as an industry-standard mechanism for access to hardware I/O devices is likely to become the preferred middleware mechanism for the connection between HMI/SCADA software and its associated hardware system elements. Many of these I/O devices require real-time capabilities that are specific to the hardware and essential to proper operation of the high-level HMI/SCADA application. This paper describes the incorporation of hard real-time concepts into standard OPC servers, as implemented by RadiSys, utilizing their INtime real-time extension for Microsoft Windows NT.

By Paul Fischer, Technical Marketing Engineer, Embedded Software Operations, RadiSys Corporation.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.76 (302KB)
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DSP

Non-preemptive Occam in DSP RT system
The parallel programming language occam has successively been used to program a real-time system for a Texas TMS320C32 DSP. 28000 lines of machine-generated ANSI C have been generated from the occam sources in a mixed language system, together with 17000 lines of hand-written ANSI C. The freely available SPoC (Southampton Portable occam Compiler) has been used to generate the C sources. The compiler comes bundled with a non-preemptive scheduler. Descheduling points have been inserted by SPoC at all occam constructs where a process may change external state (mainly communication). This application shows that a true real-time system may be built with this strategy, it also has the potential to implement harder real-time responsiveness than we required. Observe that in occam, semaphores and monitors are non-existent, this functionality is semantically defined in the overlying CSP definition. SPoC may be ported to any system that has a C compiler - Autronica ported SPoC to the DSP. The application we have developed is a new Autronica radar-based fluid level gauge, branded GL-100.

By Øyvind Teig, Senior Development Engineer, Autronica.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.83 (145KB)
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FAT32

FAT32 is made for data-intensive embedded applications
Open bus computer system architectures have demonstrated their relevance for all operational embedded computing applications. They are based on architectures in which the user can add bus compatible boards. Openness of buses to the user has become generalized and has been continually accelerating in the Industrial, Telecom and Defense markets requiring tight coupling capacities between inputs/outputs in real time.

By Edward F. Steinfeld, Industry Marketing Consultant, Automata International.
WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.91 (154KB)
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WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.100

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WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.102

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WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.104

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WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.108

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WINDOWS & REAL-TIME - 98q3 - p.111