From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

VxWorks

Website:	www.windriver.com
Company/ developer:	Wind River Systems
Working state:	Current

VxWorks is a Unix-like real-time operating system made and sold by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA.

Like most RTOSes, VxWorks includes a multitasking kernel with pre-emptive scheduling and fast interrupt response, extensive inter-process communications and synchronization facilities, and a file system. Newer versions of VxWorks now support pSOS system calls since Wind River now owns both RTOSes.

Major distinguishing features of VxWorks include efficient POSIX-compliant memory management, multiprocessor facilities, a shell for user interface, symbolic and source level debugging capabilities, and performance monitoring.

VxWorks is generally used in embedded systems. Unlike "native" systems such as Unix and Forth, VxWorks development is done on a "host" machine running Unix or Windows, cross-compiling target software to run on various "target" CPU architectures as well as on the "host" by means of VxSim.

Contents 1 History 2 Tornado (v5 and older) or Workbench (v6 and newer) 3 Products using VxWorks 4 Competitive operating systems 5 External links

The name VxWorks is believed to be a pun on the VRTX real-time operating system, at the time created by Ready Systems, now a Mentor Graphics product. In the early 1980s VRTX was a new product and did not work so well. It was 4KB in size and could not be fully used as an operating system. Wind River acquired the rights to resell VRTX with an extension named VxWorks which was workable (including for example a file system and an integrated development environment), so VxWorks most probably means VRTX now Works or VRTX that Works.

When Wind River anticipated that Ready Systems would cancel the contract, they developed their own kernel and put it in VRTX's place. The core functionality of VxWorks is similar to that of VRTX.

Tornado is an integrated development environment for software cross-development. Tornado consists of the following elements:

• VxWorks target operating system
• Application-building tools (cross-compiler and associated programs)
• An integrated development environment (IDE) that facilitates managing and building projects, establishing host-target communication, and running, debugging, and monitoring VxWorks applications
• VxSim simulator

Workbench replaced Tornado IDE in version 6 and newer. The Wind River Workbench is built on Eclipse technology. More information about Workbench can be found in this pdf from Wind River.

• The Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity and the MRO use VxWorks running on Power Architecture platforms. VxWorks is in use in several other spacecraft as well, for example, the Deep Impact mission.
• Boeing intends to use the operating system in their new 787 airliner.
• The Linksys WRT54G wireless router (without the designation 'WRT54GL') uses VxWorks on models v5 and higher (v4 and prior, plus WRT54GL, use LINUX).
• Several LiteON DVD recorders use VxWorks.
• The Promina multiplexers use VxWorks.
• The Digita OS from FlashPoint Technology, Inc, used in the early semi-professional digital cameras (like Kodak DC220..DC290, Minolta Dimage 1500EX and Casio QV-5000SX) was a customized version of VxWorks.
• Communication systems of most companies uses VxWorks for their servers. The list includes, but not limited to, 3COM, Alcatel, Avaya, Cisco (Aironet and older products; IOS XR uses competitor QNX), NEC, Nortel, Siemens, and ZTE. For instance, Siemens Communication Systems such as EWSD, HiCOM, and HiPath use VxWorks as their Interface Cards' OS.
• Proxim uses VxWorks on the models AP-2000 and later.
• A variety of cable modems also use VxWorks such as the Motorola SURFboard range
• A number of Adobe PostScript-based computer printers including the Tektronix Phaser series (now produced by Xerox)
• ReplayTV uses VxWorks on its digital video recorder.
• Siemens Medical Solutions uses VxWorks to control the real time events of its MRI scanners
• ABB Ltd. Robotics
• MA Lighting uses VxWorks for Light Show Commanders and the GrandMA Series of lighting consoles
• Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. uses VxWorks (in conjunction with DOS 6.22) for the Obsession II lighting console
• Modern Agilent high-end test equipment uses VxWorks for instrument management and control
• National Instruments 901x CompactRIO embedded controller for test, measurement, and control in conjunction with a reconfigurable FPGA
• Xerox Phaser printers
• Thuraya SO-2510 Satellite phone
• Echelon web-servers
• SMART-LIFE LonWorks addons
• Hewlett-Packard's Superdome UNIX Server uses a VxWorks based Service Processor to control and manage the system's hardware and partitions (nPars)
• Nomadix HotSpot and Universal Gateways
• Hughes Satellite Modems
• Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci and Zeus telerobotic surgeons
• EPICS used to build large scale research facilities
• ASML Waferscanners
• Konica Minolta Konica Minolta Emperon print controllers
• Kuka Kuka Industrial Robots
• Nortel Nortel Networks uses VxWorks in their Meridian PBX system
• Mitel Mitel Networks uses VxWorks in their PBX system
• ShoreTel ShoreTel uses VxWorks in their IP PBX systems
• Kronos Kronos uses VxWorks in their 4500 Time Clock Terminal
• AMX AMX uses VxWorks in their Control System products
• Radware Radware uses VxWorks in their DefensePro-102 Device (and maybe others) (Radware article at Wikipedia)
• ELAU ELAU uses VxWorks in their Control System products
• Vestas Vestas Wind Turbine Generators, Vestas V90 model and maybe others.

Similar real-time operating systems are available from other vendors:

• eCos
• Integrity
• Embedded Linux
• embOS
• LynxOS
• Nucleus RTOS
• OS-9
• OSE
• QNX
• RTEMS - open source RTOS
• ThreadX
• TRON
• VRTX
• Windows CE
• C Executive

• Wind River Systems
  • VxWorks 6.x