The latest RTLinux snapshots have some nice features that we'd love
to have some feedback on.
Cort Dougan's rtl signals from user processes allow a user process
to set up functions that will be run either as interrupt handlers or
as periodic handlers. The interface is via rtl_sigaction and it works
just like the standard sigaction --- except the signals are run in RT.
We think this is, finally, a method for making RT facilities usable from
user processes in a sensible an maintainable way.
As many of you know, we've had discussion about LXRT here before -- and
way back in 1995 RTLinux had user level RT processes too ---
but I've never been happy with any of the designs we've come up with or
had proposed. I think this is it, a simple, robust design that will
facilitate using, for example, graphics libraries, in RT applications.
Michael Barabanov did an amazing job with getting gdb to run on RTL threads.
You can use any of the gdb front ends (like ddd) and do single step,
breakpoints, etc, on RT threads running in the same machine. One very
powerful feature is that the debugger can be used to provide safe failure
handling. If the debugger is installed and an RT thread causes a memory
fault, all RT threads suspend and gdb can be started to examine the frozen
system state -- using the Linux thread.
POSIX sigaction is now available as an alternative to rtl_irq_request
and there is a SMP interrupt focus facility.
We've also had the Alpha and PowerPC ports working and for x86 UP, the
V3 snapshot now runs on Linux 2.2.16 as well as 2.4 -- see the prepatched
kernels.
Couple of more features and some cool applications
are cooking, and we hope to close V3 pretty soon,
so tests, bug reports, etc, are welcome.
If you have a RTLinux package that you would like included in V3, please
send me a note. I'm hoping to include additions to the
usual suspects (rt-com, mbuff, jerry's ipc) such as RTiC, minirtl,
and perhaps some other apps.
Victor
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Victor Yodaiken
FSMLabs: www.fsmlabs.com www.rtlinux.com
FSMLabs is a servicemark and a service of
VJY Associates L.L.C, New Mexico.
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