From: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu (Krishna Achuta Rao)
Subject: Re:Realtime systems for PC
Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-18096]: convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Organization: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 20:37:09 GMT

Hi Netters,

  These are the responses I got to my questions regarding realtime Unix like
kernels for the 386/486.  Thanks a lot to everybody who responded to my
questions.  I am still in the middle of evaluating several kernels.  I will
not make up my mind till end of Nov.  I will post my opinions on this when I
have one.

  makrisna
 
From quandt@cs.umr.edu Fri Sep 25 17:00:46 1992
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From: quandt@cs.umr.edu
Message-Id: <9209252158.AA24356@mcs213c.cs.umr.edu>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: Re: Realtime Kernel for PC
Newsgroups: comp.realtime
Organization: University of Missouri - Rolla
Cc: 
Status: OR

We are also evaluting real time unicks...

Anyways, the only one that is true to name is one by Lynx.
Don`'t have there number on me right now but if you can't find it just ask


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From: jacob@anorad.fidonet.org
Subject: Realtime Kernel for PC
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
X-Vms-Mail-To: uucp%"makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu"
Status: OR

X-News: anorad comp.realtime:106

>From: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu (Krishna Achuta Rao)
>Subject:Realtime Kernel for PC
>Date: 22 Sep 92 16:45:38 GMT
>Message-ID:<1992Sep22.164538.21833@cs.tulane.edu>

I would really appreciate receiving a summary of the responses you
receive to this posting. Would you please consider posting the summary to the
news network. At this time, my e-mail address is all screwy, if you try
to send me mail directly, it is not going to make it.  I thank you in advance
for your effort.

- Jacob

From shri@freal.cs.umass.edu Thu Sep 24 18:33:20 1992
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From: shri@freal.cs.umass.edu
Message-Id: <9209242333.AA03601@freal.cs.umass.edu>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: Re: Realtime Systems?
Newsgroups: comp.realtime
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Cc: 
Status: OR

In article <1992Sep24.155738.1849@cs.tulane.edu> you write:
>Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-1795]: convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
>
>Hi Netters :
>
>  Thank you very much for your response to my question regarding realtime OS
>for PC.  I am in the process of obtaining info. on the recommended kernels.  If
>I find something interesting, I will post the info.  I have couple more 

COuld yuou post a summary please .. or e-mail me one  ?

Thanx in advance ...

-- shrikumar ( shri@legato.cs.umass.edu )



From xsong@cs.umn.edu Thu Sep 24 16:28:28 1992
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From: Xiaohui Carol Song <xsong@cs.umn.edu>
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Date: Thu, 24 Sep 92 16:26:59 CDT
Message-Id: <9209242126.AA04444@marcus.cs.umn.edu>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: Re: Realtime Systems?
Newsgroups: comp.realtime
Status: OR

In comp.realtime you write:
[.. ]
>I want to get some objective literature (read : no
>literature pushing a particular product) on realtime system development.  A
>basic book and an advanced book or collection of papers will be fine. 

>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>+ Krishna Achuta Rao, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engg., Tulane University  +
>+That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists    +
>+trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.  -Calvin & Hobbes         +


Hi there,

I'm interested in those references, too.
I'd appreciate it if you could forward to me the responses you receive.
Thanks.

Carol Song
xsong@cs.umn.edu

From aarond@xibm.stortek.com Thu Sep 24 14:12:14 1992
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From: stortek!Aaron_Dailey@csn.org (Aaron Dailey)
Message-Id: <9209241909.AA06616@xibm.stortek.com>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu (Krishna Achuta Rao)
Subject: Realtime Systems?
Status: OR

One thing you might be intrerested in is Embedded Systems Journal,
which is one of those freebies, but still informational.  Write them
at 600 Harrison St, San Fransisco, CA 94107, phone (415) 905-2200.
They may want to charge you because you're at a .edu address, but make
up stories about how you're going to sell lots.  There are lots of
good resources for embedded systems programming.


Bush had two basic messages for Noriega: We are aware of your
 unscrupulous activities, and those don't bother us much.  But you
 must... get firmly behind the contra effort.
                -- A colonel present at one meeting with George Bush
                   and Manual Noriega.

From mcrware!gregh@uunet.UU.NET Wed Sep 23 16:52:01 1992
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From: mcrware!gregh@uunet.UU.NET (Greg Hickman)
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: REAL-TIME OS FOR PC
Status: OR


To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
From: gregh (Greg Hickman)
Date Sent: 23 September 1992 13:58:01
Subject: REAL-TIME OS FOR PC
==========================================

To: Krishna Achuta Rao
Fr:	Greg Hickman of Microware Systems Corporation

------------------------------------------

This e-mail is a follow up to your request for information on real-time
operating systems for the PC (ISA/EISA) compatible.  

Microware Systems Corporation was founded in 1977.  We have been involved
in the real-time marketplace for over 15 years.  We currently offer two 
real-time operating system solutions:  OS-9 for the Motorola 68000/20/30/40
family of CPU's and OS-9000 for the Intel 386/486 CPU platform.

OS-9000 has been in existence for over 3 years.  We have thousands of 
customers in a variety of industries using both OS-9 and OS-9000 to 
accomplish their real-time needs.  OS-9000 installs on a 386/486 PC and
allows you to partition your hard disk so that DOS may reside on one 
partition and OS-9000 on another, if you wish.  

We offer the OS-9000 Development Pak which sells for $995.  This package 
includes the full implementation of our real-time operating system plus
full ANSI C compiler/assembler/linker.  We also include a C Source level 
debugger and 90-day hotline support and full documentation.  

OS-9000 is a Unix like real-time OS.  Also included in the Development Pak
is a feature called VPC.  VPC allows you to run DOS as a task under OS-9000.
I have a complete list of drivers available for OS-9000 in addition to 
full marketing & technical literature that I can make available to you.

If you would like further information about OS-9000 for your project, please
contact Greg Hickman at 515-224-1929, or write me at:
				Microware Systems Corporation
				1900 NW 114th St.
				Des Moines, IA  50325-7077

Or respond via e-mail at gregh@microware.com

I will be on vacation from Sept. 26-Oct. 5.  But would be happy to 
discuss your application further.  We also offer an educational 
discount that may be of interest to you.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks,

Greg Hickman 
gregh@microware.com


From cwk@irrational.ssc.gov Wed Sep 23 12:15:23 1992
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Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 12:15:05 -0500
From: cwk@irrational.ssc.gov (Carl Kalbfleisch)
Message-Id: <9209231715.AA07240@irrational.ssc.gov>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu (Krishna Achuta Rao)
Subject: Realtime Kernel for PC
Reply-To: cwk@irrational.ssc.gov
Status: OR


You might want to check out Lynx and Uniflex.  Both are real time UNIX
and have ports to PC.

Lynx	-- 408-354-7770

Uniflex -- 919-493-1451

Carl

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        _/_/_/  _/_/_/  _/_/_/  _/        Carl W. Kalbfleisch
    Superconducting    _/      _/      _/      _/  
   Super Collider     _/_/_/  _/_/_/  _/      _/       cwk@irrational.ssc.gov
  Laboratory             _/      _/  _/      _/           Fax: (214) 708-4801
                    _/_/_/  _/_/_/  _/_/_/  _/_/_/      Phone: (214) 708-3428 

  2550 Beckleymeade Avenue, MS-4002                       Dallas, Texas 75237
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    

 

From lynx!bog@uunet.UU.NET Wed Sep 23 13:46:48 1992
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Message-Id: <m0mXaEm-000O9BC@lynx.lynx.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 10:11 PDT
From: bog@lynx.com (Bill O Gallmeister)
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: Re: Realtime Kernel for PC
Newsgroups: comp.realtime
Organization: Lynx Real-Time Systems
Cc: 
Status: OR

Krishna:

You should definitely check out LynxOS, especially if you are porting UNIX
code.  We support binary compatibility with Interactive's SVR3 version of
UNIX (not the X, networking, or more exotic features, but system calls and
signals) and our software development environment is very close to what
you would find on a UNIX box.  We support most of the BSD faciltiies as well,
and POSIX.1, .2, .4, and .4a.  We have been very successful in our market
and expect to be around for quite some time to come, having won major
contracts like the Space Station and Hewlett-Packard.

Our major product in the PC, but oyu can also get it for MVME147, MVME167,
SPARC, Mips, 88k, etc. etc.

- bog

In article <1992Sep22.164538.21833@cs.tulane.edu> you write:
>Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-21753]: convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
>Lines: 11
>
>Hi Netters :
>
>  We are evaluating realtime kernel (UNIX like) for PC compatible (ISA/EISA).  This is for a project involving Image Acquisition & Processing, Robot Motion Control and Controlling several hard automation type machines using stepper motors.  All our software is currently being developed in C on ISC Unix.  So there will be porting of drivers and application software involved.  This is not for research project.  This will be a product someday.  So we are interested in a kernel that has been around for a whil


e>
>
>
> and expected to be around for a while.  If you have any information please contact me at makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu.  Thank you very much.
>
>Krishna.
>--
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>+ Krishna Achuta Rao, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engg., Tulane University  +
>+That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists    +
>+trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.  -Calvin & Hobbes         +


-- 
Bill O. Gallmeister                                     Lynx Real-Time Systems
bog@lynx.com                                            Trendy Los Gatos, CA
               Things come with their being ready-made.                 

From jcavin@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu Tue Sep 22 16:35:25 1992
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Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 16:39:00 CDT
From: jcavin@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Jerry D. Cavin)
Message-Id: <9209222139.AA02374@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: realtime kernals for the PC
Status: OR


Howdy,

One you might look at is JNX, don't know too much about it,
but the realtime CAD tool I'm using, TimeBench,  generates 
C code for it!  (I'm using it for simulation mostly)  
TimeBench is also available thru ftp, I'll include the
README for it:


250-************************************************************************
250-TimeBench is a CAD tool for the design of real-time systems. Its main
250-features include:
250- 1. a hybrid graphical/textual design description notation.
250- 2. design experimentation through an embedded design interpreter and
250-    behaviour visualization techniques.
250- 3. a performance analysis tool.
250- 4. a code generation systems for Ada and C/JNX target environments
250-    (JNX is a real-time kernel for PCs).
250-
250-TimeBench Supports an extended version of Buhr's diagramming notation
250-called "MachineCharts".
250-
250-Environment: SUN SPARC/SUN-3 workstations running Sun OS 4.1.1.  Both
250-             SunView and OpenLook interfaces are available.  Colour
250-             workstations are also supported.
250-
250-If you transfer any files from this directory, please send a mail
250-message to karam@sce.carleton.ca.  This will enable us to notify you
250-of new revisions, bug fixes.  For further information or help contact
250-"timebench-help@sce.carleton.ca"
250-
250-Please let us know how you are using the software.
250-************************************************************************
250-
250-
250-Please read the file README.ftp
250-  it was last modified on Wed Mar  4 16:57:59 1992 - 170 days ago

The ftp site is ftp.sce.carleton.ca (IP:134.117.4.42)

I'm using this for my master's thesis.  Let me know what you think ;^)

Jerry Cavin

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
NOTE: Please use the following email address:
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Jerry D. Cavin                 jcavin@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu
Applied Research Labs                          10000 Burnet Road 
Software Systems Division                         P. O. Box 8029
University of Texas at Austin           Austin, Texas 78713-8029
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Bring me a dictionary: I want to know the meaning of LIFE.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



From @mail.uunet.ca:danh@quantum Tue Sep 22 15:34:00 1992
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	id AA00631; 22 Sep 92 16:24:18 EDT (Tue)
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
>To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Subject: Re: Realtime Kernel for PC
Newsgroups: comp.realtime
Organization: Quantum Software Systems
Message-Id: <9209221624.AA04544@quantum.qnx.com>
Date: 	Tue, 22 Sep 1992 16:24:14 -0400
From: danh@quantum.qnx.com (Dan Hildebrand)
Status: OR

In article <1992Sep22.164538.21833@cs.tulane.edu> you write:
>Hi Netters :
>
>  We are evaluating realtime kernel (UNIX like) for PC compatible (ISA/EISA).  This is for a project involving Image Acquisition & Processing, Robot Motion Control and Controlling several hard automation type machines using stepper motors.  All our software is currently being developed in C on ISC Unix.  So there will be porting of drivers and application software involved.  This is not for research project.  This will be a product someday.  So we are interested in a kernel that has been around for a whil


e
>
>
>
>
>
> and expected to be around for a while.  If you have any information please contact me at makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu.  Thank you very much.
>
>Krishna.
>--
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>+ Krishna Achuta Rao, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engg., Tulane University  +
>+That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists    +
>+trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.  -Calvin & Hobbes         +

You may find QNX to be a viable candidate for your application.

The paper "An Architectural Overview of QNX", is available by anonymous ftp 
as /pub/qnx-arch.ps at ftp.cse.ucsc.edu (128.114.134.19). The architecture 
of the QNX microkernel is outlined, and its performance compared to the 
SVR4 UNIX system ( a monolithic kernel ). This paper was recently presented 
at the USENIX Microkernel conference held in Seattle, April 1992. In 
addition, here is a recent press release:


             Quantum Software Systems Announces QNX 4.1:

* Fault-Tolerant, Realtime, Distributed-Processing Capabilities Enhanced *

Quantum Software Systems, Ltd., developers of the QNX realtime operating 
system, have released QNX 4.1, a POSIX-compliant OS based on microkernel 
technology. QNX 4.1 started shipping in July, 1992, and features enhanced
disk I/O, multiple redundant network links, and a 10% reduction in 
context-switch time.

QNX 4.1 represents the culmination of over a decade of research and 
experience with an installed base of over 200,000 microkernel-based, 
message-passing operating systems world-wide. As a result, QNX delivers the 
functionality of a modern OS architecture in a robust package proven for 
mission-critical applications.

A TRUE Microkernel Architecture:

The QNX microkernel provides only the essential process scheduling and 
interprocess communication (message passing) facilities from which all 
the other services in the operating system are built. This approach results 
in a 7 Kbyte microkernel with performance characteristics equivalent to a 
realtime executive. Because server processes can be removed or added, QNX
is scalable from small, ROM-based systems up to large, multiprocessor,
distributed systems. Networking services are provided by extending the
message-passing model to be network-transparent, such that communicating
processes need not care whether they reside on the same or different nodes
on the network. The server processes that provide the remainder of the system
are implemented directly on these services, resulting in a fully distributed
operating system.

Distributed Processing:

By virtue of its microkernel, message-passing architecture, QNX can
take a network of computers and present them to applications as a "single 
logical computer," regardless of how many physical computers are joined by 
the network. Applications developed for this "single computer model" will run
without changes even as the number of computers is scaled to suit the scope of
the project.

This scalability is possible because QNX allows applications to be 
initially written as a team of cooperating, communicating processes on a 
single machine. When connected to a QNX network, those processes can then 
be distributed to run throughout the network (without source-code changes), 
while QNX provides network-transparent messaging between those processes. 
Also, the transparency allows any process to use the resources of any other 
computer in the network, regardless of whether those resources are local or 
remote. With this functionality, computers can boot from the network as 
diskless nodes, and then use any resource (disk, cpu, memory, I/O) on the 
network. Mission-critical applications are aided by using the 
network-distributed messaging to implement "hot standby" systems. Multiple 
redundant network links between network nodes provide protection from 
network failures as well.

QNX Networking Technology:

In order to deliver high-performance distributed processing, traditional 
stack-based network protocols are used only when communicating with non-QNX 
systems. For QNX-to-QNX transactions, a lightweight, QNX-specific network 
protocol is used, delivering nearly the full bandwidth of the network to 
communicating processes (980 Kbytes/second from process to process over 
Ethernet). To the "outside world," the QNX LAN appears as a single, 
multiprocessor entity even though it may be coexisting on the same physical 
LAN as other LAN protocols (as is the case with TCP/IP). Conventional 
protocols are used to communicate with non-QNX systems.

For applications that require even higher network throughput and/or 
additional network reliability, the Network manager provides support for 
multiple LAN links per node. Placing additional network links between 
network nodes improves both the reliability and bandwidth of the LAN. 
QNX automatically load-balances the network traffic over the LAN links 
available for any particular network transaction. Nodes that heavily use
the network can be equipped with additional, point-to-point network links
to enhance throughput and move network traffic from the main LAN to
dedicated links.

Embedded, Realtime Systems:

For ROM-based embedded applications, the modularity of the OS allows the 
developer to omit unnecessary system processes. As a result, a diskless, 
deviceless QNX system can be configured to occupy less than 100 Kbytes. 
With its realtime performance, QNX becomes a viable alternative to realtime 
executives, delivering the functionality of a POSIX runtime and development 
environment, AND providing the sheer performance and small size of a realtime 
executive. In a minimal system, only the microkernel, process manager, and 
the system shared library need be present -- all other system processes are 
optional and can be dynamically started and stopped at runtime, or 
statically bound in at boot time for ROM-based applications. With the 
addition of the small QNX networking module, an embedded system can become 
a network-transparent extension of a larger QNX environment for distributed 
applications, booting either from ROM or from the network.


Specifications Overview:

QNX 4.1 Operating System
------------------------
    - Upwards scalable for large, multiprocessor applications
    - Downwards scalable for minimal ROM-based, embedded applications
    - Integrated peer-to-peer distributed processing and networking
    - POSIX-compliant process management
    - POSIX-compliant file and device I/O subsystems
    - Realtime, deterministic response rates
    - Multitasking, multiuser support
    - POSIX 1003.1
    - POSIX 1003.2 Draft Standard utilities and shell
    - POSIX 1003.4 Draft Standard Realtime Extensions
    - Dynamically configurable and extensible at runtime
    - ALL system processes are memory-protected from each other, while the
        microkernel provides interprocess messaging to connect them
    - 386/486 and 286 protected-mode OS
    - Native 80x87 support or 80x87 emulation for reduced-cost embedded
        systems
    - Resource managers and device drivers are fully dynamic, and can be
        started and stopped without rebooting or rebuilding the OS kernel
    - Up to 255 concurrent processes per node

Microkernel
-----------
    - Microkernel occupies less than 7 Kbytes. On a 486, the entire kernel
        and interrupt handlers could reside in the processor cache
    - POSIX 1003.4 Realtime Draft Standard Process Scheduling
        - supports 32 priority levels
        - three scheduling algorithms: FIFO, round robin, and adaptive,
            selectable per process
        - fully preemptive, prioritized context switching
        - servers can have their priority driven by the messages
            they receive
    - Only 12 kernel calls; other services are provided by optional processes
    - Microkernel manages process scheduling and message passing only
    - Microkernel message passing is fully preemptive

Process Manager
---------------
    - POSIX 1003.4 Draft Standard Clocks & Timers
        - Multiple timers per process
        - Timers can be synchronous or asynchronous; one-shot or repetitive
        - Timers specified in nanosecond resolution

    - Additional Features
        - Supports full inheritance of the process environment, even
            across the network for transparent distributed processing; this
            includes open file descriptors, current working directory, and
            environment variables
        - Fully nested interrupts
        - Flexible primitives for shared memory
        - Built-in debug primitives for local and remote debugging from
            anywhere on the network
        - User-configurable system limits and resources
        - Network-wide process-naming capability
        - Interrupt handlers can be dynamically attached and removed

Network Manager
---------------
    - Transparent access to all system resources across the network
    - Modular network drivers
    - Dual-redundant networking for mission-critical applications
    - Redundant network links are automatically used for load balancing
        of network traffic
    - Full inheritance of process environment across the network
    - Applications can send and receive raw network packets for "guest"
        network protocol applications, e.g. TCP/IP
    - Clarkson packet-driver interface
    - Delivers full network bandwidth to the application layer

Device Manager
--------------
    - Fully buffered writes
    - Input buffer per tty can be from 256 bytes to 64 Kbytes for high-speed
        protocol work
    - Input requests can return on timeout or on data-forwarding characters
    - Provides asynchronous I/O primitives
    - Allows even an 8 MHz 286 to handle 38.4 Kbaud without asserting
        flow control

Filesystem Manager
------------------
    - High-performance, extent-based filesystem
    - Disk performance approaches raw platter speed
    - Heuristic read-ahead & write-behind with elevator seeking
    - Robust: all sensitive filesystem info is written through to disk
    - On-disk "signatures" and special key information to allow
        fast data recovery in the event of disk damage
    - Full support for pipes and FIFOs (named pipes), both locally and
        transparently across the network
    - Applications can bypass the filesystem and talk directly
        to device drivers for raw block I/O or "guest" filesystems
    - 48-character filenames
    - User-configurable filesystem limits and resources

DOS Filesystem Manager
----------------------
    - Completely transparent DOS filesystem support
    - DOS media appears as a normal component of the filesystem; any utility
        can be used to manipulate files on the DOS media
    - Supports floppies and all DOS partition types
    - Full access across the network

DOS Emulation - Rundos
----------------------
    - Allows DOS to run as a process under QNX
    - DOS applications can use either the QNX network-distributed filesystem
        or network-distributed DOS filesystems
    - Supports Microsoft Windows 3.1, 3.0 and 2.1
    - Supports Microsoft Windows in real mode and standard (protected)
        mode. This is critical for supporting popular Windows applications
        that do not run in real mode. Large, multi-megabyte Windows
        applications can be easily run.

System Spooler
--------------
    - Suite of control utilities: lp, lpc, lpq, lprm, lpsrvr
    - Multiple queues, filters, and output processes for mapping multiple
        logical printers to multiple physical printers
    - Network transparent

VEDIT Programmer's Editor
-------------------------
    - Multi-window, multi-file, CUA-compliant
    - Mouse support in text mode and within QNX Windows
    - Pulldown menus
    - Integrated help system
    - Columnar blocks
    - 1000-level undo
    - Regular expressions and "short form" pattern codes
    - Small and fast
    - Emulates vi, Brief, WordPerfect, and others
    - Edits text and binary files of any size and line length
    - Powerful macro programming language

Ditto - Remote Diagnostic Utility
---------------------------------
    - Allows remote console viewing and interaction
    - Operates over both network and dial-up links
    - Shipped standard with development system

Development System
------------------
    - Watcom ANSI C
    - Linker, library manager, and disassembler
    - Full-screen, mouse-driven symbolic debugger
    - Full-screen, mouse-driven interactive profiler
    - Symbolic dump file analysis with debugger
    - Standard "make" utility does distributed, parallel compiles
    - Over 500 ANSI, UNIX, POSIX, DOS, and QNX library routines

Graphical User Interface (currently in beta test)
---------------------------------------------------
    - "Smart-object" windowing environment with 3D look and feel
    - "OPEN LOOK" (tm) conforming user interface
    - Full development system
    - Interface editor for interactive application building
    - Designed for demanding realtime applications
    - Much lighter resource requirements than X Windows
    - Supports network-distributed applications

Interrupt and process latency  (times in microseconds)
------------------------------------------------------

                     Interrupt       Context
    Processor        latency*        switch
    ------------     ---------       -------
    33 Mhz 486           6              13
    33 Mhz 386          11              30
    16 Mhz 386SX        32              90
     8 Mhz 286          65             175

  * With nested interrupts, this time represents the worst-case latency
    for the highest priority interrupt. Interrupt priority is user-definable
    and the interrupt latency for lower-priority interrupt sources
    is defined by the user's application-specific interrupt handlers.
    In addition, to guarantee minimal interrupt latency, QNX does not use
    the Intel task-switch instructions.

Hardware Requirements
---------------------
    - Platforms: IBM AT or PS/2 (ISA, EISA, MCA bus)
                 Ampro, Gespac, STD, VME, and other platform support available
    - CPU: 80286, 80386, or 80486 (8086/80186 OEM only)
    - FPU: Optional
    - Memory: 100K (minimal embedded system)
              256K (embedded system with Device and Network Managers)
              512K (OS with filesystem, device I/O, and networking)
              2M  (development system)
    - Disk space: none (target system)
                  5M  (OS & utilities)
                  4M  (development system)*
        * for the combined OS and development system, 9M is required

Technical Support
-----------------
    - Hotline (phone and fax)
    - Online access to Quics for conferencing, private mail, software
        updates and freeware
    - Newsletter
    - Annual international user's conference
    - Training and consulting services available

For more information, reply to this posting or contact:

Quantum Software Systems                      Quantum Software Systems
175 Terrence Matthews Cr.                     Westendstr.19 6000 Frankfurt
Kanata, Ontario K2M 1W8                       am main 1
Canada                                        Germany
voice:  (613) 591-0931 x111 (voice)           voice: 49 69 97546156 x299
fax:    (613) 591-3579      (fax)             fax:   49 69 97546110
usenet: stuartr@qnx.com
-- 
Dan Hildebrand                     email: danh@qnx.com
Quantum Software Systems, Ltd.     QUICS: danh  (613) 591-0934 (data)
(613) 591-0931 x204 (voice)        mail:  175 Terrence Matthews          
(613) 591-3579      (fax)                 Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2M 1W8


From aarond@xibm.stortek.com Tue Sep 22 15:32:41 1992
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Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 13:48:07 MDT
From: stortek!Aaron_Dailey@csn.org (Aaron Dailey)
Message-Id: <9209221948.AA06193@xibm.stortek.com>
To: makrisna@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu (Krishna Achuta Rao)
Subject: Realtime Kernel for PC
Status: OR

We're using VRTX, which is a real time kernel, and has been around for
a while.  It uses unix system calls, and has all the normal IPC stuff
that you'd expect in a real time os.  You can contact the
manufacturers, ready systems, at sales@ready.com

Aaron Dailey Internet: Aaron_Dailey@stortek.com
StorageTek Corporation   Voice: (303) 673-4989, FAX: (303) 673-2570
Mail:  MS0242, 2270 South 88th Street, Louisville, C0 80028


--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Krishna Achuta Rao, Graduate Student, Mechanical Engg., Tulane University  +
+That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists    +
+trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.  -Calvin & Hobbes         +
Xref: sparky comp.realtime:1192 comp.dsp:2375