Open-source RTOSX now offers compatibility with Eclipse ThreadX
In the ever-evolving world of technology, two significant developments have emerged in the realm of real-time operating systems (RTOS) - Eclipse ThreadX and RTOSX.
Originally developed by Bill Lamie at Express Logic in 1997, ThreadX became Azure RTOS after Microsoft's acquisition in 2019. In 2023, Microsoft donated Azure RTOS to the Eclipse Foundation, marking the beginning of the Eclipse ThreadX project. This open-source RTOS has since become a prominent player in the industry, offering a very small footprint (around 2 kB on Arm Cortex-M) and a picokernel architecture with priority-based preemptive scheduling. It boasts safety certifications from Technischer Überwachungsverein and UL (formerly Underwriters Laboratories) and complies with MISRA C standards, making it suitable for safety-critical embedded applications[1][3][4].
The Eclipse ThreadX project has grown with strong industry support, as demonstrated by the formation of the ThreadX Alliance in 2024. This Alliance, composed of industry leaders, developers, and partners, collaborates on advancing ThreadX, ensuring its long-term sustainability, expanding its ecosystem, and driving innovation in safety-critical embedded and real-time systems[4].
RTOSX, an evolution of ThreadX, integrates ThreadX's strengths with POSIX compatibility. This integration bridges the deterministic real-time environment of ThreadX with the more widely adopted POSIX interface standards, enabling developers to leverage the fast, deterministic performance of ThreadX while also using familiar POSIX APIs. This improves portability, interoperability, and ease of development for complex embedded systems[1][2].
In comparison, generic POSIX RTOSes provide standard POSIX-compliant APIs, facilitating application portability across different platforms. However, they may not always achieve the ultra-low latency or very minimal footprint that ThreadX is known for. RTOSX’s positioning as a ThreadX-based POSIX-compatible RTOS aims to combine the determinism and efficiency of ThreadX with the broad API compatibility of POSIX, potentially revolutionizing embedded system development by offering enhanced developer productivity without sacrificing real-time performance[2].
In summary:
| Feature/Aspect | Eclipse ThreadX | RTOSX | Generic POSIX RTOS | |--------------------------|--------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------| | License | Open-source under Eclipse Foundation | Open-source, built on ThreadX + POSIX | Usually open-source, POSIX compliant | | Footprint | Very small (~2 kB on Cortex-M) | Slightly larger due to POSIX layers | Varies, generally larger footprint | | Scheduling & Performance | Priority-based preemptive, picokernel | ThreadX core performance + POSIX APIs | Varies; POSIX RTOSes may be less optimized for minimal latency | | Safety Certification | TÜV, UL, MISRA C compliant | Built on ThreadX, inherits certifications | Depends on RTOS | | Ecosystem Support | ThreadX Alliance, wide industry backing | Supported by PX5 RTOS/RTOSX ecosystem | Broad, but fragmented ecosystem | | Use Case | Safety-critical, embedded systems | Embedded systems needing POSIX features | Embedded, general real-time use |
For those simply needing an RTOS and providing their own support, the Eclipse ThreadX source code is available. On the other hand, PX5's RTOSX offers commercial and certification support, making it an attractive option for those building new applications on ThreadX that require such services[1].
These developments in Eclipse ThreadX and RTOSX signify a significant leap forward in real-time embedded development, offering a more efficient, productive, and versatile solution for developers in the industry.
[1] Eclipse Foundation. (2023). Azure RTOS ThreadX. Retrieved from https://www.eclipse.org/rtos/ [2] PX5. (2023). RTOSX. Retrieved from https://www.px5.com/rtosx/ [3] Express Logic. (2023). ThreadX. Retrieved from https://www.expresslogic.com/threadx/ [4] ThreadX Alliance. (2024). About ThreadX Alliance. Retrieved from https://www.threadxalliance.org/about/
Data-and-cloud-computing technologies have played a significant role in the development of Eclipse ThreadX and RTOSX. The use of open-source platforms (Eclipse ThreadX) and cloud-based collaborations (ThreadX Alliance) have enabled industry-wide advancements, ensuring long-term sustainability and driving innovation in real-time operating systems and safety-critical embedded systems.
