Some Basic Issues
(Lecture 2)
03/08/10 1
Why Have an OS in an
Embedded Device?
• Support for:
Multitasking, scheduling, and synchronization
Timing aspects.
Memory management
File systems
Networking
Graphics displays
Interfacing wide range of I/O devices
Scheduling and buffering of I/O operations
Security and power Management
03/08/10 2
Why Have an OS in an
Embedded Device?
• Example: A recent cell phone operating system
contained over five million lines of code!
• Few, if any projects will have the time and
funding:
To develop all of this code on their own!
• Typical Embedded OS license fees are a few
dollars per device –-- less than a desktop OS
• Some very simple low-end devices might not need
an OS:
But new devices are getting more complex.
03/08/10 3
What is Actually Being Used?
• What Types of Processors are used?
• What Operating Systems are used?
• What Programming Languages are
used?
• Will examine data from a 2006 Market
Survey of design engineers:
Embedded Systems Design Magazine.
03/08/10 4
Processor Bit Size Used
in New Embedded Designs
64-bit
32-bit
16-bit
8-bit
4-bit
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%
Data was derived from EETimes and Embedded Systems Design Magazine 2006 Embedded Market Survey
03/08/10 5
Processor Architectures Widely
Used in New Embedded Designs
• ARM
• X86
• PowerPC
• MIPS
• Xscale (ARM)
• Renesas SuperH
03/08/10 6
32-64 bit Annual
Processor Sales
Processor Sales Volume
ARM
X86
MIPS
SuperH
PowerPC
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00%Based20.00%
on 2002 sales25.00%
data 30.00% 35.00% 40.00%
03/08/10 7
Number of Processors Used
in New Embedded Designs
1 Processor
2 Processors
3-5 Processors
More Than 5
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%
Data was derived from EETimes and Embedded Systems Design Magazine 2006 Embedded Market Survey
03/08/10 8
Processor Selection Issues
• Software Support
OS, Compilers, Debug Tools, Applications
• Price
• Performance
• Power
Battery Life (MIPS/Watt), Cooling
(Fan?)
• Desktop PC 100 W vs. Battery power 200 mw
• Availability
Long term availability, Multiple Vendors?
03/08/10 9
Use of Real-Time OS Kernels
in New Embedded Designs
Commercial OS
None
Internally Developed
Open Source
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%
Data was derived from EETimes and Embedded Systems Design Magazine 2006 Embedded Market Survey
03/08/10 10
Pros and Cons of Open
Source OS
• Embedded devices are
extremely cost sensitive:
Even a $1 license fee per device
can make a product
uncompetitive.
• For satisfactory performance:
The source code often needs to
be fine tuned.
03/08/10 11
Open Source OS: Cons
• “Free” OS can increase product
development cost:
More time to develop device drivers, increased
labor cost.
More than offset the commercial OS license
fees saved.
• Some other licenses may still required:
Encoders & decoders, encryption, media player
• Open source license model may require:
That you publish your device’s source code
03/08/10 12
Commercial Operating Systems
used in New Embedded Designs
Microsoft Emb.
Wind River
Symbian
Green Hills
Palm
Others
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00%
Data was derived from EETimes and Embedded Systems Design Magazine 2006 Embedded Market Survey
03/08/10 13
Programming Languages Used
in New Embedded Designs
C
C++
C#
Java
Assembly
Others
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%
Data was derived from EETimes and Embedded Systems Design Magazine 2006 Embedded Market Survey
60.00% 70.00%
03/08/10 14
Future of Embedded
Systems
• Use of multi-core processors:
Present operating systems and
tools do not make satisfactory
utilization of the multiple cores.
• Support of wireless and mobile
Internet.
• Power minimization.
03/08/10 15