Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wasatch!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!kth!sunic!dkuug!freja!seindal From: m5@lynx.uucp (Mike McNally) Newsgroups: comp.realtime Subject: Re: Real-time UNIX ? Message-ID: <4678@freja.diku.dk> Date: 20 Jul 89 00:42:44 GMT Sender: seindal@freja.diku.dk Lines: 54 In article mlm@cs.brown.edu writes: > > We at the Robotics group at Brown University are putting > together a standalone robot to use as a platform for research > in robot architectures and spatial reasoning. At the moment, > the CPU on our robot is an IBM AT. The first question is, > are there any real-time UNIX-like operating systems for the > IBM AT that you people would recommend we use? > > Our longer term plans are to switch to a 680x0-based system > running on the VME bus, mainly because of the improvement > in processing speed we would likely buy this way. Second > question: any CPU boards you would recommend? It would be > nice to have a clear migration path from our current AT-based > system to the future 680x0-based system, so a real-time OS > that would be available for both would be a win. However, > I realize it may not be possible. Though I have some ethical reservations in general about plugging my own company on the net, the man *did* ask. Lynx sells a real-time OS that mimics all the system and library calls of UNIX (including Berkeley and System V calls). The scheduler is a real-time scheduler, so a high-priority process really does get as much CPU as it wants. The kernel is preemptive, so a big fork() doesn't delay urgent context switches. Ths system includes a big bunch of UNIXy (i.e., mostly identical, but some differences) utilities. We're also porting lots of GNU stuff (it's compatible enough with UNIX that this process is pretty simple, like typing "make" at the right time). Some guys at Rice University are doing some robotics research using an older Lynx board based on the 68010. Lynx also sells an 8-axis servo board for VME, and the Rice folks use a couple of those to control a big autonomous robot thing. LynxOS runs on 386 AT compatibles, on PS/2's (80s and maybe 70s), and on the Moto 147 68030 VME board. For details, contact Lynx: Lynx Real-Time Systems 550 Division Campbell CA 95008 (408) 370 2233 Ask for Vik. Once again, I ordinarily don't like to advertise on the net. Any more questions should be directed via mail or phone to Lynx. -- Mike McNally Lynx Real-Time Systems uucp: {voder,athsys}!lynx!m5 phone: 408 370 2233 Where equal mind and contest equal, go.