SYSGO releases version 2.2 of separation kernel PikeOS

PikeOS 2.2 will improve ARINC-653 support in multi-partition systems

Mainz, Sep 21, 2007
SYSGO, leading supplier of software solutions for the most demanding safety and security applications, announced today the release of PikeOS 2.2, its powerful and efficient paravirtualization real-time operating system (PVOS) based on a separation microkernel. This version provides improvements aimed more specifically at the aerospace and defense market.

Since its introduction in 2005, PikeOS has gained momentum among industry players thanks to its innovative approach that combines maximum platform flexibility and ability to address the most critical constraints of embedded or real-time applications.  PikeOS supports multiple additional operating systems (OSs) and runtime environments (RTEs), such as Linux, ARINC 653 and POSIX, together with their associated applications. All OSs and RTEs, called personalities, run concurrently or cooperatively in their own partitions. The PikeOS RTOS partitioning system, in conjunction with its internal protection mechanisms, provides the highest available level of safety and security for applications requiring certification to standards such as DO-178B, EN 50128 or CC’s EAL.

The native design of the unique PikeOS separation microkernel specifically addresses the requirements of safe and secure systems. All drivers, stacks, hard real-time applications and hosted OSs or RTEs reside in separate address spaces with pre-defined I/O access controlled by PikeOS. The paravirtualization capabilitiy of PikeOS enables the combination of applications with different safety and security certification levels on one platform. It supports hardware convergence efforts and opens the door for open source components to be utilized in safety- and security (MILS compliant) critical systems.

“Even if we see a growing interest in PikeOS real-time virtualization capabilities across all industry sectors, our aerospace and defense customers remain our most enthusiastic early adopters”, said Jacques Brygier, VP Marketing. “They are also the most demanding, not only because they have DO-178B Level A requirements but because the great flexibility offered by the PikeOS technology, even beyond the IMA concept, cannot compromise with the strict compliance to their performance and real-time constraints.”

The new 2.2 version brings the following improvements:
- tickerless timing support within the micro-kernel to eliminate undesirable asynchronous events and thus offering a better way to control WCET (Worst Case Execution Time) and improving determinism required by safety-critical applications
- time partitioning moved into the micro-kernel to improve the performance of partition switching and per-timepartition cache control
- Loadable System Extensions that improves system flexibility and modularity, for example in implementing additional communication services. This is very useful for certification in the ARINC-653 context
- updated ARINC-653 personality implementation that benefits from coverage of the latest official specifications (ARINC 653 Part 3)
- C++ support for Posix personality (already available within the Linux personality)
- Support of new drivers such as the Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit ethernet

PikeOS 2.2 includes CODEO 2.2, an integrated development environment that provides guided configuration, remote debugging (often down to the hardware instruction level), target monitoring, remote application deployment, and timing analyses in addition to standard application development features such as compilers and assemblers.

Availability
PikeOS 2.2 is available immediately. The three families of supported processors are the x86, PowerPC and MIPS, and the supported personalities are the PikeOS Native, ARINC-653, Linux, POSIX and OSEK, as well as personalities involving partners or third-parties like Java, Ada, µITRON, CoDeSys®, VxWorks® and FidelityVCF™.