Greetings, Depending on the requirements of the device, you could consider running your app as init from the linux kernel. Possibly setting SCHED_FIFO or SCHED_RR will be needed for more responsiveness.
LinuxBIOS will certainly improve the boot time and reliability. G'day, sjames On Wed, 2 Apr 2003, Fery wrote: > Hi all! > > I am sorry if I am asking stupid, I have just falled into an embedded > software project. So far I have only developed desktop applications, but > I have a strong affection to embedded systems. :) > > So, the task I want to get through is as follows: > > We have an existing product (a medical bedside monitor) working on a > x86-based system, the "kernel" is dos/dpmi, which, in fact, is used only > to switch the processor to protected mode (no task management, (almost) > no memory management, etc.). Now, we have to rewrite the program, as the > hardware is changing, the code is unmanageable (it was not me, I am a > fresh employee at the company :), and anyway. > > The new hardware's core will be the geode gx1 processor with the CS5530 > companion chip, and we have an Advantech PCM-5820 mainboard with these > chips to start developing and play with, and possibly use in the final > system (if the self-made mainboard developing is too slow / too much > money). > > I proposed to use a kernel under our new program, as we do not need to > implement many low- and middle-level protocols (such as the tcp/ip > stack, ethernet driver, etc.), maybe(?) task management, etc. As nobody > used this approach at the company yet (me neither), there are no > experiences how hard to port a kernel to a custom hardware, and what > constraints place the kernel upon our program. > > I have a few years linux experience (but not hardware or kernel module > programming), so naturally my first idea was linux or rtlinux. I have > also found the linux4.tv project, which use quite similar hardware, > downloaded the source, but I didn't get the point except that possibly > we can get out the fb video driver source code for gx1. > > As currently this motherboard has quite slow bios boot-up, and my idea > to use linux, I have found the linuxbios project. And, because there are > many smart people here, I have some questions to you: > > 1. Can I use linuxbios to boot a single executable, which is analog to > the current use of dpmi? E.g., I use linuxbios (beside that it boots up > the hardware) to switch into protected mode, and I have a single binary > what somehow gets some parameters (e.g., memory size), and runs in > privilege level 0 (no kernel)? Can I use standard tools (like gcc) to > compile and link such a beast? > > 2. Can I use linuxbios to boot RTLinux? > > 3. Can I use linux/rtlinux only as a "big lib" of device drivers and > other stuff? I.e. the scheduler is at my hand, and rtlinux is only a > process which runs when I let him run, and not too long either. :) > > 3. Do you know a good mailing list about rtlinux and embedded systems > programming for a newbie? > > 4. Maybe are there other (possibly non-free) kernels which come into > question? > > Sorry about the long and slightly offtopic post. > > Thanks: > Circum > _______________________________________________ > Linuxbios mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.clustermatic.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxbios > -- -------------------------steven james, director of research, linux labs ... ........ ..... .... 230 peachtree st nw ste 2701 the original linux labs atlanta.ga.us 30303 -since 1995 http://www.linuxlabs.com office 404.577.7747 fax 404.577.7743 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Linuxbios mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.clustermatic.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxbios
