Developer OAR Corporation Working state Current | Written in C Source model Open source | |
OS family Real-time operating system Latest release 4.11 / November 16, 2016; 4 months ago (2016-11-16) | ||
Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems (RTEMS), formerly Real-Time Executive for Missile Systems, and then Real-Time Executive for Military Systems, is a real-time operating system (RTOS) designed for embedded systems. It is free open-source software.
Contents
Development began in the late 1980s with early versions available via ftp as early as 1993. OAR Corporation is currently managing the RTEMS project in cooperation with a Steering Committee which includes user representatives.
Design
RTEMS is designed for real-time, embedded systems and to support various open API standards including POSIX and µITRON. The API now known as the Classic RTEMS API was originally based upon the Real-Time Executive Interface Definition (RTEID) specification. RTEMS includes a port of the FreeBSD TCP/IP stack as well as support for various filesystems including NFS and the FAT filesystem.
RTEMS does not provide any form of memory management or processes. In POSIX terminology, it implements a single process, multithreaded environment. This is reflected in the fact that RTEMS provides nearly all POSIX services other than those which are related to memory mapping, process forking, or shared memory. RTEMS closely corresponds to POSIX Profile 52 which is "single process, threads, filesystem".
Architectures
RTEMS has been ported to various target processor architectures:
Uses
RTEMS is used in many application domains. The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) community includes multiple people who are active RTEMS submitters. RTEMS is also popular for space uses since it supports multiple microprocessors developed for use in space including SPARC, ERC32 and LEON, MIPS Mongoose-V, Coldfire, and PowerPC architectures, which are available in space hardened models. RTEMS is currently orbiting Mars as part of the Electra software radio on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter.
License
RTEMS is distributed under a modified GNU General Public License (GPL), allowing linking RTEMS objects with other files without needing the full executable to be covered by the GPL. This license is based on the GNAT Modified General Public License with the language modified to not be specific to the Ada programming language.