Choosing the right embedded operating system

Find out together with Concept Reply how the right embedded OS can streamline your project and enhance portability and performance.
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Balancing efficiency and development simplicity

An embedded operating system (OS) is an operating system designed specifically for embedded devices, which means it's designed to be small, resource-efficient, and reliable. If it's designed to satisfy real-time requirements, it can also be called a real-time operating system. An embedded OS can perform a limited set of tasks, compared to a "regular" operating system which can be seen on a desktop or a server computer, and is often tailored to the needs of devices running on microcontrollers or other resource-limited systems.

Even though the feature-set of an embedded OS is limited, it provides a structured and abstracted environment for embedded applications’ development, in contrast to barebone implementations that require developers to handle every aspect of hardware resource interaction and management, leading to increased complexity. By making features such as task scheduling, timing and interrupt services easily available, and often providing a hardware level abstraction, an embedded OS enables easier development of more portable code, making the development process less complex and error prone.

Making an informed decision

Which embedded OS is the right one for your project will depend on its specific requirements. Depending on the features it needs to provide, selected hardware and available memory, or real-time and power consumption needs, some OSs will be more suitable than the others. Among the currently most widely used embedded operating systems are FreeRTOS, Linux for Embedded Systems, Zephyr, QNX and ThreadX. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses and to decide which embedded OS is the most suitable for a certain application, we need a way to compare and evaluate them. Which criteria will have more weight will depend on the specifics of your project, but here are some general key criteria that could be taken into consideration when choosing:

Real-time performance

Crucial consideration if a system needs to meet strict timing requirements, ensuring that tasks are executed within a specified timeframe. Real-time performance is vital for applications such as automotive safety systems of industrial control mechanisms, where delays can lead to serious consequences.

Memory usage

Efficient memory usage is essential in resource-limited systems where smart use of available memory ensures that the system can operate smoothly and efficiently without exceeding its capacity. An efficient OS minimises memory consumption, ensuring that the system can run well even on devices with restricted RAM and storage.

Security features

With increasing connectivity of embedded devices, safeguarding the system against potential vulnerabilities is especially important. An embedded OS with focus on security should provide features such as secure boot, data encryption, and access control mechanisms to protect the systems against unauthorised access.

Development tools

Mature development environments with available IDEs, debuggers, and simulation tools, simplify the coding, testing, and debugging of embedded applications accelerating development and reducing the errors, improving the overall quality of the final product.

Licensing costs

Choosing an open-source, commercial, or a hybrid licensing model will influence the overall cost of ownership for an embeddedOS. Some of them would also incur a recurring or per-device costs which should be kept in mind when budgeting and making long-term financial plans.

Hardware compatibility

Selected hardware can be a limiting factor when choosing an embedded OS as not all of them would be compatible. An OS that supports a wide range of hardware platforms and architectures allows for greater flexibility in device design and easier migration across different hardware setups. When selecting an embedded OS, it's important to ensure that it not only supports your current hardware but also offers compatibility with potential future upgrades.

Community support

An active community can provide essential resources, including documentation and troubleshooting advice. It can be especially beneficial if a chosen OS is open-source or without a dedicated commercial support from the vendor.

The options on the market

To make it easier for you to choose, we have summarised the currently available and common solutions:

FreeRTOS

FreeRTOS has a strong presence in the industry, having been ported to a wide range of platforms. It offers real-time performance, efficient task scheduling, and low memory overhead. Tickless mode is also supported and a good option for low-power applications. Security features are present, but not as comprehensive as on some other options. The development and debugging tools are extensive, with an active community, and it operates under an open-source MIT license, making it a low-cost option. As such, it might be best suitable for a project requiring low-cost solutions with real-time performance and broad hardware support. Some of the applications which could benefit from FreeRTOS features are wireless speakers, smart watches, and other wearables, as well as different smart home appliances.

Linux for Embedded System

Linux for Embedded Systems is an umbrella term for various implementations of embedded systems based on Linux kernel. It doesn’t provide real-time performance by default and requires RT patches to achieve it, with a generally higher memory overhead. Being based on Linux, these OSs usually boast high stability and a mature ecosystem, as well as notable range of development tools and community support. The ecosystem also supports a very broad range of hardware and has an extensive library offer. With a wide array of implementations being provided under GPL, MIT, or other permissive licenses, these operating systems can result in low/no licensing costs. That makes it especially suitable for complex applications with strong security needs such as automotive infotainment, or industrial machinery.

Zephyr

Zephyr puts an emphasis on microcontrollers and provides good real-time performance, efficient task scheduling, and a low memory footprint. It supports multiple communication protocols and has strong security features, including support for secure boot. Zephyr has good development tools with a growing community. It’s open source and released under the Apache 2.0 license, keeping costs low. It has broad hardware support and an increasing availability of middleware which can make it suitable for different wearables, GPS trackers, smart tools, etc.

QNX

QNX offers real-time performance, very efficient task scheduling, and moderate memory usage. It is highly reliable and often used in critical applications like automotive, industrial, and medical, with strong security features and certifications for safety-critical systems. QNX is a proprietary system with higher licensing costs. It supports a broad range of hardware and has a strong ecosystem. Some of the applications where QNX might be the right choice are autonomous driving, or computer vision and parking systems.

ThreadX

ThreadX is known for excellent real-time performance, efficient task scheduling, and a low memory footprint. It is very reliable, offers good security features, and extensive safety certifications. ThreadX is being offered under MIT license and is now an open-source project which means the development tools and community support will probably grow over time. It can benefit industrial control equipment, medical devices, and general consumer electronics such as printers and wearables.

How Concept Reply can help you

As demonstrated, there are many things to consider when choosing an embedded operating system and which is the right one will highly depend on the individual application and the requirements of the project. Everything from selected hardware, necessary speed, and power consumption limitations to available support and ease of use of development tools can influence the final decision.
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    Concept Reply

    Concept Reply is an IoT software developer specializing in the research, development and validation of innovative solutions and supports its customers in the automotive, manufacturing, smart infrastructure and other industries in all matters relating to the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. The goal is to offer end-to-end solutions along the entire value chain: from the definition of an IoT strategy, through testing and quality assurance, to the implementation of a concrete solution.