RTTarget-32 - Core Operating System and Development Tools

RTTarget-32 is a Win32 subset operating system for 32- and 64-bit x86 embedded systems. Programs are developed under Microsoft Windows using standard 32-bit compilers (Borland C/C++, Microsoft Visual C/C++, Borland Delphi). Executable files built with these compilers are processed by RTTarget-32 to run on the target system.

Features

• Target Booting
  RTTarget-32's boot code can boot applications directly from a floppy, hard disk, CD-ROM, USB stick, ROM, a BIOS extension, UEFI firmware, or DOS. In addition, the boot code maintains system data structures such as the GDT, IDT, and the page table.
• Cross Debugging Over Serial Ports, Parallel Ports, and Ethernet
  Source-level debugging is supported using Borland's Turbo Debugger or the debugger integrated in Microsoft Visual Studio. Host and target computers are connected using a serial link at up to 921600 baud, a parallel port, or over Ethernet. With RTIP-32, the application can use the same Ethernet interface as the cross debugger if only one Ethernet interface is available.
• Run-Time Library
  RTTarget-32 includes functions for physical memory access, port I/O, hardware interrupt handling, serial I/O, real-time clock access, PCI device management, 387 FPU emulation, SMBIOS and ACPI access, and more.
• Win32 Emulation Library
  RTTarget-32 provides about 400 Win32 API functions, allowing it to run many Win32 programs unmodified. The Win32 API emulation covers memory management, file I/O (RAM files, console files, printer ports), console I/O (screen and keyboard), time-of-day and system tick, DLL management (LoadLibrary/GetProcAddress), exception handling, access to Win32 resources, memory mapped files, etc.
• Supports C/C++ and Pascal Run-Time Systems
  The compiler's run-time system functions such as printf, malloc, fopen, etc., are fully supported. Even advanced C++ and Pascal features such as exception handling, run-time type identification, etc., are available. Alternatively, programs can run without run-time system for even less memory overhead.
• Low Resource Requirements
  32-bit programs developed with RTTarget-32 can run in as little as 16k of memory. A typical "Hello World" program with RTTarget-32's Win32 emulation library, keyboard and screen driver, and a full C++ run-time system can boot and run on a system with about 64k of total memory.
• Supports Privilege Levels
  Programs can run at CPU privilege level 0 or 3 to optimize either for maximum protection or best performance.
• Supports Page-Level Protection
  The CPU's memory protection features are used to guarantee that programs cannot overwrite protected data, code, or critical system tables.
• 387 FPU Software Emulator
  Even on CPUs without a hardware floating point unit, applications can use floating point calculations and types such as float, double, and long double. The 387 math emulator is fully reentrant and interruptible.
• Multiprocessor Support
  RTTarget-32 has functions to start and stop additional CPUs. Spinlocks and inter-processor interrupts are available to synchronize execution among CPUs. While RTTarget-32 does not contain a multitasking scheduler, RTKernel-32 can use the multiprocessor support to schedule threads on up to 32 CPUs.
• APIC Support
  If the target has at least one IOAPIC (Input Output Advanced Interrupt Controller), RTTarget-32 applications can use it to replace the legacy i8259 interrupt controllers. APIC mode supports a higher interrupt load and up to 32 (instead of 15) interrupt signals, requiring less IRQ sharing.
• Supports DLLs
  Applications consist of one main program (the .exe file) and up to 63 DLLs, which can be statically linked into a program image or loaded dynamically through a file system.
• Data Compression
  Program code and data can be compressed to save EPROM or boot disk space and accelerate downloads.
• RAM Files
  Even when RTFiles-32 is not used, file I/O can be simulated with file images located in reserved RAM or ROM on the target. With On Time's embedded file system RTFiles-32, files on disk can also be accessed.
• Extended RAM
  RTTarget-32 applications are 32 bit but can nevertheless use up to one terabyte of RAM through RTTarget-32's Extended RAM Management API.
• Drivers
  RTTarget-32 has built in drivers for keyboard, text-mode screen, serial ports, parallel ports, PS/2 and serial mice, and PCMCIA controllers. Since RTTarget-32 allows direct access to physical memory, I/O ports, and hardware interrupts, developing additional drivers is very easy.
• Supports Platform RTOS32Win from acontis technologies
  With the add-on component RTVmf-32, On Time RTOS-32 programs can be executed under RTOS32Win from acontis technologies. RTOS32Win is a virtual machine framework which can execute On Time RTOS-32 programs parallel to Window under real-time conditions.
• Supports the Real-Time Hypervisor from Real-Time Systems
  With the new add-on component RTRth-32, On Time RTOS-32 programs can be executed under the Real-Time Hypervisor from Real-Time Systems. The Real-Time Hypervisor can execute several operating systems or several instances of the same system on separate cores of multi-core or multi-CPU systems.

Using RTTarget-32

RTTarget-32 programs are compiled as standard console mode programs for 32-bit Windows; the RTTarget-32 library Rtt32.lib is simply linked to the application. The resulting .exe file is converted by RTTarget-32's locator to produce a binary image of the application. This binary image can be programmed into an EPROM, written to a boot disk, or submitted to the debugger for downloading. For example, the commands:

   cl Test.cpp Rtt32.lib
   Rtloc Test
   Bootdisk Test A:

would compile, link, and locate program Test and place it on an RTTarget-32 boot disk as a self-booting application.

RTTarget-32 is shipped with many example projects that show how to use the RTTarget-32 locator and other tools with Microsoft Visual Studio and other compilers.

Creating a binary program image file with standard Win32 compilers and RTTarget-32
 

RTTarget-32 can be fully integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio. The Visual Studio integrated debugger can be used to cross-debug embedded systems.
 

Borland's Turbo Debugger together with RTTarget-32 supports hardware breakpoints on the target.