NEWS
The Benefits of “ready-to-go” SoM operating environments
SoMs (System-on-Modules) are typically used in low to medium volume applications where time-to-market is very important. Should an in-house, bespoke OS approach be taken, or should an off-the- shelf product be used?
L
inux-based operating systems are the most widely used OS products in the SoM world. Linux is well-suited to applications where Low Latency/Real-Time response is not a priority. It is a sophisticated general-purpose OS. It covers applications from simple to complex and supports a very wide range of processors from low power to high power. Every general-purpose OS / RTOS (free or otherwise) will need to be carefully configured and pared down to meet the needs of the SoM application and carefully documented for future application enhancement. If Real-Time performance is needed, but an RTOS is over-complex, the OS could be written in-house. However, it will be time-consuming and can seriously impact time-to-market. It can also easily end up as spaghetti code without proper documentation or thorough debugging.
The functionality of the application probably fits into one of the following four most popular architectures: Super Loop. This is a very simple architecture, but with some supercharging, it can power many of the simpler SoM applications whilst meeting the time deadlines of the system in a reasonable amount of time, but also in a good order.
First Come First Served. This scheduling algorithm automatically executes queued requests and processes by order of arrival.
This is “batch processing” and is used in applications like remote data gathering/ processing where processing time is not critical.
Round Robin Scheduling. This scheduling algorithm distributes work evenly among all available resources, ensuring no single resource is overworked and provides the best performance in terms of average response time, where priority tasks are not important. Pre-emptive Priority Scheduling. Where the application needs a comprehensive RTOS with the ultimate of real-time control, but also incorporating all the above architecture options.
Third-Party Solutions dedicated to Arm-based SoMs
Firstly, a single general-purpose OS/RTOS needing to be stripped-down to fit is not the best way forward. The best solution is a reliable, third-party, off-the-shelf Real-Time Environment totally focused on and optimised for Arm-based SoMs and the chosen Scheduling Architecture.
This approach offers many of the following unique technical advantages:
A “Ready-built” approach can be taken. With off-the-shelf Environments, there is no need to strip-back to make it fit the application. “Closer to the chip”. Due to the dedication to Arm Cortex, the source code can be optimised for the chip’s Instruction Set. No general- purpose OS/RTOS can offer this advantage. There are many third-party solutions on the market dedicated to Arm-based SoMs. A good example of this dedicated approach is novos. us which is a family of Five Environments, offering “closer to the chosen scheduling architecture.” The Services in each of the Five Novos Environments are subtly different, optimised for the organisation they support.
It is all about Time and Money Time-to-Market is important. A highly focused software solution based on Arm Cortex SoM boards and the most popular scheduling architectures will optimise time-to-market. In
addition, the ready-tailored documentation that comes with dedicated solutions ensures product futureproofing.
Applications without documented organisation and coding are most likely to wither and die if they even make it to market at all. The company finances spent on them are lost, so securing the investment and the product’s future is vital.
Why waste money? Or product reliability? Or product or company reputation? Why take the risk of failure?
Choose a third-party, off-the-shelf Real-Time Environment totally focused on and optimised for Arm-based SoMs and the chosen Scheduling Architecture for the application.
FEBRUARY 2024 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS 9
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