Microsoft Windows offers a world-class interface and excellent development tools for embedded systems. However, for mission-critical threads that require hard real-time, deterministic responses - e.g. robots, vision systems, simulators, test and measurement systems - the Windows scheduler cannot deliver the necessary prioritization and control.

With IntervalZero’s RTX software, developers can take advantage of both the Windows environment and form factor, and also solve all their scheduling, prioritization and control challenges. RTX is a self-contained real-time subsystem that bypasses the Windows’ scheduler to provide the desired determinism and hard real-time response.

RTX architecture is a true extension in that it does not encapsulate Windows and does not interfere with or modify the Windows infrastructure. By maintaining this separation, the RTX real-time subsystem (RTSS) ensures that RTX-based applications survive Windows crashes.

The RTX real-time subsystem is designed around a high-speed scheduler that utilizes both priority-driven and preemptive algorithms. RTX supports up to 997 independent processes, with each process supporting unlimited threads. Fine-grained control over applications is assured with 128 levels of assignable thread priority.