The app economy has caused a huge shake-up in the software industry. Huge, expensive monster programs with an unmanageable range of functions have been replaced by compact, rather simple apps, usually priced between 1 and 10 euros. The old license model of "buy once, own forever" is being abandoned. The focus is now on the service, which is subscribed to via a subscription model. Embedded software manufacturer Wind River is also trying out a similar business model with its latest operating system offspring. The software and development tools are free of charge. You only start earning money when you use them. The real-time operating system VxWorks from Wind River can look back on a history of almost 30 years and is used to control time-critical processes. Since 2005, Wind River has also maintained its own Linux distribution for embedded devices, which is primarily aimed at the telecommunications sector. With the advent of the Internet of Things, however, there are now devices for which neither operating system is really suitable. The operating system derivatives 'Rocket' and 'Pulsar Linux' fill this gap.

Mini operating system for sensors

Rocket is a real-time operating system for microcontrollers with a choice between a nanokernel and a microkernel. Two years ago, Wind River launched a greatly reduced version of VxWorks on the market with the 'VxWorks Microkernel Profile'. The Rocket Microkernel now replaces the VxWorks Microkernel Profile or is its continuation under a different name. The minimum configuration of the microkernel requires only 8 KB of memory; when using the Rocket nanokernel, which is little more than a scheduler, it is only 4 KB. The memory sizes are hardly relevant in practice, as functions are also required for real applications.

For IoT devices in particular, a communication protocol that requires buffer memory for message packets. In the end, a memory requirement of 150 KB is realistic for an actual application with TCP/IP protocol. Rocket is aimed, for example, at sensors that monitor a measured variable and send data to the cloud.

Linux for gateways

Pulsar is a compact Linux distribution based on Yocto, which requires around 250 MB in binary format. With a few additional packages, it reaches around 300 MB - relatively little for a Linux system. Pulsar is derived from its "big brother" Wind River Linux and is used as operating software for multifunctional devices or smaller gateways.

Both operating systems, Rocket and Pulsar, will be available for Intel and ARM processor systems. The source code for Rocket is available as open source under the Apache 2 license. To access the Pulsar source code, the programmer needs a commercial Wind River Linux license and the Wind River build system. According to Wind River, however, this is neither necessary nor desirable - this is where the new business and development model comes into play: the developer should not come into contact with the source code at all. Both operating systems are distributed free of charge in binary form. Wind River develops the binaries in cooperation with processor manufacturers, who contribute to the development costs. This means that the developer no longer needs a board support package and the entire hardware/software integration is eliminated.

The disadvantage: the selection of processor modules is quite limited. To start with, there are only two platforms to choose from: a Minnowboard Max (Intel Atom architecture) with Pulsar Linux and a second-generation Galileo board - an Arduino-compatible module with an Intel Quark processor. In addition, the Freedom Board K64F from NXP with a Kinetis MCU with ARM Cortex M4 core is to be added soon.

Two new operating systems from Wind River: The extremely lean 'Rocket' is aimed at sensor nodes. 'Pulsar' is for gateways whose task is to forward sensor data to the cloud.

© Wind River

Nothing works without the cloud

The operating systems for these microprocessor boards are initially free of charge for the developer and the usual development environment, Wind River's Workbench, is not required either. Instead, the developer registers for access to the 'Wind River Helix Cloud' and develops their apps there. The development environment is therefore provided as a cloud service - also free of charge. This should make it possible to start developing software for one of the supported boards within ten minutes - even without hardware, as the Helix Cloud also contains a simulator that simulates the entire processor board. The software test also takes place in the cloud. The software image is then transferred to the target hardware via a secure connection. The processor board in the target device has a special agent that takes care of the device's management functions and software updates.

With this initial commissioning, the Wind River Cloud is by no means obsolete. It is intended to accompany the entire life cycle of the device. The developer can use the Wind River services in the cloud to manage devices, distribute updates and provide users with storage space for uploading data, computing capacity and algorithms for evaluation and analysis as well as websites for presentation. This productive use is also the point at which it is no longer free. "This is where we want to share in the success," says Alexander Damisch, Senior Director IoT Solutions at Wind River.

This business model eliminates the need for high initial investments in service contracts and developer licenses. However, the choice of target systems is limited. The target groups should be "makers" and integrators for whom the focus is not on the hardware, but on the app or service. Wind River is therefore focusing more on innovative start-ups that want to try out an idea quickly and for whom adapting the hardware to the application is not so important. If it then turns out that an idea is a resounding success and devices are to be produced in their millions, it will still be possible to license the full repertoire of development tools in order to create the perfect software for a customer-specific hardware.