NI Linux Real-Time Discussions
NI Linux Real-Time PXI / x86 / VM
Well hopefully NI recognizes that this is a feature that other developers want. I mean it is the #2 most kudo'd idea on the Real-time Idea Exchange. One concern NI may have is that if something like a Linux VM were released, some might use it to deploy to real hardware, and then make cRIO clones that are compatible with LabVIEW for cheap. We've already seen several RT hardware clones that have some level of LabVIEW compatibility.
@Hooovahh wrote:
Well hopefully NI recognizes that this is a feature that other developers want. I mean it is the #2 most kudo'd idea on the Real-time Idea Exchange. One concern NI may have is that if something like a Linux VM were released, some might use it to deploy to real hardware, and then make cRIO clones that are compatible with LabVIEW for cheap. We've already seen several RT hardware clones that have some level of LabVIEW compatibility.
I think you pointed out the very likely reason why NI doesn't feel like spending much energy in this. It means a significant effort in order to allow competitors to cannibalize their RIO sales. Even without bean counters in charge of the normal operations, this simply sounds totally wrong but for the geek effect, and NI engineers are not paid to be geeks but to develop products that NI can sell.
Pretty simple! Build your own kernel and get it to work on a specific hardware! Then you will see that it is quite a tedious process
Even a VM is a specific hardware target although very much like a generic PC, which the cRIO certainly is not. The build scripts on Github are partly preconfigured for the cRIO and to get a Linux kernel image that will start up in a VM (or directly on your normal PC) will take some effort. Taking a preconfigured VM image to run on a standard PC compatible hardware is a lot easier unless your daily business is building Linux kernel images for embedded hardware.
@yledieu wrote:
If you deploy a Linux RT VM to a real hardware you don't have a cRIO because you don't have the FPGA part and the I/O modules.
There is value in a real time OS that is x86 based, and can have LabVIEW code deployed to it, outside of having an FPGA. The embedded cDAQ hardware (big fan BTW) is running RT Linux, has a desktop environment with a display, keyboard and mouse support and USB storage. If a company wanted to make a cDAQ clone using a cheap atom PC, and bundle with with some static IO they could undercut NI.
Of course this is something a group from China have already been doing with a Pocket-RIO, and Atom-RIO adding the FPGA and RT OS. Here are a couple of their youtube videos. Someone could argue that by having a VM of Linux RT it would make making this clone hardware easier.
