07-22-2014 06:55 AM
I'm pretty enthused about NI Linux and I am just wondering whether or not it supports the POSIX standard (I assume so)? How does this compare to the version of Pharlap and VxWorks employed by NI?
07-22-2014 09:07 AM
@JordanJMcBain,
GNU/Linux is mostly POSIX-compliant. The Linux kernel supports the Linux Standard Base (LSB), which is mostly-compliant with POSIX and the UNIX standards. You can find a discussion about the ISO/IES 9945 (POSIX) standard and the LSB that was started back in 2003 at this link.
Since NI Linux Real-Time utilizes the Linux kernel, and none of the Linux distributions (to my knowledge) are fully-certified as POSIX-compliant, I would say that NI Linux Real-Time is mostly POSIX-compliant as well. There may be some small cases where POSIX standards do not match up with the Linux kernel, but these will be present in any distribution of GNU/Linux and not just NI Linux Real-Time.
Short answer: mostly! Let me know if you have any further questions!
Quick Edit:
With regard to your second question, VxWorks and Pharlap ETS are single-mode operating systems that do not allow much interactivity with a target running these operating systems. You are able to send some commands to the system via a serial connection, but these commands are limited and it is best to think of the systems as a running executable. They are built with a singular functionality in mind, whereas NI Linux Real-Time is built to allow interaction with the system as well as the applications running on the system.