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Using a real-time OS with PXI.

Article Excerpt
By Richard A. Quinnell, Contributing Technical Editor

Given PXI's roots in the PC field, it is no wonder that Windows is the dominant operating system for PXI system software. For some applications, however, Windows is not a good match to system requirements, and developers must employ another OS. Development teams seeking to move beyond Windows face challenges both in software availability and system programming, but new developments may offer a way past such problems. In fact, an evolving virtualization technology may permit a single test system to run more than one OS.

The drawbacks of Windows

One of the strengths of PXI is that the architecture is able to fully leverage technology advances coming from the fast-moving PC field. New processors, advanced interfaces, and development tools that arise in support of PCs can quickly be incorporated into PXI modules and systems. The same is true of advances in system software such as Windows.

But Windows is a double-edged sword when it comes to system control. It enjoys wide support in terms of tools, applications, and developer expertise, but it also has key drawbacks. Two of the most critical for equipment developers are reliability and determinism.

Windows can have unpredictable timing and sometimes will crash for no readily apparent reason, a failing that is not tolerable in critical applications. "There is nothing mission critical about most manufacturing test systems," said Wyatt Meek, director of business development at...

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