VxWorks 6.x and Workbench Fundamentals

Course Description

The VxWorks 6.x and Workbench Fundamentals training workshop provides engineers with a fast, cost-effective way to acquire the knowledge necessary to develop real-time applications with Workbench.

Course Results

After taking this course, students will be able to:

  • Design and develop real time applications in kernel and user modes
  • Debug, build, and test real-time applications in a target-host development environment with Workbench and VxWorks

Skills and Topics

Building and Configuring a VxWorks Real-time System

  • General Purpose Platform Component Overview
  • Setting Up a Cross-Development Environment
  • Using the Application Development Perspective
  • Managing Projects
  • Building Applications

Debugging and Analyzing Real-time Applications

  • Using Host Shell Interpreters for Interacting with the Target
  • Debugging Applications Using the Embedded Debug Perspective
  • Using the System Viewer for Analyzing Applications
  • Error Detection and Reporting

Using the VxWorks API to Design Real-time Applications

  • Real-Time Processes Programming Model Usage
  • Multitasking Environment Overview
  • Task API Usage
  • Synchronization Solutions
  • Protecting Shared Resources
  • Intertask Communication
  • Basic Memory Management
  • Exception Handling
  • Interrupts
  • Timers for Periodic Code Execution

Products Supported

  • VxWorks 6.7
  • Wind River Workbench 3.1
  • Earlier product releases (topics may vary)

Who Should Attend

  • Everyone who will receive Workbench and VxWorks 6.x within 60 days
  • Developers who work with Workbench and VxWorks
  • New project members on teams already using Wind River products
  • Senior engineers who want to evaluate VxWorks technology

Prerequisite Skills

  • One year of C programming
  • Basic understanding of operating systems and debugging techniques
  • Functional knowledge of UNIX /Linux

Course Format

  • Our four-day instructor-led courses consist of lectures and lab sessions that allow hands-on application of course concepts.
  • Students receive personal guidance from expert Wind River instructors.
  • Students examine details of the Workbench environment, focusing on the most commonly used areas.
  • Specific questions are addressed.

Agenda

Day 1

Getting Started

  • Available Tools
  • Directory Structure
  • Help Resources
  • VxWorks Simulator
  • Getting Started Lab

Managing Projects in Workbench

  • Introduction to VxWorks Projects
  • Project Explorer Overview
  • Application Projects
  • Build Specifications
  • Project Management Lab

Using VxWorks Shells

  • Host Shell and Shell Interpreters
  • Kernel Shell
  • Host Shell Lab

Day 2

Debugging

  • Debugger
  • Configuration
  • GUI and Usage Overview (Setting Breakpoints, etc.)
  • Kernel-Space and Application-Space Debugging
  • Debugger Lab

Using Dynamic printf Event Points

  • Using dprintf in the C and cmd Modes
  • Using dprintf with RTPs
  • Applying dprintf Through Workbench
  • dprintf Lab

Real-Time Multitasking

  • Task Creation and Deletion
  • Other Task APIs (taskDelay(), Task Variables, Task Hooks, etc.)
  • Nonexecutable Stack Pages
  • NULL Pointer Dereference Detection
  • Text Segment Write Protection
  • System Tasks
  • Real-Time Multitasking Lab

VxWorks Events

  • Event Register
  • Task Synchronization
  • Events Lab

Day 3

Semaphores

  • Semaphores and Synchronization
  • Mutual Exclusion Semaphores
  • Semaphores Lab

Intertask Communication

  • Shared Memory
  • Message Queues
  • Pipes
  • Intertask Communications Lab

Memory

  • Memory Allocation
  • Memory Partitions
  • Memory Lab

Real-Time Processes (RTPs)

  • RTP Overview
  • RTP File Generation
  • Starting an Application
  • Shared Data Usage
  • Shared Library Usage
  • Real-Time Processes Lab

Overlapped RTP Virtual Memory

  • RTP Virtual Memory Models
  • RTP Code Regions
  • Configuring VxWorks
  • Identifying RTP Code Regions
  • Building Absolutely Linked RTPs
  • Memory Lab

Day 4

Exceptions, Interrupts, and Timers

  • Exceptions
  • Using Signals to Recover from Hardware Exceptions/Fatal Errors
  • Interrupts
  • Interrupt Flow Example
  • ISR Stack, ISR Restrictions
  • Timers
  • Watchdog Interface and Polling
  • Auxiliary Clock for Polling at Higher Speed
  • Exceptions, Interrupts, and Timers Lab

Error Management

  • Error Reporting Framework
  • Persistent Memory
  • Error Records
  • Error Detection and Reporting Configuration
  • Error Detection and Reporting Lab

System Viewer

  • System Viewer
  • System Viewer Configuration and Log Explanation
  • Triggering
  • User Events
  • System Viewer Lab

ds_popup_1