[Fwd: vxWorks, other ops]

[Rolf Keitel <rolf@triumf.ca>]

-- 
+-------------------------------------------------+
| Rolf Keitel, TRIUMF         Tel: (604) 222-7453 |
| Group Leader ISAC Controls  Fax: (604) 222-7307 |
| and Electronics Development                     |
| Vancouver, B.C., Canada                         |
+-------------------------------------------------+

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Subject:	RE: vxWorks, other ops
From:	"Jeff Hill" <johill@lanl.gov>
To:	"Rolf Keitel" <rolf@triumf.ca>
Date:	Fri, 10 Aug 2001 14:12:56 -0600

> a) vxWorks for Intel x86 architectures.
>   Who is using it?
>   What PC configurations are covered?
>   Which problems were encountered?

We have some PC based IOCs running operationally on LEDA.
They are used for serial communication with Allen Bradley PLCs
and also for Industry Pac IO. Matt repackaged old office PCs
for use in this application.

Our biggest problems were with the weak interrupt architecture
typically employed by PCs. This requires hanging multiple interrupt 
handlers on one interrupt level (there are no vectors). I had
to add code to Andrew's IP support so that the same driver could
be used on VME and ISA IP carriers with interrupts.

I also had to modify the WRS serial driver so that it could recover
when there was a lost UART interrupt. We suspect that the lost
interrupt results from a BSP bug, but I didn't take the time to 
prove this.

We gave up on an Intel based VXI slot zero controller mostly due
to a pathetic national instruments BSP. Another vexing problem
was that when accessing VXI through PCI on this VXI board we didn't get 
bus errors when probing VXI areas that were not populated.

Jeff

> 
> b) RT Linux
>   How viable will it be for EPICS?
>   On what time-scale?
>   Who has any experience?
> 
> I know, lots of questions, but I would be grateful for lots of answers.
> 
> Thanks - rolf -
> -- 
> +-------------------------------------------------+
> | Rolf Keitel, TRIUMF         Tel: (604) 222-7453 |
> | Group Leader ISAC Controls  Fax: (604) 222-7307 |
> | and Electronics Development                     |
> | Vancouver, B.C., Canada                         |
> +-------------------------------------------------+

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