HyperKernel – Real-time for Windows NT/2000

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HyperKernel is the first real-time subsystem that allows Windows NT/2000 to be used as a real-time operating system.

Traditionally, software developers were constrained to proprietary operating systems and tools to obtain high-speed determinism for their applications, so they could not leverage the extensive tools and applications available for the desktop Wintel market. HyperKernel real-time subsystem allows software engineers to integrate real-time deterministic applications into the Windows NT/2000 operating system environment. It is an essential tool for everyone who develops real-time systems in:

Networking/telecommunications
Office automation/computer peripherals
Industrial automation
Transportation control systems
Medical instrumentation Test & measurement instruments
Consumer electronics

Technical Features...

Highlights
Preemptive scheduling (32 priorities)
Multitasking and Multi-threaded
High-speed timer precision
Trace debugger
Runtime diagnostics
Standard MS Visual C/C++ compiler
Standard Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000
Full compatibility with Windows User Applications
For 486/Pentium/Pentium Pro/Pentium II/Pentium III platforms

System Architecture
HyperKernel operates at the highest privilege level of the microprocessor in conjunction with Windows NT/2000 to achieve deterministic performance. Preemptive access to the full range of Windows NT/2000 user applications is maintained. The HyperKernel real-time applications run in conjunction with all Windows NT/2000 applications to maintain deterministic performance independent of other Windows-based applications. This architecture guarantees the performance of the HyperKernel application while supporting all other concurrent Windows NT/2000 applications.

Benchmark Results
HyperKernel is a real-time subsystem designed to create a deterministic real-time Microsoft Windows NT/2000 system on an Intel-based microcomputer. To validate the real-time deterministic bounds of the HyperKernel, a series of tests was performed to quantify the interrupt and timer latency using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) PC hardware and test software. The results of testing various Pentium systems from different PC suppliers shows that the HyperKernel provides a very deterministic RTOS for Windows NT/2000, even on a heavily loaded NT/2000 system. The testing was done to simulate an idle NT/2000 system, an active NT/2000 system. and an extremely over-stressed NT/2000 system. Interrupt latency is a key indicator of the robustness of a real-time NT/2000 system. The latency ranged from a low of 11 usec on a Pentium II 266MHz running just the HyperKernel application to a high of 37 usec on an over-stressed 100MHz Pentium. The test procedures employed standard third-party testing tools to generate the test environments. Test programs developed by Nematron are available for use by our customers for product validation.