Unison Operating System
Encyclopedia
The Unison Operating System is a real-time operating system
(RTOS) optimized for system-on-a-chip
(SoC), multi-core and digital signal processor
(DSP) systems. It is open source
. It offers Linux compatibility while being much smaller than Linux. The current version of Unison is completely POSIX
compliant, offering application portability and very low cost hardware implementation options primary for embedded microcontrollers, but also for distributed multi-core and multiprocessor systems like autonomous robot
s and vehicles. It is so tiny that it takes a minimum of 1K byte to run 2 threads.
Unison was developed as a runtime for powerful real-time embedded heterogeneous multiprocessors which were used for military signal processing. The entire goal of Unison was to provide a software infrastructure that would support the construction of inexpensive, lower power, mobile and portable super computers. Unison successfully met this goal and has been deployed in thousands of systems in the field.
Unison uses the Remedy Debugger
, the Eclipse
development environment, MPLAB
, HEW on Microsoft Windows
, Linux
and Solaris. It uses the most familiar development environment for users on the platform in question. Unison has common technology and elements with DSPnano RTOS
.
Unison has its roots in the Harmony Operating System developed by W. Morven Gentleman, Unix
with POSIX
in 1994, and pSOS
+ developed by Software Components Group.
Unison was the flagship product of Multiprocessor Toolsmiths which became RoweBots Research Inc.
Real-time operating system
A real-time operating system is an operating system intended to serve real-time application requests.A key characteristic of a RTOS is the level of its consistency concerning the amount of time it takes to accept and complete an application's task; the variability is jitter...
(RTOS) optimized for system-on-a-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
(SoC), multi-core and digital signal processor
Digital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
(DSP) systems. It is open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
. It offers Linux compatibility while being much smaller than Linux. The current version of Unison is completely POSIX
POSIX
POSIX , an acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface", is a family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems...
compliant, offering application portability and very low cost hardware implementation options primary for embedded microcontrollers, but also for distributed multi-core and multiprocessor systems like autonomous robot
Autonomous robot
Autonomous robots are robots that can perform desired tasks in unstructured environments without continuous human guidance. Many kinds of robots have some degree of autonomy. Different robots can be autonomous in different ways...
s and vehicles. It is so tiny that it takes a minimum of 1K byte to run 2 threads.
Unison was developed as a runtime for powerful real-time embedded heterogeneous multiprocessors which were used for military signal processing. The entire goal of Unison was to provide a software infrastructure that would support the construction of inexpensive, lower power, mobile and portable super computers. Unison successfully met this goal and has been deployed in thousands of systems in the field.
Unison uses the Remedy Debugger
Remedy Debugger
The Remedy debugger was the first embedded system level debugger in the world. It offered many features that users take for granted today in the days when having a source level debugger was a luxury...
, the Eclipse
Eclipse (software)
Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment and an extensible plug-in system...
development environment, MPLAB
MPLAB
MPLAB Integrated Development Environment is a free, integrated toolset for the development of embedded applications on Microchip's PIC and dsPIC microcontrollers.- MPLAB IDE v8 :...
, HEW on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Solaris. It uses the most familiar development environment for users on the platform in question. Unison has common technology and elements with DSPnano RTOS
DSPnano RTOS
DSPnano is an embedded real-time operating system which is 100% compatible with POSIX and offers a tiny embedded Linux compatible solution. It was first created in 1996 and was one of the first pthread based real-time kernels...
.
Unison has its roots in the Harmony Operating System developed by W. Morven Gentleman, Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
with POSIX
POSIX
POSIX , an acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface", is a family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems...
in 1994, and pSOS
PSOS
pSOS is a real time operating system , created in about 1982 by Alfred Chao, and developed/marketed for the first part of its life by his company Software Components Group...
+ developed by Software Components Group.
Unison was the flagship product of Multiprocessor Toolsmiths which became RoweBots Research Inc.