QNX: The Reliable Backbone of Critical Systems

Electronics, computers and software were the big revolutions of the last century. Among these evolutions, Real Time Operative Systems (RTOS) were a significant step forward in real-time computing, high-performance mandatory for any application with time constraints that requires reliable response in a predictable way. In fact, consistency in the time the system takes to accept and complete an application task is an important characteristic of these systems, independent of its design.  

A simple example comes from the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) present in automobiles for decades, which helps to prevent the wheels from skidding or sliding out of control.  

The Origins of QNX 

Gordon Bell and Dan Dodge were two students in the early eighties who took a course in RTOS and had to develop such an operative system. Convinced that there was a need for such a system, they founded Quantum Software Systems in Ontario. This kickoff shares some similarities with Critical Software’s own origin. 

Why QNX Matters Across Industries 

QNX is widely used in many industries, including aviation, defence, medical devices, robotics & automation, industrial control, among others. 

In automotive, it is being used for software-defined digital cockpits & advanced/cutting edge in-vehicle experiences, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), control systems and digital instrument clusters. Its reliability and safety are crucial in an environment where failures can have serious consequences. It is possible for QNX to isolate processes, ensuring that a failure in any of them does not cause the entire system to fail. This is a critical behavior for any safety-related system. 

Where Does QNX Stand Out 

Unlike most common computer operating systems, QNX is based on a microkernel architecture featuring a minimal kernel that includes only the essential services and drivers needed for the system to boot. These essential services and drivers are extensively tested and highly reliable, making system crashes almost impossible or exceptionally rare. 

All other programs are loaded as processes, running in user space. If any process encounters a failure or unforeseen problems, the operating system can manage it and promptly restart it. This ensures that the system won’t reboot or freeze due to a crash during critical times. 

Like others RTOS, it also has process prioritization, which means that it allows to define what process runs first when are several services running concurrently. Another significant characteristic is its scalability for other components and devices while maintaining real-time constraints.  

The growing interest in microkernels is driven by their ability to improve reliability, while efficiency concerns continue to wane. The latest updates in QNX SDP 8.0 and QNX OS 8.0 show a clear commitment to adapting microkernels to modern needs, offering improvements in areas that benefit overall performance, especially in HPC designs.  

Moreover, it also supports multicore architectures, integration with emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), and modern safety standards compliance 

Critical Software’s Journey with RTOS 

Critical Software also started when three students discovered that there was interest in the work of their PhD thesis about fault injection in software. Thus, we’re no strangers to safety and security, as dealing with critical systems has been our driving force from the beginning. Along the way, we’ve gained extensive knowledge and experience in different domains, from railroad to space, and from automotive to aerospace. 

We’ve participated in software development and testing for devices that require the highest standards and most demanding certification processes. We've developed numerous solutions using RTOS and bare-metal implementations while meeting the rigorous standards of safety-critical markets. 

Critical Software with RTOS in Automotive Industry 

At Critical Software, we’ve gained experience with RTOS in several safety-critical areas. In the automotive industry, our most recent experience comes from the vSomeIP project, which is a component of the COVESA initiative. This is an implementation of the SOME/IP (Scalable Service-Oriented Middleware over IP) protocol, which was recently ported to QNX. 

We were involved in this initiative, as well as in porting its tests and verification and validation. Our extensive expertise in safety-critical systems, both in development, testing and validation, gives us the right perspective for new endeavors with RTOS systems. 

Conclusion 

QNX has been evolving and gaining more and more momentum in the automotive domain. But what about the future? Recently, providing support to containers and Kubernetes, releasing its latest 8.0 version for free noncommercial use, gives it a good differentiator to expand even further. This is a fundamental step, positioning to address future automotive technological challenges, like domain and zonal architectures. 

QNX has grown from fitting on a 1.44MB floppy disk to becoming a metaphorical giant in its field. In one sentence, QNX might be old, but it is still gold! And with decades of expertise in safety-critical systems, Critical Software is prepared to lead the way into the future of RTOS.