VxWorks
VxWorks is a real-time operating system (RTOS) developed by Wind River Systems for embedded and mission-critical applications. It provides deterministic multitasking and fast interrupt response, enabling systems to meet strict timing constraints in environments with limited resources. The kernel supports preemptive scheduling, interprocess communication via messages and semaphores, device drivers, networking support, and optional file systems. Depending on version, VxWorks offers memory protection and user-space processes to improve reliability, and it provides POSIX-compliant interfaces to simplify porting of applications. The platform runs on a wide range of processors, including ARM, PowerPC, MIPS, and x86, and supports single-board computers and embedded devices, with configurations for both single- and multi-core systems. The product line has evolved through several generations, notably VxWorks 6.x and the modern VxWorks 7 series. It is a proprietary, commercial RTOS used in safety-critical and mission-critical domains such as aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial automation, medical devices, and network infrastructure.
Wind River provides development tools, board support packages, and debugging and analysis facilities. Development environments have