VxWorks is a Unix-like real-time operating system made and sold by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA. Like most RTOSes, VxWorks includes a multitasking kernel with pre-emptive scheduling and fast interrupt response, extensive inter-process communications and synchronization facilities, and a file system. Newer versions of VxWorks now support pSOS system calls since Wind River now owns both RTOSes. Major distinguishing features of VxWorks include efficient POSIX-compliant memory management, multiprocessor facilities, a shell for user interface, symbolic and source level debugging capabilities, and performance monitoring. VxWorks is generally used in embedded systems. Unlike 'native' systems such as UNIX and Forth, VxWorks development is done on a "host" machine running UNIX or Windows, cross-compiling target software to run on various 'target' CPU architectures as well as on the 'host' by means of VxSim.

Daniel Pasco wrote software under VxWorks for three years at Lockheed Martin Astronautics. Test platforms included PPC603 cards and Sun Solaris machines. Flight builds were compiled for the RAD6000 flight card. Related Experience Lockheed Martin Astronautics Related Technologies Embedded Development Spacecraft C Programming Language