Real-time operating systems complete tasks reliably and produce results in real-time. They prioritize processes and control the time it takes for information to enter the system. There are two types: hard and soft, with hard being critical for regulating medical equipment and utilities. Soft systems are common in navigation and constantly updating equipment. These systems sacrifice overall speed for reliability.
A real-time operating system is a specific type of computer operating system that completes tasks very reliably. These operating systems are able to acquire information and produce results in real time. This means that the information results are ready at the same time that the results are needed. This type of operating system is the traditional computing component of a larger computing and manufacturing philosophy called real-time computing.
A standard computer operating system does not use speed as a determining factor. The speed with which a process completes may be very important to the user, but the operating system itself is completely indifferent. Since speed is not important for programming, one process can be stopped or stopped while another process, recognized as more important, is running.
This type of processing creates a level of variability in the output that is unacceptable in some systems. Some computer systems operate expensive machinery, govern public utilities, or perform other activities that affect thousands of lives or millions of dollars. These computers need a reliable level of output to prevent accidents and save lives and money.
To achieve this level of reliability, people use a real-time operating system. These systems use time as the determining factor. The time it takes for information to enter the system and the calculations made using that information are tightly controlled.
One of the main drivers of a real-time operating system revolves around process prioritization. In a standard operating system, some internal system processes are more important than any other. These processes cannot be interrupted by applications, regardless of priority. A real-time operating system will allow the application process to have the highest priority if needed. This allows for important calculations how much time and power they need to finish within a certain window.
A real-time operating system has a very reliable level of output, often at the expense of overall speed. Because system and processor time are more variable, unimportant actions may take longer to complete. Memory addressing and swapping is both slower and more stable than a traditional system. Essentially, it takes longer to write and retrieve information, but the information is always there when it’s needed.
There are two basic types of real-time operating systems, hard and soft. In a rigid system, information has to be where it needs to be within a certain amount of time or the information is useless. These are often critical systems that regulate medical equipment, utilities, or money exchanges. In a soft system, there is more leeway exactly when the information is required. This style is common in places like navigation systems and constantly updating equipment like radars.
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