tinySA/docs/ch.txt

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/**
* @mainpage ChibiOS/RT
* @author Giovanni Di Sirio (gdisirio@users.sourceforge.net).
* @section Chibi Chibi ?
* It is the Japanese word for small as in small child. So ChibiOS/RT
* @htmlonly (<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" xml:lang="ja" lang="ja">&#12385;&#12403;</span>OS/RT) \endhtmlonly
* means small Real Time Operating System.
* Source <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chibi" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.
* @section ch_features Features
* <ul>
* <li>Free software, GPL3 licensed.</li>
* <li>Designed for realtime applications.</li>
* <li>Easily portable.</li>
* <li>Mixed programming model:</li>
* <ul>
* <li>Synchronous, using semaphores/mutexes/condvars and/or messages.</li>
* <li>Asynchronous, using event sources.</li>
* <li>Mix of the above models, multiple threads listening to multiple event
* sources while serving message queues.</li>
* </ul>
* <li>PC simulator target included, the development can be done on the PC
* using MinGW.<br>
* Timers, I/O channels and other HW resources are simulated in a
* Win32 process and the application code does not need to be aware of it.
* MinGW demo available.</li>
* <li>Preemptive scheduling.</li>
* <li>128 priority levels.</li>
* <li>Multiple threads at the same priority level allowed.</li>
* <li>Round robin scheduling for threads at the same priority level.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of threads.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of virtual timers.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of semaphores.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of mutexes.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of condvars.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of event sources.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of messages in queue.</li>
* <li>Unlimited number of I/O queues.</li>
* <li>No static setup at compile time, there is no need to configure a maximum
* number of all the above resources.</li>
* <li>No *need* for a memory allocator, all the kernel structures are static
* and declaratively allocated.</li>
* <li>Threads, Semaphores, Event Sources, Virtual Timers creation/deletion at
* runtime.</li>
* <li>Optional, thread safe, Heap Allocator subsystem.</li>
* <li>Optional, thread safe, Memory Pools Allocator subsystem.</li>
* <li>Blocking and non blocking I/O channels with timeout and events generation
* capability.</li>
* <li>Minimal system requirements: about 8KiB ROM with all options enabled and
* speed optimizations on. The size can shrink under 2KiB by disabling the
* the unused subsystems and optimizing for size.</li>
* <li>Small memory footprint, unused subsystems can be excluded by the
* memory image.</li>
* <li>Almost totally written in C with little ASM code required for ports.</li>
* </ul>
*
* ChibiOS/RT architecture:<br><br>
* @subpage Concepts
*/
/**
* @page Concepts Concepts
* @{
* @section naming Naming Conventions
* ChibiOS/RT APIs are all named following this convention:
* @a ch\<group\>\<action\>\<suffix\>().
* The possible groups are: @a Sys, @a Sch, @a VT, @a Thd, @a Sem, @a Mtx,
* @a Cond, @a Evt, @a Msg, @a IQ, @a OQ, @a HQ, @a FDD, @a HDD, @a Dbg,
* @a Heap, @a Pool.
* The suffix is not present for normal APIs but can be one of
* the following:
* - <b>"I"</b>, I-Class APIs are invokable only from the I-Locked or S-Locked
* states. See @ref system_states.
* - <b>"S"</b>, S-Class APIs are invokable only from the S-Locked state. See
* @ref system_states.
*
* The APIs without suffix can be invoked only from the user code in the Normal
* state unless differently specified.<br>
* Examples: @p chThdCreateStatic(), @p chSemSignalI(), @p chIQGetTimeout().
*
* @section interrupts Interrupt Classes
* In ChibiOS/RT there are three logical interrupt classes:
* - <b>Regular Interrupts</b>. Maskable interrupt sources that cannot
* preempt the kernel code and are thus able to invoke operating system APIs
* from within their handlers. The interrupt handlers belonging to this class
* must be written following some rules. See the @ref System APIs group.
* - <b>Fast Interrupts</b>. Maskable interrupt sources with the ability
* to preempt the kernel code and thus have a lower latency. Such sources are
* not supported on all the architectures.<br>
* Fast interrupts are not allowed to invoke any operating system API from
* within their handlers. Fast interrupt sources may however pend a lower
* priority regular interrupt where access to the operating system is
* possible.
* - <b>Non Maskable Interrupts</b>. Non maskable interrupt sources are
* totally out of the operating system control and have the lowest latency.
* Such sources are not supported on all the architectures.
*
* The mapping of the above logical classes into physical interrupts priorities
* is, of course, port dependent. See the documentation of the various ports
* for details.
*
* @section system_states System States
* When using ChibiOS/RT the system can be in one of the following logical
* operating states:
* - <b>Initialization</b>. When the system is in this state all the maskable
* interrupt sources are disabled. In this state it is not possible to use
* any system API except @p chSysInit(). This state is entered after a
* physical reset.
* - <b>Normal</b>. All the interrupt sources are enabled and the system APIs
* are accessible, threads are running.
* - <b>Suspended</b>. In this state the fast interrupt sources are enabled but
* the regular interrupt sources are not. In this state it is not possible
* to use any system API except @p chSysDisable() or @p chSysEnable() in
* order to change state.
* - <b>Disabled</b>. When the system is in this state both the maskable
* regular and fast interrupt sources are disabled. In this state it is not
* possible to use any system API except @p chSysSuspend() or
* @p chSysEnable() in order to change state.
* - <b>Sleep</b>. Architecture-dependent low power mode, the idle thread
* goes in this state and waits for interrupts, after servicing the interrupt
* the Normal state is restored and the scheduler has a chance to reschedule.
* - <b>S-Locked</b>. Kernel locked and regular interrupt sources disabled.
* Fast interrupt sources are enabled. S-Class and I-Class APIs are
* invokable in this state.
* - <b>I-Locked</b>. Kernel locked and regular interrupt sources disabled.
* I-Class APIs are invokable from this state.
* - <b>Serving Regular Interrupt</b>. No system APIs are accessible but it is
* possible to switch to the I-Locked state using @p chSysLockI() and then
* invoke any I-Class API. Interrupt handlers can be preemptable on some
* architectures thus is important to switch to I-Locked state before
* invoking system APIs.
* - <b>Serving Fast Interrupt</b>. System APIs are not accessible.
* - <b>Serving Non-Maskable Interrupt</b>. System APIs are not accessible.
* - <b>Halted</b>. All interrupt sources are disabled and system stopped into
* an infinite loop. This state can be reached if the debug mode is activated
* <b>and</b> an error is detected <b>or</b> after explicitly invoking
* @p chSysHalt().
*
* Note that the above state are just <b>Logical States</b> that may have no
* real associated machine state on some architectures. The following diagram
* shows the possible transitions between the states:
*
* @dot
digraph example {
rankdir="LR";
node [shape=circle, fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8, fixedsize="true", width="0.75", height="0.75"];
init [label="Initialization", style="bold"];
norm [label="Normal", shape=doublecircle];
susp [label="Suspended"];
disab [label="Disabled"];
slock [label="S-Locked"];
ilock [label="I-Locked"];
slock [label="S-Locked"];
sleep [label="Sleep"];
sri [label="SRI"];
sfi [label="SFI"];
init -> norm [label="chSysInit()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
norm -> slock [label="chSysLock()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8, constraint=false];
slock -> norm [label="chSysUnlock()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
norm -> susp [label="chSysSuspend()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
susp -> disab [label="chSysDisable()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
norm -> disab [label="chSysDisable()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
susp -> norm [label="chSysEnable()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
disab -> norm [label="chSysEnable()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
slock -> ilock [dir="both", label="Context Switch", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
norm -> sri [style="dotted", label="Regular IRQ", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
norm -> sfi [style="dotted", label="Fast IRQ", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
susp -> sfi [style="dotted", label="Fast IRQ", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
sri -> norm [label="Regular IRQ return", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
sfi -> norm [label="Fast IRQ return", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
sfi -> susp [label="Fast IRQ return", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
sri -> ilock [label="chSysLockI()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8, constraint=false];
ilock -> sri [label="chSysUnlockI()", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
norm -> sleep [label="Idle Thread", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
sleep -> sri [style="dotted", label="Regular IRQ", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
sleep -> sfi [style="dotted", label="Fast IRQ", fontname=Helvetica, fontsize=8];
}
* @enddot
* Note, the Halted and SNMI states can be reached from any state and are not
* shown for simplicity.
*
* @section scheduling Scheduling
* The strategy is very simple the currently ready thread with the highest
* priority is executed. If more than one thread with equal priority are
* eligible for execution then they are executed in a round-robin way, the
* CPU time slice constant is configurable. The ready list is a double linked
* list of threads ordered by priority.<br><br>
* @image html readylist.png
* Note that the currently running thread is not in the ready list, the list
* only contains the threads ready to be executed but still actually waiting.
*
* @section thread_states Threads States
* The image shows how threads can change their state in ChibiOS/RT.<br>
* @image html states.png
*
* @section priority Priority Levels
* Priorities in ChibiOS/RT are a contiguous numerical range but the initial
* and final values are not enforced.<br>
* The following table describes the various priority boundaries (from lowest
* to highest):
* - @p IDLEPRIO, this is the lowest priority level and is reserved for the
* idle thread, no other threads should share this priority level. This is
* the lowest numerical value of the priorities space.
* - @p LOWPRIO, the lowest priority level that can be assigned to an user
* thread.
* - @p NORMALPRIO, this is the central priority level for user threads. It is
* advisable to assign priorities to threads as values relative to
* @p NORMALPRIO, as example NORMALPRIO-1 or NORMALPRIO+4, this ensures the
* portability of code should the numerical range change in future
* implementations.
* - @p HIGHPRIO, the highest priority level that can be assigned to an user
* thread.
* - @p ABSPRO, absolute maximum software priority level, it can be higher than
* @p HIGHPRIO but the numerical values above @p HIGHPRIO up to @p ABSPRIO
* (inclusive) are reserved. This is the highest numerical value of the
* priorities space.
*
* @section warea Thread Working Area
* Each thread has its own stack, a Thread structure and some preemption
* areas. All the structures are allocated into a "Thread working area",
* a thread private heap, usually allocated in an array declared in your
* code. Threads do not use any memory outside the allocated working area
* except when accessing static shared data.<br><br>
* @image html workspace.png
* <br>
* Note that the preemption area is only present when the thread is not
* running (switched out), the context switching is done by pushing the
* registers on the stack of the switched-out thread and popping the registers
* of the switched-in thread from its stack.
* The preemption area can be divided in up to three structures:
* - External context.
* - Interrupt stack.
* - Internal context.
*
* See the @ref Core documentation for details, the area may change on
* the various ports and some structures may not be present (or be zero-sized).
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Ports Ports
* @{
* This section describes the technical details for the various supported
* ChibiOS/RT ports.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup LPC214x LPC214x Support
* @{
* <p>
* The LPC214x support includes:
* <ul>
* <li>VIC support code.</li>
* <li>Buffered, interrupt driven, serial driver.</li>
* <li>SSP driver.</li>
* <li>A MMC/SD demo driver.</li>
* <li>A buzzer demo driver.</li>
* <li>A minimal demo, useful as project template.</li>
* <li>A demo supporting the kernel test suite.</li>
* <li>A C++ demo supporting the kernel test suite.</li>
* </ul>
* </p>
* @ingroup ARM7
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup AT91SAM7X AT91SAM7X Support
* @{
* <p>
* The AT91SAM7X support includes:
* <ul>
* <li>Buffered, interrupt driven, serial driver.</li>
* <li>EMAC driver with MII support.</li>
* <li>A demo supporting the kernel test suite.</li>
* <li>A Web server demo using the uIP TCP/IP stack.</li>
* </ul>
* </p>
* @ingroup ARM7
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup ARMCM3 ARM Cortex-M3
* @{
* <p>
* The ARM Cortex-M3 port is organized as follow:
* </p>
* <ul>
* <li>The @p main() function is invoked in thread-privileged mode.</li>
* <li>Each thread has a private process stack, the system has a single main
* stack where all the interrupts and exceptions are processed.</li>
* <li>Only the 4 MSb of the priority level are used, the 4 LSb are assumed
* to be zero.</li>
* <li>The threads are started in thread-privileged mode with BASEPRI level
* 0x00 (disabled).</li>
* <li>The kernel raises its BASEPRI level to 0x10 in order to protect the
* system mutex zones. Note that exceptions with level 0x00 can preempt
* the kernel, such exception handlers cannot invoke kernel APIs directly.
* It is possible to modify the priority levels by editing the
* <b>./ports/ARMCM3/chcore.h</b> file.</li>
* <li>Interrupt nesting and the other advanced NVIC features are supported.</li>
* <li>The SVC instruction and vector, with parameter #0, is internally used
* for commanded context switching.<br>
* It is possible to share the SVC handler at the cost of slower context
* switching.</li>
* <li>The PendSV vector is internally used for preemption context switching.</li>
* </ul>
* @ingroup Ports
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup ARMCM3CONF Configuration Options
* @{
* <p>
* The ARMCM3 port allows some architecture-specific configurations settings
* that can be specified externally, as example on the compiler command line:
* <ul>
* <li>@p INT_REQUIRED_STACK, this value represent the amount of stack space used
* by an interrupt handler between the @p extctx and @p intctx
* structures.<br>
* In the current implementation this value is guaranteed to be zero so
* there is no need to modify this value unless changes are done at the
* interrupts handling code.</li>
* <li>@p BASEPRI_USER, this is the @p BASEPRI value for the user threads. The
* default value is @p 0 (disabled).<br>
* Usually there is no need to change this value, please refer to the
* Cortex-M3 technical reference manual for a detailed description.</li>
* <li>@p BASEPRI_KERNEL, this is the @p BASEPRI value for the kernel lock code.
* The default value is 0x10.<br>
* Code running at higher priority levels must not invoke any OS API.<br>
* Usually there is no need to change this value, please refer to the
* Cortex-M3 technical reference manual for a detailed description.</li>
* <li>@p ENABLE_WFI_IDLE, if set to @p 1 enables the use of the @p wfi
* instruction from within the idle loop. This is defaulted to 0 because
* it can create problems with some debuggers. Setting this option to 1
* reduces the system power requirements.</li>
* </ul>
* </p>
* @ingroup ARMCM3
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup STM32F103 STM32F103 Support
* @{
* <p>
* The STM32F103 support includes:
* <ul>
* <li>Buffered, interrupt driven, serial driver.</li>
* <li>A demo supporting the kernel test suite.</li>
* </ul>
* </p>
* @ingroup ARMCM3
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup AVR MegaAVR
* @{
* <p>
* Notes about the AVR port:
* </p>
* <ul>
* <li>The AVR does not have a dedicated interrupt stack, make sure to reserve
* enough stack space for interrupts in each thread stack. This can be done
* by modifying the @p INT_REQUIRED_STACK macro into
* <b>./ports/AVR/chcore.h</b>.</li>
* </ul>
* @ingroup Ports
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup AVRCONF Configuration Options
* @{
* <p>
* The AVR port allows some architecture-specific configurations settings
* that can be specified externally, as example on the compiler command line:
* <ul>
* <li>@p INT_REQUIRED_STACK, this value represent the amount of stack space
* used by the interrupt handlers.<br>
* The default for this value is @p 32, this space is allocated for each
* thread so be careful in order to not waste precious RAM space.<br>
* The default value is set into <b>./ports/AVR/chcore.h</b>.</li>
* </ul>
* </p>
* @ingroup AVR
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup MSP430 MSP430
* @{
* <p>
* Notes about the MSP430 port:
* </p>
* <ul>
* <li>The MSP430 does not have a dedicated interrupt stack, make sure to reserve
* enough stack space for interrupts in each thread stack. This can be done
* by modifying the @p INT_REQUIRED_STACK macro into
* <b>./ports/MSP430/chcore.h</b>.</li>
* </ul>
* @ingroup Ports
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup MSP430CONF Configuration Options
* @{
* <p>
* The MSP430 port allows some architecture-specific configurations settings
* that can be specified externally, as example on the compiler command line:
* <ul>
* <li>@p INT_REQUIRED_STACK, this value represent the amount of stack space
* used by the interrupt handlers.<br>
* The default for this value is @p 32, this space is allocated for each
* thread so be careful in order to not waste precious RAM space.<br>
* The default value is set into <b>./ports/MSP430/chcore.h</b>.</li>
* </ul>
* </p>
* @ingroup MSP430
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Kernel Kernel
* @{
* @file ch.h ChibiOS/RT main include file, it includes everything else.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Config Configuration
* @{
* In @p chconf.h are defined the required subsystems for your application.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file chconf.h ChibiOS/RT configuration file.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Core Core
* @{
* Non portable code.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file src/templates/chcore.c Non portable code template file.
* @file src/templates/chcore.h Non portable macros and structures template file.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Types Types
* @{
* System types and macros.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file templates/chtypes.h System types and code modifiers.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup System System Management
* @{
* Initialization, Locks, Interrupt Handling, Power Management, Abnormal
* Termination.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file sys.h System related macros and structures.
* @file chsys.c System related code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Inline Inline
* @{
* System inline-able code.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file inline.h Inline versions of some critical system routines.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Debug Debug
* @{
* Debug APIs and procedures.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file debug.h Debug macros and structures.
* @file chdebug.c ChibiOS/RT Debug code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Scheduler Scheduler
* @{
* ChibiOS/RT scheduler.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file chschd.c Scheduler code.
* @file scheduler.h Scheduler macros and structures.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup ThreadLists Thread Lists and Queues
* @{
* ChibiOS/RT thread lists and queues utilities.
* @ingroup Kernel
* @file chlists.c Lists and queues code.
* @file lists.h Lists and queues macros and structures.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Threads Threads
* @{
* Threads creation and termination APIs.
* @file threads.h Threads structures, macros and functions.
* @file chthreads.c Threads code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Time Time and Virtual Timers
* @{
* Time and Virtual Timers related APIs.
* @file include/vt.h Time macros and structures.
* @file chvt.c Time functions.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Heap Heap
* @{
* Heap Allocator related APIs.
* <b>Operation mode</b><br><br>
* The heap allocator implements a first-fit strategy and its APIs are
* functionally equivalent to the usual @p malloc() and @p free(). The main
* difference is that the heap APIs are thread safe.<br>
* By enabling the @p CH_USE_MALLOC_HEAP option the heap manager will use the
* runtime-provided @p malloc() and @p free() as backend for the heap APIs
* instead of the system provided allocator.<br>
* In order to use the heap APIs the @p CH_USE_HEAP option must be specified
* in @p chconf.h.
* @file include/heap.h Heap macros and structures.
* @file chheap.c Heap functions.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup MemoryPools Memory Pools
* @{
* Memory Pools related APIs.
* <b>Operation mode</b><br><br>
* The Memory Pools APIs allow to allocate/free fixed size objects in
* <b>constant time</b> and reliably without memory fragmentation problems.<br>
* In order to use the Time APIs the @p CH_USE_MEMPOOLS option must be
* specified in @p chconf.h.
* @file include/mempools.h Memory Pools macros and structures.
* @file chmempools.c Memory Pools functions.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Semaphores Semaphores
* @{
* Semaphores and threads synchronization.
* <b>Operation mode</b><br><br>
* A semaphore is a threads synchronization object, some operations
* are defined on semaphores:<br>
* <ul>
* <li><b>Signal</b>: The semaphore counter is increased and if the result
* is non-positive then a waiting thread is removed from the semaphore
* queue and made ready for execution.
* </li>
* <li><b>Wait</b>: The semaphore counter is decreased and if the result
* becomes negative the thread is queued in the semaphore and suspended.
* </li>
* <li><b>Reset</b>: The semaphore counter is reset to a non-negative value
* and all the threads in the queue are released.
* </li>
* </ul>
* Semaphores can be used as guards for mutual exclusion code zones but
* also have other uses, queues guards and counters as example.<br>
* In order to use the Semaphores APIs the @p CH_USE_SEMAPHORES
* option must be specified in @p chconf.h.<br><br>
* @file semaphores.h Semaphores macros and structures.
* @file chsem.c Semaphores code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Mutexes Mutexes
* @{
* Mutexes and threads synchronization.
* <b>Operation mode</b><br><br>
* A mutex is a threads synchronization object, some operations are defined
* on mutexes:<br>
* <ul>
* <li><b>Lock</b>: The mutex is checked, if the mutex is not owned by some
* other thread then it is locked else the current thread is queued on the
* mutex in a list ordered by priority.
* </li>
* <li><b>Unlock</b>: The mutex is released by the owner and the highest
* priority thread waiting in the queue, if any, is resumed and made owner
* of the mutex.
* </li>
* </ul>
* In order to use the Event APIs the @p CH_USE_MUTEXES option must be
* specified in @p chconf.h.<br>
*
* <b>Constraints</b><br><br>
* In ChibiOS/RT the Unlock operations are always performed in Lock-reverse
* order. The Unlock API does not even have a parameter, the mutex to unlock
* is taken from an internal stack of owned mutexes.
* This both improves the performance and is required by the priority
* inheritance mechanism.
*
* <b>The priority inversion problem</b><br><br>
* The mutexes in ChibiOS/RT implements the <b>full</b> priority
* inheritance mechanism in order handle the priority inversion problem.<br>
* When a thread is queued on a mutex, any thread, directly or indirectly,
* holding the mutex gains the same priority of the waiting thread (if their
* priority was not already equal or higher). The mechanism works with any
* number of nested mutexes and any number of involved threads. The algorithm
* complexity (worst case) is N with N equal to the number of nested mutexes.
* @file mutexes.h Mutexes macros and structures.
* @file chmtx.c Mutexes functions.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup CondVars Conditional Variables
* @{
* Conditional Variables and threads synchronization.
* <b>Operation mode</b><br><br>
* The condition variable is a synchronization object meant to be used inside
* a zone protected by a @p Mutex. Mutexes and CondVars together can implement
* a Monitor construct.<br>
* In order to use the Conditional Variables APIs the @p CH_USE_CONDVARS
* option must be specified in @p chconf.h.<br><br>
* @file condvars.h Conditional Variables macros and structures.
* @file chcond.c Conditional Variables code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Events Events
* @{
* Event Sources and Event Listeners.<br>
* <b>Operation mode</b><br><br>
* An Event Source is a special object that can be signaled by a thread or
* an interrupt service routine. Signaling an Event Source has the effect
* that all the threads registered on the Event Source will receive
* and serve the event.<br>
* An unlimited number of Event Sources can exists in a system and each
* thread can listen on an unlimited number of them.<br>
* Note that the events can be asynchronously generated but are synchronously
* served, a thread can serve event by calling a @p chEvtWaitXXX()
* API. If an event is generated while a listening thread is not ready to
* serve it then the event becomes "pending" and will be served as soon the
* thread invokes a @p chEvtWaitXXX().<br>
* In order to use the Event APIs the @p CH_USE_EVENTS option must be
* specified in @p chconf.h.
* @file events.h Events macros and structures.
* @file chevents.c Events functions.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Messages Messages
* @{
* Synchronous Messages.<br>
* <b>Operation Mode</b><br><br>
* Messages are an easy to use and fast IPC mechanism, threads can both serve
* messages and send messages to other threads, the mechanism allows data to
* be carryed in both directions. Data is not copyed between the client and
* server threads but just a pointer passed so the exchange is very time
* efficient.<br>
* Messages are usually processed in FIFO order but it is possible to process
* them in priority order by specifying CH_USE_MESSAGES_PRIORITY
* in @p chconf.h.<br>
* Threads do not need to allocate space for message queues, the mechanism
* just requires two extra pointers in the @p Thread structure (the message
* queue header).<br>
* In order to use the Messages APIs the @p CH_USE_MESSAGES option must be
* specified in @p chconf.h.
* @file messages.h Messages macros and structures.
* @file chmsg.c Messages functions.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup IOQueues I/O Queues
* @{
* ChibiOS/RT supports several kinds of queues. The queues are mostly used
* in serial-like device drivers. The device drivers are usually designed to
* have a lower side (lower driver, it is usually an interrupt service
* routine) and an upper side (upper driver, accessed by the application
* threads).<br>
* There are several kind of queues:<br>
* <ul>
* <li><b>Input queue</b>, unidirectional queue where the writer is the
* lower side and the reader is the upper side.</li>
* <li><b>Output queue</b>, unidirectional queue where the writer is the
* upper side and the reader is the lower side.</li>
* <li><b>Half duplex queue</b>, bidirectional queue where the buffer is shared
* between a receive and a transmit queues. This means that concurrent
* buffered input and output operations are not possible, this is perfectly
* acceptable for a lot of applications however, as example an RS485 driver.
* <li><b>Full duplex queue</b>, bidirectional queue where read and write
* operations can happen at the same time. Full duplex queues
* are implemented by pairing an input queue and an output queue together.
* </ul>
* In order to use the I/O queues the @p CH_USE_QUEUES option must
* be specified in @p chconf.h.<br>
* In order to use the half duplex queues the @p CH_USE_QUEUES_HALFDUPLEX
* option must be specified in @p chconf.h.
* @file queues.h I/O Queues macros and structures.
* @file chqueues.c I/O Queues code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Serial Serial Drivers
* @{
* This module implements a generic full duplex serial driver and a generic
* half duplex serial driver. It uses the I/O Queues for communication between
* the upper and the lower driver and events to notify the application about
* incoming data, outcoming data and other I/O events.
* The module also contains functions that make the implementation of the
* interrupt service routines much easier.<br>
* In order to use the serial full duplex driver the
* @p CH_USE_SERIAL_FULLDUPLEX option must be specified in @p chconf.h.<br>
* In order to use the serial half duplex driver the
* @p CH_USE_SERIAL_HALFDUPLEX option must be specified in @p chconf.h.
* @file serial.h Serial Drivers macros and structures.
* @file chserial.c Serial Drivers code.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup CPlusPlusLibrary C++ Wrapper
* @{
* C++ wrapper module. This module allows to use the ChibiOS/RT functionalities
* from C++ as classes and objects rather the traditional "C" APIs.
* @file ch.hpp C++ wrapper classes and definitions.
* @file ch.cpp C++ wrapper code.
*/
/** @} */