tinySA/docs/ch.txt

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/*
ChibiOS/RT - Copyright (C) 2006-2007 Giovanni Di Sirio.
This file is part of ChibiOS/RT.
ChibiOS/RT is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
ChibiOS/RT is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*/
/**
* @mainpage ChibiOS/RT
* @author Giovanni Di Sirio (gdisirio@users.sourceforge.net).
*
* <h2>Chibi ?</h2>
* I didn't want a serious name for this project. 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>.
*
* <h2>Features</h2>
* - Free software, GPL3 licensed.
* - Designed for realtime applications.
* - Easily portable.
* - Mixed programming model:
* - Synchronous, using semaphores/mutexes/condvars and/or messages.
* - Asynchronous, using event sources.
* - Mix of the above models, multiple threads listening to multiple event
* sources while serving message queues.
* - 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.
* - Preemptive scheduling.
* - 128 priority levels.
* - Multiple threads at the same priority level allowed.
* - Round robin scheduling for threads at the same priority level.
* - Unlimited number of threads.
* - Unlimited number of virtual timers.
* - Unlimited number of semaphores.
* - Unlimited number of mutexes.
* - Unlimited number of condvars.
* - Unlimited number of event sources.
* - Unlimited number of messages in queue.
* - Unlimited number of I/O queues.
* - No static setup at compile time, there is no need to configure a maximum
* number of all the above resources.
* - No *need* for a memory allocator, all the kernel structures are static
* and declaratively allocated.
* - Threads, Semaphores, Event Sources, Virtual Timers creation/deletion at
* runtime.
* - Optional, thread safe, Heap Allocator subsystem.
* - Optional, thread safe, Memory Pools Allocator subsystem.
* - Blocking and non blocking I/O channels with timeout and events generation
* capability.
* - 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.
* - Small memory footprint, unused subsystems can be excluded by the
* memory image.
* - Almost totally written in C with little ASM code required for ports.
* .
* <h2>Related pages</h2>
* - @subpage lic_faq
* - @subpage concepts
* - @subpage articles
* .
*/
/**
* @defgroup Ports Ports
* @{
* This section describes the technical details for the various supported
* ChibiOS/RT ports.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Kernel Kernel
* @{
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Config Configuration
* @{
* In @p chconf.h are defined the required subsystems for your application.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Core Generic Port Code Templates
* @{
* Non portable code templates.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Types Types
* @{
* System types and macros.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup System System Management
* @{
* Initialization, Locks, Interrupt Handling, Power Management, Abnormal
* Termination.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Inline Inline
* @{
* System inline-able code.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Debug Debug
* @{
* Debug APIs and procedures.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Scheduler Scheduler
* @{
* ChibiOS/RT scheduler.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup ThreadLists Thread Lists and Queues
* @{
* ChibiOS/RT thread lists and queues utilities.
* @ingroup Kernel
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Threads Threads
* @{
* Threads creation and termination APIs.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Time Time and Virtual Timers
* @{
* Time and Virtual Timers related APIs.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Heap Heap
* @{
* Heap Allocator related APIs.
* <h2>Operation mode</h2>
* 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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup MemoryPools Memory Pools
* @{
* Memory Pools related APIs.
* <h2>Operation mode</h2>
* 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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Semaphores Semaphores
* @{
* Semaphores and threads synchronization.
* <h2>Operation mode</h2>
* A semaphore is a threads synchronization object, some operations
* are defined on semaphores:
* - <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.
* - <b>Wait</b>: The semaphore counter is decreased and if the result
* becomes negative the thread is queued in the semaphore and suspended.
* - <b>Reset</b>: The semaphore counter is reset to a non-negative value
* and all the threads in the queue are released.
* .
* Semaphores can be used as guards for mutual exclusion code zones (note that
* mutexes are recommended for this kind of use) but also have other uses,
* queues guards and counters as example.<br>
* Semaphores usually use FIFO queues but it is possible to make them
* order threads by priority by specifying CH_USE_SEMAPHORES_PRIORITY in
* @p chconf.h.<br>
* In order to use the Semaphores APIs the @p CH_USE_SEMAPHORES
* option must be specified in @p chconf.h.<br><br>
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Mutexes Mutexes
* @{
* Mutexes and threads synchronization.
* <h2>Operation mode</h2>
* A mutex is a threads synchronization object, some operations are defined
* on mutexes:
* - <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.
* - <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.
* .
* In order to use the Event APIs the @p CH_USE_MUTEXES option must be
* specified in @p chconf.h.<br>
*
* <h2>Constraints</h2>
* 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.
*
* <h2>The priority inversion problem</h2>
* 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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup CondVars Condition Variables
* @{
* Condition Variables and threads synchronization.
* <h2>Operation mode</h2>
* 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 Condition Variables APIs the @p CH_USE_CONDVARS
* option must be specified in @p chconf.h.<br><br>
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Events Events
* @{
* Event Sources and Event Listeners.
* <h2>Operation mode</h2>
* 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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup Messages Messages
* @{
* Synchronous inter-thread messages.
* <h2>Operation Mode</h2>
* 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 carried in both directions. Data is not copied 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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @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>
* - <b>Input queue</b>, unidirectional queue where the writer is the
* lower side and the reader is the upper side.
* - <b>Output queue</b>, unidirectional queue where the writer is the
* upper side and the reader is the lower side.
* - <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.
* - <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.
* .
* 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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @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.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup utilities_library Utilities Library
* @{
* @brief Utilities Library.
* @details This is a collection of useful library code that is not part of
* the base kernel services.
* <h2>Notes</h2>
* The library code does not follow the same naming convention of the
* system APIs in order to make very clear that it is not "core" code.<br>
* The main difference is that library code is not formally tested in the
* test suite but through usage in the various demo applications.
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @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.
*
* @ingroup utilities_library
*/
/** @} */
/**
* @defgroup event_timer Events Generator Timer
* @{
* @brief Event Generator Timer.
* @details This timer generates an event at regular intervals. The
* listening threads can use the event to perform time related activities.
* Multiple threads can listen to the same timer.
*
* @ingroup utilities_library
*/
/** @} */