When learning the principles of operating systems, you will come across terms like “time slice”, “preemptive”, and “real-time”, which many people may not fully understand, even after studying or working in operating system development. Ultimately, it comes down to not grasping some basic principles of operating systems.
This article aims to address similar questions that some friends have asked before and to educate some beginners. Below, I will briefly explain the differences between RTOS and TSOS based on my experience and some related content found online.
What is RTOS?
RTOS: Short for Real-Time Operating System, I believe 99% of friends here know or have heard of this abbreviation.
A real-time operating system is one that, when external events or data occur, can accept and process them at a sufficient speed, with results that can control production processes or respond quickly to processing systems within a specified time, coordinating all real-time tasks to run in harmony.
For example: If a robot is moving and suddenly a person runs in front of it, it needs to immediately control the robot (motor) to brake upon detecting the collision. Just imagine, if it doesn’t brake immediately, the consequences could be much more severe.
Thus, the main features of RTOS are timely response and high reliability.
Features of RTOS:
1) Multitasking;
2) Thread priority;
3) Multiple interrupt levels;
Many of our friends studying FreeRTOS, uCOS, RT-Thread, etc., are all part of RTOS.
For those learning RTOS, I recommend an open-source RTOS website: https://www.osrtos.com(Public accounts do not support external links)
What is TSOS?
TSOS: Short for Time-Sharing Operating System. Time-sharing operating systems allocate system processor time and memory space to each thread program using a certain time interval (what we call a time slice).
Time slice: Refers to dividing the computer’s system resources (especially CPU time) into segments, each called a time slice, where each user takes turns using the time slice.
Time-sharing technology: Divides the processor’s running time into very short time slices, allocating the processor to each online job in turn according to the time slice.
Features of TSOS:
Interactivity: Users interact with the system in a human-machine dialogue.
Multiplexing: Multiple users can simultaneously use the same CPU at their respective terminals.
Independence: Users can operate independently, without interfering with or confusing each other.
Timeliness: Users can receive timely responses from the system in a short time.
Factors affecting response time: Number of terminals, size of time slices, volume of information exchanged, and speed of information exchange.
Familiar systems like Windows, Linux, and Unix belong to TSOS time-sharing operating systems.
Summary:
RTOS and TSOS each have their own characteristics. RTOS is generally used for relatively low-performance MCUs, such as motion control and key input systems requiring real-time processing. TSOS is typically used for relatively high-performance CPUs, such as multi-user desktop systems and servers.
Some TSOS can be modified into RTOS, like UCOS, which is a real-time system derived from Linux. Generally, normal operating systems may appear similar to users at a glance, but in multitasking and complex situations, users can directly experience the differences between real-time and non-real-time.
For more related content, please search on Baidu or Google.
Recommended Reading:
Choosing the Right Open Source RTOS
How Much Do You Know About the CAN-FD Protocol?
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