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On-Site | The 2024 Xenomai Open Source Community Workshop has successfully wrapped up!
On November 26, 2024, the “2024 Xenomai Open Source Community Workshop,” hosted by SINSEGYE, was successfully held in the first-floor lecture hall of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The workshop invited nine technical experts from both domestic and international backgrounds to delve into popular topics related to the research and application of Xenomai real-time Linux. Discussions included the technological innovations brought about by the Xenomai real-time operating system, how to fully leverage Xenomai's advantages in the process of industrial intelligence, ways to promote the continuous advancement of real-time operating system technology and community development, as well as how to overcome platform limitations for broader porting and integration of real-time operating systems. Nearly a hundred organizations from across the country gathered in Beijing for this workshop to share and discuss the latest research applications of the Xenomai real-time operating system and to explore future developments.
-Opening Speech
中科时代创始人、CEO马君博士
Dr. Ma Jun, founder and CEO of SINSEGYE, mentioned in his opening speech that the technological foundation of SINSEGYE originates from the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The company has chosen Xenomai as the operating system base for its industrial intelligent computer (iComputer), developing the distinctive product MetaOS. Dr. Ma Jun stated that in industrial scenarios, Xenomai’s dual-kernel architecture provides a real-time kernel with extremely low jitter, while being compatible with the Linux ecosystem, ensuring computing power support for traditional industry software and emerging AI applications.
Additionally, Dr. Ma Jun warmly welcomed the guests who traveled from afar, highlighting the significance of the Xenomai open-source community in the innovation of industrial operating systems. He firmly believes that through collective efforts, the community can proposed new ideas for the future development of Xenomai, paving the way for new applications in the industrial sector.
-Keynote Speech
The keynote speech segment of the workshop was led by An An from SINSEGYE.
Siemens, Jan Kiszka
Jan Kiszka from SIEMENS delivered a comprehensive discussion on the topic of "Advancing the Xenomai Project in the Global Community." He provided a detailed review of the growth of the Xenomai project over the past nearly five years, a history that not only reflects continuous technological breakthroughs but also records the ongoing progress of the project team.
In addition, he shared Xenomai's latest research, which deepened attendees’ understanding of real-time operating systems, providing a valuable reference for future technology development. Jan emphasized that it is user feedback that keeps Xenomai progressing and expanding its reach.
Finally, he called on all individuals interested in Xenomai to work together, further enhancing the Xenomai open source community.
Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Han Yinhe
In his speech titled “High-Performance iComputer Based on Open Architecture,” Han Yinhe from the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, provided a comprehensive analysis of the current state of industrial computers. He highlighted that the IEC 62264 pyramid architecture consists of five layers, with the edge side encompassing the production control layers (L0-L2) and the cloud side addressing the management and enterprise layers (L3-L4). However, this architecture encounters several technical challenges, including a large number of computers with diverse types, inadequate computing power, difficulties in achieving intelligence in the production control layers (L1-L2), and a lack of openness in industrial computing, which hinders the rapid establishment of unified standards.
To address these challenges, Dr. Han Yinhe proposed an innovative manufacturing paradigm: high-performance iComputers based on open architecture. He emphasized that this open architecture has the potential to revolutionize the traditional IEC pyramid computing framework. With its core advantages of high-speed motion control and cost-saving software development, this new approach can effectively tackle the various challenges faced in industrial computing today.
In addition, Dr. Han provided a detailed overview of the key technologies he is currently researching, including the architecture of iComputers, motion control chips, dual virtualization in operating systems, and the industrial hybrid programming platform IDE. He also discussed the practical applications of iComputers across various industries.
At the conclusion of his speech, Dr. Han Yinhe shared his vision for the future of high-performance iComputers. He forecasted that open architecture iComputers would serve as a vital computational foundation for supporting the OODA (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act) loop within computable manufacturing systems.
Intel, Wang Huwen
Wang Huwen emphasized that the SD-ICS leverages virtualization technology to integrate essential functions such as motion control, algorithms and logical operations, and human-machine interfaces (HMI) onto a universal computing platform. This architecture offers excellent scalability, significantly enhancing system interoperability through standardized communication protocols. Overall, SD-ICS represents a significant leap in industrial automation, providing unprecedented adaptability, efficiency, and security to industries such as manufacturing, energy, and critical infrastructure that demand high precision, reliability, and rapid response.
In the middle part of the seminar, Li Chunliang from ECARX Holdings, Song Jianwei from SINSEGYE, and Shan Yuxuan from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications each delivered keynote speeches.
ECARX, Li chunliang
Li Chunliang from ECARX Holdings delivered a presentation titled The Application of Xenomai4 in Multimodal Robots in Land, Sea, Air, and Space. His speech opened with an engaging overview of the current applications of Xenomai in robotics across various domains, including land, sea, and air, which captured the audience’s attention.
Next, Li Chunliang provided a detailed presentation on the outstanding performance of Xenomai in the field of Multimodal Robots in Land, Sea, Air, and Space. He then shifted his focus to the hard real-time capabilities of Xenomai with ROS 2 control. In this presentation, he shared the unique advantages of ROS 2 control in enhancing the performance of robotic systems and conducted an in-depth analysis of the core role of the ROS 2 middleware in optimizing workflows.
Finally, Li Chunliang announced his plan to publish a new series of books on Xenomai, meticulously designed to address various applications and use cases. This news sparked considerable interest among the audience.
SINSEGYE, Song jianwei
Song Jianwei from SINSEGYE delivered a presentation on “Project Cases of iComputer Equipped with the MetaOS Operating System in Various Industries.” He provided a detailed introduction to the new iComputer products of SINSEGYE for 2024. Through test, he concluded that the latency range of Xenomai is narrower and the jitter is lower compared to PreemptRT.
Meanwhile, Song Jianwei shared successful application cases of the iComputer in the 3C electronics, semiconductor, laser, and wind power industries. Through vivid and specific examples, he demonstrated how these iComputer helps reduce costs and improve efficiency in these sectors.
In addition, Song Jianwei conducted a detailed analysis of common technical issues. He provided practical solutions to these problems, which enhanced the understanding of the participants in the technical field. At the same time, Song Jianwei effectively stimulated the participants to think deeply and innovatively about related technical issues.
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Shan yuxuan
Shan Yuxuan, the student from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications delivered a presentation titled “Dovetail Migration: Practices with RISC-V and LoongArch.” In his speech, he elaborated on the valuable experiences and challenges his team encountered during the understanding and migration process of the Dovetail architecture. He hopes that through this sharing, more developers will be inspired to successfully migrate the Dovetail architecture to more processor platforms, thereby further enriching and improving the ecosystem of Xenomai 4.
Shan Yuxuan emphasized that Xenomai 4 introduced an innovative technology: the interrupt virtualization component Dovetail. Compared to the traditional ipipe technology, this component significantly reduces the amount of architecture-dependent code, greatly simplifying the complexity of cross-architecture migration. Currently, the Dovetail component supports x86, ARM, and ARM64 architectures. Building on this foundation, he and his team explored to migrate Dovetail to the emerging RISC-V architecture as well as the independently developed LoongArch architecture, aiming to further broaden its application scope, and pushing the boundaries of real-time operating system technology.
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Qiu qichen
Qiu Qichan from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications delivered a keynote speech titled “Building a POSIX and EtherCAT Ecosystem Based on libevl.” In his presentation, he provided an in-depth overview of his team’s concepts, progress, and challenges in developing an abstraction layer based on libevl that aims to be compatible with Xenomai 3 POSIX semantics.
Qiu Qichan pointed out that compared to Xenomai 3, the ecosystem of Linux EVL is still relatively weak, and many industrial control programs that are widely used on Xenomai have not yet been successfully transitioned to the EVL platform. To tackle this challenge, the POSIX wrapper is key to enabling the efficient adaptation of both Xenomai 3 and standard Linux applications.
In addition, Qiu Qichan revealed that they plan to introduce IgH EtherCAT into EVL to support the EtherCAT real-time control protocol, which is widely used in the industrial control field. This initiative will greatly enhance the applicability and competitiveness of EVL in high-performance, real-time control applications.
Siemens, Wang guangfeng
Mr. Wang Guangfeng from SIEMENS, in the keynote speech titled “Exploration of Stability Optimization for Xenomai Real-Time Operating System Based on ARM Platform in Extreme Pressure Environments,” provided a clear explanation of the concept of real-time operating systems, discussing their extensive application and core value in SIEMENS’ industrial solutions.
Wang Guangfeng discussed Siemens’s continuous efforts to push the boundaries of high performance. Even in the face of increased latency challenges, Siemens is committed to ensuring that system behavior remains accurate and reliable. He reflected on the past, highlighting a significant research project undertaken by the Siemens team, which aimed to replace the traditional VxWorks system with the Xenomai real-time operating system.
Wang Guangfeng also provided a range of real-world examples that clearly demonstrated the significant advantages of Xenomai in improving system stability, optimizing response times, and enhancing overall system performance. Through thorough data analysis and application results, he effectively showcased the positive impact of Xenomai in practical scenarios.
中科时代 刘杨SINSEGYE, Liu yang
Liu Yang from SINSEGYE provided a clear and detailed explanation of the process involved in porting the M_CAN driver to RTDM (Real-Time Data Distribution Middleware) on the Intel Atom(R) x6425RE platform. He also shared relevant code implementations to illustrate the process.
He provided an in-depth explanation of how to migrate the M_CAN driver from its original operating system environment to the RTDM framework, ensuring high-performance real-time communication on the Intel Atom(R) x6425RE platform. His presentation offered valuable insights for professionals in the relevant field.
-Exhibition Tour
During the intermission of the keynote speech, SINSEGYE organized an exhibition tour and a roundtable discussion. This initiative aimed to enrich the participants’ experience and promote in-depth communication.
During this period, participants were invited to visit the exhibition area, which showcased the latest innovative products from SINSEGYE. The exhibition also featured live demo demonstrations, allowing participants to experience the latest technological achievements firsthand.
-Roundtable Disscussion
The roundtable discussion aimed to facilitate in-depth communication between the speakers and the participants, hosted by Song Jianwei from SINSEGYE. This discussion brought together industry experts, including Jan Kiszka from Siemens, Liu Yang from SINSEGYE, Qiu Qichen from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Wang Huwen from Intel, Li Chunliang from ECARX Holdings, and Wang Guangfeng from Siemens. As roundtable guests, they collaboratively addressed the participants’ comprehensive questions regarding Xenomai.
The discussion focused on several topics, including the universality of compilation tools, the compatibility of the Arm architecture with Xenomai, and the development prospects of Xenomai in China. This provided the participants with a rich and in-depth communication platform.
The 2024 Xenomai Open Source Community workshop was successfully held, and we extend our gratitude to all partners and friends who continue to support SINSEGYE and Xenomai. This workshop focused on the practical applications and future optimizations of Xenomai, highlighting key areas of industry development in recent years. We believe that the outcomes of today’s discussions will inject more innovative energy into the future development of the real-time operating system.