[ag-automation] OSADL: I/O framework based on RTDM, EtherCAT over RTnet

[Wolfgang Grandegger]

Hello,

first I wish you all a happy and successful New Year.

I want to mention, that an I/O framework based on RTDM, the Real-Time 
Driver Model [1], currently available for the real-time extensions 
Xenomai [2] and RTAI [3], is also an option for the OSADL I/O framework. 
A RTDM port over -rt is in work and will be available soon. This would 
permit to use RTDM drivers for both, Xenomai and Linux with -rt and we 
would furthermore benefit from already existing, fully real-time capable 
RTDM drivers like RTnet, RTserial and RT-Socket-CAN.

We realized, that some people are awaiting eagerly the availability of 
EtherCAT for real-time Linux and we believe, that a RTDM based I/O 
framework could provide an intermediate solution in short time and with 
little funding. Please note, that there is already a port of EtherCAT 
[4] over RTnet almost ready. Making the Linux network stack real-time 
capable (and even more based on a generic user space driver interface?) 
requires substantial development resources and will not be available soon.

Wolfgang.

[1]
http://www.xenomai.org/documentation/branches/v2.1.x/pdf/RTDM-and-Applications.pdf
[2} http://www.xenomai.org
[3} http://www.rtai.org
[4] http://ethercatmaster.berlios.de/