what is the best way to start learning about RTOS??

Here's a brief overview on RTOS for those that aren't looking to commit to a book or code just yet. [Credit to Professor Jim Peckol at UW]

An operating system has to provide 3 essential things:

1. Task Scheduling - The scheduler determines which task to run and when a task will run
2. Task Dispatching - The dispatcher handles the necessary operations to get a task ready to go
3. Intertask Communication - This is the mechanism that handles how you exchange data and information between tasks and processes on the same machine or from other machines

These 3 essential things are what makes up the smallest portion of an OS called the Kernel.

A real time operating system is just a special purpose operating system. The 'real time' part of the name does not mean that the system responds quickly, it just means that there are rigid time requirements that must be met. If these time requirements are not met, your results can become inaccurate or unreliable.

So you want to use a RTOS when you need to monitor and control physical  processes in a timely manner. The constraints you have deal with when using RTOS are tight scheduling, predictability, and robustness.

There are two kinds of RTOS:

1. Hard Real Time - System delays are known or at least bounded. Said to be operating correctly if the system can return results within any time constraints.
2. Soft Real Time - Critical tasks get priority over other tasks and will retain priority until the task is completed. This is another way of saying that real time tasks cannot be kept waiting indefinitely. Soft real time makes it easier  to mix the system with other systems.

Check out freertos.org for more!

Clem

Here's a brief overview on RTOS for those that aren't looking to commit to a book or code just yet. [Credit to Professor Jim Peckol at UW]

An operating system has to provide 3 essential things:

1. Task Scheduling - The scheduler determines which task to run and when a task will run
2. Task Dispatching - The dispatcher handles the necessary operations to get a task ready to go
3. Intertask Communication - This is the mechanism that handles how you exchange data and information between tasks and processes on the same machine or from other machines

These 3 essential things are what makes up the smallest portion of an OS called the Kernel.

A real time operating system is just a special purpose operating system. The 'real time' part of the name does not mean that the system responds quickly, it just means that there are rigid time requirements that must be met. If these time requirements are not met, your results can become inaccurate or unreliable.

So you want to use a RTOS when you need to monitor and control physical  processes in a timely manner. The constraints you have deal with when using RTOS are tight scheduling, predictability, and robustness.

There are two kinds of RTOS:

1. Hard Real Time - System delays are known or at least bounded. Said to be operating correctly if the system can return results within any time constraints.
2. Soft Real Time - Critical tasks get priority over other tasks and will retain priority until the task is completed. This is another way of saying that real time tasks cannot be kept waiting indefinitely. Soft real time makes it easier  to mix the system with other systems.

Check out freertos.org for more!

Clem