pmEasy

Protected Mode Environment

pmEasy offers a middle-ground between Windows- or Linux-based systems and real-time systems which are burned into EPROM or flash. Like a desktop OS, pmEasy starts in real-mode, switches the processor to protected mode, loads the application into RAM, and starts it running. The application is in the form of a relocatable exe file. Unlike desktop OS's, pmEasy is designed to support hard real-time requirements. It is also compact and fast.

Unlike DOS-extenders, which have also been used for embedded systems, pmEasy does not greatly increase interrupt latency nor task switching time.

Hence, pmEasy is appropriate for embedded systems which have some form of disk, and for which, locating and burning code into ROM is not appropriate or not desired. (e.g. The application is large and complex or is in a state of flux.)

Features

• Easy access to protected mode.
  
• Loads protected mode executables from:
  
  • Floppy
    
  • IDE Hard Disk
    
  • DiskOnChip
    
  • CDROM
    
  • LS-120
    
  • DOS Devices
• No need to locate code.
  
• Support for either 16-bit or 32-bit protected mode.
  
• Soft-Scope version supports debugging.
  
• No increase in interrupt latency.
  
• No increase in task switch time.
  
• Allows temporary switch to real mode for hardware initialization and other purposes.
  
• Boot loadable. DOS not required.
  
• DOS loadable. Exits cleanly back to DOS.
  
• With unDOS, provides an excellent upgrade path from DOS. (See unDOS <../dos/undwinpb.htm>brochure for details.)

Source code included (except for exe loaders and device drivers).

Micro Digital, Inc. , 2900 Bristol, G204, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: 714-437-7333; Fax: 714-432-0490.