Using an Arm Cortex System-on-Module?

Your application is probably low-medium volume and time-to-market is very important.

Should you write your own OS or use an off-the-shelf product?

Linux-based operating systems are well-suited to SoM applications where Low Latency / Real-Time response is not a priority.

Linux is a sophisticated general-purpose OS. It covers applications from simple to complex and supports a very wide range of processors from low power to high power.

Cut down to fit the application and diligently document. Every general-purpose OS / RTOS (free or otherwise) will need to be carefully configured / pared down to meet the needs of the SoM application and carefully documented for future application enhancement.

Real-Time performance needed but an RTOS is over-complex? You could write your own in-house OS, but it will be time-consuming and can seriously impact time-to-market. It can also easily end up as spaghetti code without proper documentation or thorough debugging.

The functionality of your application probably fits into one of the four most popular architectures:

Super Loop. This is a very simple architecture, but with a little bit of supercharging, it can power many of the simpler SoM applications whilst meeting the time deadlines of the system in a reasonable amount of time, but also in a good order.

First Come First Served. This scheduling algorithm automatically executes queued requests and processes by order of arrival. It is “batch processing” and is used in applications like remote data gathering/processing where processing time is not critical.

Round Robin Scheduling. This scheduling algorithm distributes work evenly among all available resources, ensuring no single resource is overworked and provides the best performance in terms of average response time, where priority tasks are not important.

Pre-emptive Priority Scheduling. Where the application needs a comprehensive RTOS with the ultimate of real-time control, but also incorporating all of the above architecture options.

The Novos Solution

First of all, Novos is NOT a single general-purpose OS/RTOS needing to be stripped-down to fit.

Instead, it is a family of FIVE off-the-shelf REAL-TIME Environments totally focused on and optimised for Arm-based SoMs and your chosen Scheduling Architecture.

The Novos dedication to Arm-based SoM boards and the most popular scheduling architectures offers many unique technical advantages:

1) A “Ready-built” approach can be taken. With Five off-the-shelf Environments, there is no need to strip-back Novos to make it fit the application.

2) “Closer to the chip”. Because the Novos design is dedicated to Arm Cortex, the source code can be optimised for the chip’s Instruction Set. No general-purpose OS/RTOS can offer this advantage.

3) “Closer to the chosen scheduling architecture”. The Services in each of the Five Novos Environments are subtly different, optimised for the organisation they support. This is a very important point and no general-purpose RTOS or OS can offer this optimisation. The number of Services ranges from 31 to 96, depending on the chosen Environment. More…

4) Support for Low Power and Dual Arm Core SoMs – for example SoMs dedicated to Low Power or the Raspberry Pi RP2040 Dual Core microchip used on their Pico SoM. For example, Linux could run on one RP2040 core, with Novos on the other, enabling very powerful data processing.

5) Novos is available in source code form ROYALTY FREE.

6) Minimal code size. SoM boards generally have plenty of memory, but code size may be an issue in some applications. More...

7) Every Novos Environment is fully documented for future reference and product updating. Unlike a general-purpose OS/RTOS where careful documentation of the pared-down configuration is needed, Novos has its own comprehensive set of Documentation off-the-shelf, tailored exactly to each individual Novos Environment. More…

8) Configuration is minimal, if any. Because every Novos Environment comes with a default, you can start using Novos with minimum effort. Coupled with our Getting Started Guides, you get to concentrate on the application very quickly.

In the end, it’s all about time and money

Remember, Time-to-Market is so important.

Because Novos is highly focused on Arm Cortex SoM boards and the four most popular scheduling architectures, time-to-market is optimised. In addition, the ready-tailored documentation ensures product future-proofing.

Applications without documented organization and coding are most likely to wither and die, if they even make it to market at all. And the company finances spent on them are lost. Novos can secure the investment and the product’s future.

Why waste money? Or product reliability? Or product or company reputation? Novos reduces the risk of failure. This benefits both the company and the developer.