Microsoft launched two embedded operating systems Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded. Both operating systems can be used in embedded systems. But how can I determine which one is more suitable for your equipment?
At first glance, Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded do not seem to be different. Both systems belong to the component-chemical operating system, all equipped with similar program interfaces (Win32, MFC, ATL, and support for .NET applications), using similar operating system technology, support network, internet browser, media player, etc. . If you understand the design goals of each operating system, it will be easier.
Windows CE is a compact and component real-time operating system that can be run on a multiprocessor architecture. On the other hand, Windows XP Embedded can be treated as a component-based version of Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 integrated with embedded features. Now let's analyze some of the two operating systems.
We already know that Windows XP Embedded is a component version of Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2. This operating system includes nearly 12,000 independent components, built-in approximately 9,000 device drivers, and 3,000 operating system technology. You can pick the drivers, services and applications that need to be included in the embedded operating system image. If you don't need a media player, NOTEPAD, or IE, there is no need to select the appropriate function in your operating system image. This ability to select individual components can narrow down the size of the operating system, which naturally reduces the risk of malicious code attacks. For Windows XP Embedded SP2, it has all security updates in Windows XP SP2, including all ports that are off (except HTTP). Of course, the system builder can decide which port is opened according to the device. The common operating system constructed based on the XP Embedded structure is incremented by 40 MB, depending on which operating system component / technology contains in the final image.
One advantage of using Windows XP Embedded in an embedded system is that development speed can be improved. WINDOWS XP Embedded system runs above our very familiar X86 processor and PC architectural hardware. This means that you can run on Windows XP Embedded without modifying device drivers or applications for Windows 2000 or Windows XP. This is because the Windows XP Embedded operating system has a set of prefabricated desktop binary components that ensure compatibility between applications and drivers.
The Windows XP Embedded device typical development process is: First, save the snapshot of the underlying hardware using the tool named Target Analyzer, generate an XML format file, and define all hardware components in the target device with this file. Then, Import the XML file into the Component Designer tool, saved as custom components, and then use the component to define the hardware of the device. In addition, the component designer can also be imported into the .inf format file, which can easily generate components in the Windows 2000 or Windows XP device driver. The component designer can also be used to create custom components, or define components for custom enclosures or applications. Created components can define files, registration settings, and the dependence of the operating system to the components. Once the defined element is inserted into the Windows XP Embedded component database, it can be used for embedded design.
Developing a Windows XP Embedded Operating System Image is to use the Target Designer tool. This tool supports all techniques and drivers of the Windows XP operating system, as well as embedded features (we will introduce below). System developers only need to select the desired components and add these components to the project workspace. Optional components include the hardware definition component created by the target analyzer, which can define the starting point design template for many devices, including Windows Based Terminal, Point of Sale devices, set-top boxes. You can also drag a single component in the directory to add it to the project design. At the time of construction, the target designer will run a dependency analysis program in the project workspace to ensure that the required operating system features in the final operating system image. For example, developers choose a .NET design framework, add its .NET application, and build an operating system image. In this process, the system designers do not need to know and understand the dependence of the .NET framework, you can build an operating system image. We have mentioned that Windows XP Embedded has certain embedded specific features, including starting and running Windows XP Embedded from a CD-ROM or flash disk disk. In both cases, developers want to set the underlying medium to read-only because flash memory only supports limited write, and CD-ROM is read only in this boot environment. The Enhanced Write Filter component of Windows XP Embedded will take the operating system and application write instructions without writing the startup media content to the built-in cache. This means that under shutdown, the underlying medium does not generate an error, and the device can always be optimally started. Because Windows XP Embedded's enhanced write filtering components allow multiple sleep files to be used, you will have an excellent start-up environment, in which system startup time and consumer electron product start-up time are similar.
So how do you compare Windows XP Embedded and Windows CE? The Windows CE is compact, which is a hard-real-time embedded operating system that can be run on a variety of processor architectures, such as X86, MIPS, ARM, and SH4. The kernel is only 200KB, and of course the operating system size depends on the components contained in the design. This operating system configures a typical, support
802.11a
/ b / g resident gateway, it can remotely via a web-based interface; a security software that is less than 4 MB; a functionally fully equipped handheld browser (Web Pad) image (including web browser, media Player, office file browser, it supports .NET Compact Framework and a Windows Explorer shell of approximately 18 MB.
There are many essential differences in Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded. First, Windows CE is a 32-bit, Unicode operating system, which does not support MS-DOS or Windows 3.x applications. In addition, the architecture of Windows CE is also different from desktops. In the desktop, you can find three core operating system components: Kernel32, GDI32, and USER32. WINDOWS CE does not exist these components, components having the same function include Coredll (Kernel32) and GWES, Graphics Windowing, and Event Subsystem (equivalent to combination of GDI32 and user32). This means that even simple desktop applications cannot run on Windows CE, the smallest desktop application needs to be recompiled to run on the Windows CE device, not only because of the architecture, but also because Windows CE equipment is more suitable The non-x86 processor is running. You may think that Windows CE can only run on the handheld device, battery power supply, such as Windows Mobile device, and in fact this is only the most basic application of Windows CE, Windows CE has powerful power management capabilities, and running on the Windows Mobile device. problem. Windows CE can run in industrial control systems, medical monitoring equipment, robots, sales equipment retail points, and other many embedded operating systems. Windows CE is a hard-real-time embedded operating system that supports interrupt delays below 10 microseconds, far better than other real-time embedded systems.
A set of tools with Windows CE can be used to configure, build, and debug embedded operating system images. The Platform Builder tool and Windows XP Embedded target designer tool are extremely similar, and developers can initially configure the operating system using Platform Wizard (similar to Windows XP Embedded Design Templates), and then add or delete certain features from the operating system design. Platform Builder also contains support features for operating system function dependence, for example, adding .NET Compact Framework to a design, also supports the required operating system technology.
Usually Windows CE is running on custom hardware, this design has the advantage of reducing the mirror size of the operating system to reduce the material used, reducing the power consumption of the processor, and reduces the supported number of peripherals, and here At the same time, the support capabilities for the latest operating system technology are enhanced. This process typically requires Windows CEs to replace Windows CEs to newly customized hardware. In order to achieve this transplantation process, Windows CE loads millions of source code, developers can use these source code to test Windows CE work mode of WINDOWS CE. In addition, the modified way to provide source code also help to achieve the transplant process.
After the mirroring of the Windows CE operating system, you can use many tools (such as source code debuggers, performance monitor, and evaluation tools) to debug or test Windows CE operating system mirroring.
We are just overview
Windows CE
with
Windows XP Embedded
Used
Part of technology
It is inevitable to hang a leak.
Microsoft
Windows CE
with
Windows XP Embedded
Evaluation version
,you
Can log in
http://www.windowsembeddedkit.com
free download.
Before actually starting the supply device, it is not required to obtain the operating system image license. In addition, Microsoft also provides long-reached embedded operating systems.
10
Year support! For your next generation of embedded products, hurry
Windows CE
or
Windows XP
