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Linux Foundation's Open Source Zephyr RTOS Gets Major Update
The Linux Foundation's open source Zephyr real-time operating system (RTOS) recently announced an update to version 1.14, offering a number of new features. Overall, the foundation says that, with the update, the software is now a "more stable, certifiable option for product makers and developers."
According to the developers, Zephyr -- a hardware OS, licensed under Apache 2.0, which is designed for use with multiple architectures and for "resource-constrained"/embedded systems -- now supports more than 160 boards and eight architectures, including x86_64.
Also in this edition the developers re-engineered the timing subsystem, "greatly simplifying the resulting driver, removing thousands of lines of codes and reducing a typical kernel build size by hundreds of bytes," they explained in the official announcement of this release.
Other improvements include a rework of the network packet API, new drivers for the native POSIX port, additional support for device idle power management, "major updates" to the logging and shell subsystems, plus a number of security-focused changes, among others.
The full list of improvements and changes can be accessed here.
Testing of Zephyr projects can be validated with supported simulators including QEMU, ARC Simulator, Renode and the native POSIX configuration.
The code for the updated RTOS is available here.
Find out more about Zephyr on the official project Web site here.
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Becky Nagel is the former editorial director and director of Web for 1105 Media's Converge 360 group, and she now serves as vice president of AI for company, specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. Find her on X/Twitter @beckynagel.