View source for Versatile Real-Time Executive

{{Short description|Real-time operating system}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox OS
| name                   = Versatile Real-Time Executive
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| developer              = Hunter & Ready<br/>[[Ready Systems]]<br/>Microtec Research<br/>[[Mentor Graphics]]
| source model           = 
| kernel type            = [[Real-time operating system|Real-time]]
| supported platforms    = [[Zilog Z8000|Z8002]], [[Intel 8086|i8086]], [[Intel 80186|i80186]], [[ARM architecture|ARM]], [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]], [[PowerPC]], [[SPARC]], [[Reduced instruction set computer|RISC]], [[Motorola 68000 series|M68K]], [[AMD Am29000|AMD29K]], [[Intel i960|i960]], [[Motorola 88000|M88K]], [[Intel i860|i860]], [[Intel 80386|i80386]], [[Freescale 683XX|CPU32]], [[StrongARM]]
| ui                     = 
| family                 = [[Real-time operating system]]s
| released               = {{start date and age|1981}}
| latest release version = 
| latest release date    = 
| marketing target       = [[Embedded system]]s, [[System on a chip|SoC]]
| programmed in          = 
| language               = English
| update model           = 
| package manager        = 
| working state          = Current
| license                = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| website                = {{URL|www.mentor.com}}
}}

'''Versatile Real-Time Executive''' ('''VRTX''') is a [[real-time operating system]] (RTOS) developed and marketed by the company [[Mentor Graphics]]. VRTX is suitable for both traditional board-based [[embedded system]]s and [[system on a chip]] (SoC) architectures. It has been superseded by the [[Nucleus RTOS]].<ref>https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/57381/vrtx VRTX Definition from PC Magazine Encyclopedia</ref>

==History==
The VRTX [[operating system]] began as a product of Hunter & Ready, a company founded by [[MontaVista|James Ready]] and Colin Hunter in 1980 which later became [[Ready Systems]]. This firm later merged with Microtec Research in 1993, and went public in 1994. This firm was then acquired by [[Mentor Graphics]] in 1995<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.CBRonline/news/mentor_graphics_to_add_real_time_arm_via_130m_microtec_acquisition |title=Mentor Graphics to add real time ARM via $130m Microtec acquisition |work=Computer Business Review |date=October 11, 1995 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and VRTX became a Mentor product.

The VRTX operating system was released in September 1981.<ref name="ready">{{cite journal
| last1      = Ready
| first1     = James
| date       = 1986-08-31
| title      = VRTX: A Real-Time Operating System for Embedded Microprocessor Applications
| journal    = IEEE Micro
| volume     = 6
| issue      = 4
| pages      = 10
| doi        = 10.1109/MM.1986.304774
| s2cid = 10740518
}}</ref>

Since the 1980s, the chief rival to VRTX has been [[VxWorks]], a [[Wind River Systems]] product. VxWorks had its start in the mid 1980s as [[compiler]] and [[assembly language]] tools to supplement VRTX, named VRTX works, or VxWorks. Later, Wind River created their own real-time kernel offering similar to VRTX.

==VRTX==
VRTX comes in several flavors: 
* VRTX: [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] VRTX, for Z8000, 8086, etc.
* VRTX-32: [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] VRTX, for M68K, AMD29K, etc.
* MPV: Multiprocessor VRTX for distributed applications, such as distributed across VME backplanes.
* VRTX-mc: Micro-Controller VRTX, for small systems needing minimal memory use.
* VRTX-oc: On-chip VRTX, [[freeware]] community [[source code]] for personal and academic use, license required for commercial use.
* VRTX-sa: Scalable Architecture VRTX for full operating system features. Loosely based on [[Carnegie Mellon University]]'s [[Mach (kernel)|Mach]] [[microkernel]] principles.
* SPECTRA: [[Virtual machine]] (VM) implementation for running a VRTX VM on [[Unix-like]] hosts. Also includes an open [[integrated development environment]] allowing third-party tools open access to cross-development resources.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.CBRonline/news/ready_systems_introduces_spectra_environment_for_developing_real_time_embedded_systems |title=Ready Systems introduces Spectra environment for developing real time embedded systems |date=September 30, 1992 |work=Computer Business Review }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Most companies developing software with VRTX use [[reduced instruction set computer]] (RISC) [[microprocessor]]s including [[ARM architecture|ARM]], [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]], [[PowerPC]], or others.

==Implementations==
VRTX runs the [[Hubble Space Telescope]].

VRTX runs the [[Wide Area Augmentation System]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-systems-company-selects-microtecs-vrtxr-real-time-operating-system-for-wide-area-augmentation-system-76778332.html |title=Raytheon Systems company selects Microtecs VRTX real time operating system for wide area augmentation system |work=PR Newswire |publisher=Cision US}}</ref>

VRTX was the first operating system ported to the [[AMD Am29000]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.CBRonline/news/ready_systems_vrtx_is_first_operating_system_for_am29000 |title=Ready Systems VRTX is first operating system for AM29000 |date=January 6, 1991 |work=Computer Business Review }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

VRTX is used as a core for the [[Motorola]] proprietary {{interlanguage link|P2K|ru}} operating system, which runs on most company devices since the Motorola V60 and T280i, up to the Motorola RAZR<sup>2</sup> V9x. It runs on several hardware platforms including LTE (Motorola V300, [[List of Motorola V series phones|V500, V600]], E398, RAZR V3 and others featuring the [[ARM7]] processor), LTE2 (Motorola L7 and upcoming devices with 176x220 screen resolution), Rainbow POG ([[3G]] phones featuring an [[MCORE]] processor from Motorola E1000 to RAZR V3x), Argon (all new 3G phones with 532&nbsp;MHz [[ARM11]] processor since Motorola RAZR MAXX V6, and V3xx), and others.

== See also ==
* [[List of telescope parts and construction]]
* [[Xenomai]] is a real-time development [[software framework]] cooperating with the [[Linux kernel]]. It could be used to port the VRTX based system to Linux although not all features are supported.
* VRTX has reached end-of-life, an automated porting tool named ''OS Changer'' is available to reuse the code on a modern OS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oschanger.com/ |title=MapuSoft: Porting Made Easy |date=2008 |website=MapuSoft Technologies |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120174628/http://www.oschanger.com/ |archive-date=2008-11-20 |access-date=2021-08-08}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|www.mentor.com}}, Mentor Graphics

{{Real-time operating systems}}
{{Microkernel}}

[[Category:ARM operating systems]]
[[Category:Embedded operating systems]]
[[Category:Proprietary operating systems]]
[[Category:Real-time operating systems]]
[[Category:Microkernel-based operating systems]]
[[Category:Microkernels]]
[[Category:X86 operating systems]]
[[Category:MIPS operating systems]]