Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

• What tools do you provide?

  The primary tools we provide are:

  • Command line modeling tool – LSK’s autoconfig
  • Luminosity – Eclipse-based IDE for LynxOS-178 and Buildroot Linux development
    • Learn more
  • Command line tool chains based on GCC/GDB for both LynxOS-178 and Buildroot Linux
    • FreeRTOS support — GCC/GDB support (pending)
    • Lynx Simple Applications (bare-metal applications) currently have tool chain support based on GCC. We do not offer GDB support for LSAs.

  
  For a list of additional tools, please email us.

• Can I use Linux with your technology?

  Linux fits into MOSA.ic in two ways. First, Buildroot embedded Linux is included with MOSA.ic as a pre-integrated guest OS. This means Buildroot Linux is easily deployed in one or multiple virtual machines in your design. Linux is useful should you require an advanced filesystem, network protocol, or to take advantage of its vast device driver library, or to run a Linux application, either your own or from the community.

  Heterogenous designs are enabled where Linux is used to host complex software, such as a mySQL database or as a gateway to utilise accelerated hardware such as a GPGPU, for example, alongside another virtual machine running an RTOS to host a safety critical or real-time application. Second, Linux is helpful as a configuration, prototyping or debugging aid. It can be used temporarily during development, for example, to validate USB hardware is working before porting the driver to your RTOS environment.

• Who are your competitors?

  Our core products are real-time operating system (RTOS) and virtualization technologies. Depending on our customers' requirements, they may end up using our RTOS, our separation kernel (hypervisor), or our flagship technology, which is a complete development and integration framework, including Buildroot Linux, FreeRTOS support, and tools for building bare-metal applications.
  
  Our competitors therefore range between proprietary RTOS companies such as Wind River Systems, Green Hills Software, DDC-I, and Sysgo to various other proprietary and/or open source virtualization and RTOS solutions.

  For a list of the most common RTOS companies we see being used today for embedded and IoT projects, see our article, "What Are the Most Popular Real-Time Operating Systems 2020." To learn more about separation kernels and how they are distinct from RTOS-based hypervisors, read: "What is a Separation Kernel?"

• Do you have consulting and professional services?

  When Lynx engages with prospective customers and analyzes the system requirements, we often identify gaps between the capabilities of off-the-shelf products and the desired system functionality. How that gap is addressed is really dependent on the preferred approach of the customer. For example, sometimes the intellectual property created in that work is something that they deem differentiated and worthy of owning. Often Lynx will deliver professional services to address the “gap”...

• What other open source/open standards support do your solutions provide?

  Lynx uses open source and open standards in many places. Our RTOS is built with, and presents, the POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface), standard API set to applications. UNIX and Linux are built the same way and so are familiar and substantially compatible with LynxOS-178. Both our RTOS, LynxOS-178 and bare-metal target environments are built with the GCC compiler, additionally Lynx uses the GDB debugger and the Eclipse IDE.

• Do you have any plans to support the RISC-V processor architecture?

  No RISC-V based parts on market today support hardware virtualization, which is a fundamental requirement for LynxSecure. We are engaged with several semiconductor companies under NDA to understand their RISC-V based product plans. We intend to support this architecture once the necessary components with hardware virtualization support are rolled out.

• What languages does LynxOS-178 support?

  • LynxOS-178 supports the C programming language for both production mode and development mode (an enhanced set of APIs and capabilities to aid in development)
  • LynxOS-178 supports C++11/14 for development mode
  • LynxOS-178 supports Ada from Lynx’s partners. (e.g,. AdaCore)

• I don't need do-178 certification, does that mean I don't need LynxOS-178?

  This depends on whether or not your project needs to be certified to some standard, and whether or not real-time determinism is needed.

  If you need certification to some standard (even if it’s not DO-178) you will need LynxOS-178. We develop LynxOS-178 using DO-178C processes. This is a rigorous standard, and customers that do not need DO-178 will still benefit from LynxOS-178’s certification package for their certification efforts.

  If you need real-time determinism, then LynxOS-178 is currently the RTOS of choice on the LYNX MOSA.ic™ development framework. However, we will soon be supporting FreeRTOS as an out-of-box RTOS solution on LYNX MOSA.ic as well. You will then be able to choose between FreeRTOS and LynxOS-178 as off-the-shelf RTOS solution, according to which out-of-the-box RTOS best fits your system’s needs. We also have customers that have ported their own RTOS solutions in preference to LynxOS-178. We do not force customers to use LynxOS-178 even when they want an RTOS and need real-time determinism.

  If neither certification nor real-time determinism is required for your project, then you do not need LynxOS-178. Buildroot, which is provided as part of LYNX MOSA.ic, or a 3^rd party COTS OS (e.g. RedHat Linux or Windows) may be a better OS fit for your product.

  Read: Lynx announces support for FreeRTOS

  Read: Do you need an RTOS?

  Read: How to choose an RTOS

• What is the difference between LynxSecure and LYNX MOSA.ic?

  LynxSecure is a separation kernel. LYNX MOSA.ic is a software framework which includes LynxSecure as a foundational element. LYNX MOSA.ic also includes Buildroot Linux, bare-metal tools, and other operating systems (from Lynx, from 3^rd parties and soon from open source) which customers can harness to get a head start in their development work...

  Read: What is a separation kernel?

• Does LynxOS-178 support the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE™) standard?

  FACE compliance refers to software has been modified to support the FACE application programming interfaces (APIs). FACE conformance requires that the software has been tested by third parties and verified to truly meet the standard.

  LynxOS-178 is conformant to the 2.0 FACE specification. It is compliant with v3.0 and is scheduled to be conformant in Q3 2020.

• Is LynxSecure NIAP certified?

  Short answer: Lynx offers a NIST 800-53 package for LynxSecure, the current NIAP-supported certification and accredited process for critical systems. No new evaluations have been accepted for years (nor will they be accepted, as the SKPP is effectively dead).

  Detailed answer: The Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation (ISO/IEC 15408) is an International standard for IT products. Common Criteria defines security evaluation assurance levels (EALs) ranging from EAL1 (least secure) to EAL7 (most secure) to describe the security level achieved by Security Targets (components) being evaluated (tested) against a Protection Profile.

  For or a few years beginning in 2007, the Common Criteria included a profile for separation kernels called the Separation Kernel Protection Profile (SKPP) that real-time operating system (RTOS) providers such as Lynx, Wind River Systems, and Green Hills Software built products toward. The SKPP was sunset in 2011 by NIAP after problems with the first evaluation. The Common Criteria remains a useful standard, but no further SKPP evaluations will be accepted, and the SKPP is effectively dead. Instead, NIAP is directly supporting the certification and accreditation process for critical systems. NIST Special Publication 800-53, “Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations” is a more general security approach that partly fills the SKPP gap. We offer a NIST 800-53 package for LynxSecure.

  LynxSecure was designed to satisfy real-time, high assurance computing requirements used to regulate military and industrial computing environments, such as NIST, NSA Common Criteria, and NERC CIP. Developed and maintained in San Jose, California in accordance with FAA DO-178 Safety Quality Standards and DoD Risk Management Framework guidelines, LynxSecure is certified, fielded, and maintained on classified DoD networks. The product has undergone many security assessments including penetration testing and design review by independent government security authorities.

  For the last several years, LynxSecure has gone through numerous delta certifications showcasing significant cost savings from the reuse of previously certified components that have remained unmodified throughout the lifecycle of a program’s tech refresh period. The technology has also enabled programs to effortless spawn derivative platforms into adjacent programs further maximizing component reuse. Lynx offers a DoD Risk Management Framework guide to aid the US Army’s security evaluation of the security enforcing properties of the platform. The package includes NIST security control traceability and Common Criteria Security Target traceability into the underlying kernel design requirements.

• Is a separation kernel a hypervisor?

  Yes. A separation kernel is a minimal, unique type of bare-metal (or Type-1) hypervisor. It is distinct in critical ways from Type-2 hypervisors, which require host operating systems (OS).

  The concept behind a separation kernel is to place as little software between each OS and the hardware as possible. System functions are distributed and decentralized to avoid a single point of failure. Hardware resources (memory, IO, processor cores) are provisioned to each of the applications on boot and this cannot then be reconfigured, resulting in improved system security. Applications cannot interfere either maliciously or accidentally with other applications. The simplicity of LynxSecure (about twenty thousand lines of code) also simplifies the task of safety certification.
  
  To learn more about separation kernels vs. operating systems, read: "What is a Separation Kernel?"

• Which processor architectures / suppliers does LynxSecure support?

  Lynx supports Intel, Arm and Power (note that NXP since the early part of 2020 dropped the PowerPC term…we are working through out website and collateral to make these modifications) architectures. We do require hardware virtualization to be present in the component so in the case of Arm, our focus has been on the Armv8 architecture (Cortex-A5x and Cortex-A7x cores). Our primary silicon partnerships today are with Intel, NXP (both Arm and Power elements of the Layerscape families with plans for additional product areas including i.MX and S32x) and Xilinx. We are open to discussions for other silicon chips provided they include hardware virtualization support.