RTnet Version 0.9.13 ==================== What is it? ----------- RTnet is an Open Soure hard real-time network protocol stack for Xenomai and RTAI (real-time Linux extensions). It makes use of standard Ethernet hardware and supports several popular card chip sets, including Gigabit Ethernet. Moreover, Ethernet-over-1394 support is available based on the RT-FireWire protocol stack. RTnet implements UDP/IP, TCP/IP (basic features), ICMP and ARP in a deterministic way. It provides a POSIX socket API to real-time user space processes and kernel modules. Access to nondeterministic media is managed by the pluggable RTmac layer and the actual control discipline. As default for Ethernet, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) discipline is provided. What are the requirements? -------------------------- - Linux kernel 2.6.x - Xenomai 2.0 or better RTAI 3.3-cv or better - x86, PowerPC, or ARM platform (other platforms are untested) - RealTek 8139, Intel 8255x (EtherExpress Pro 100), Intel PRO/1000 (e1000 and e1000e), DEC 21x4x-based (tulip), AMD PCnet32/PCnetPCI, VIA Rhine, NatSemi DP8381x, RTL8169 network adapter, MPC8260 FCC, MPC8xx SCC/FEC, or MPC5200 on-chip controllers, SMSC LAN91C111 embedded controller, Intel 82575 (igb) - CAUTION: On systems with > 4 GB RAM, currently only the following chipsets will work: RealTek 8139, Intel PRO/1000 PCI-E (e1000e, NOT e1000), Intel 82575 (igb). For other drivers, as a workaround, RAM usage can be limited to 4 GB by giving mem=4096M as boot parameter. - For Ethernet-over-FireWire see rtfirewire.berlios.de - For RT-WLAN: Ralink 2500 How to install it? ------------------ 1. Install and test a suitable real-time Linux version 2. cd to a preferred directory (e.g. /usr/src) 3. tar xvjf <PATH-TO-RTNET-ARCHIVE>/rtnet-X.X.X.tar.bz2 4. cd rtnet 5. make menuconfig (run "make help" for further information) Set at least the real-time extension installation path and the path RTnet is to be installed to (called <PREFIX> from now on). You could also check other options if they fit your requirements. Help is available for each feature. 6. make 7. make install This will create the directories <PREFIX>/sbin with all configuration tools, <PREFIX>/modules containing all core modules, <PREFIX>/include with the required API header files, and <PREFIX>/etc with configuration files to be used with the rtnet startup script. 8. run "mknod /dev/rtnet c 10 240" on your target system to create the configuration interface device node. Alternatively, there is also an udev rules file available under tools/00-rtnet.rules. How to test it? --------------- 1. Shutdown the network device which shall become part of the RT-network and remove its driver module (this also means that it must not be compiled into the kernel!) 2. Load required real-time modules (modular Xenomai: xeno_hal, xeno_nucleus, xeno_rtdm, RTAI: rtai_hal, rtai_ksched/rtai_lxrt, rtai_sem, rtai_rtdm) 3. Check <PREFIX>/etc/rtnet.conf and adapt at least the following parameters: RT_DRIVER, IPADDR, TDMA_MODE, TDMA_SLAVES. 4. Run <PREFIX>/sbin/rtnet start 5. Run rtping <remote-host> or run an example application (e.g. examples/xenomai/posix/rtt-{sender,responder}) Special notes ------------- Starting the RTnet core manually (without RTmac): 1. Load required componentes of the real-time Linux extension (see above) 2. Load RTnet modules: rtnet (core), rtipv4 (IPv4 protocol + API), rtpacket (packet protocol + API), rt_loopback (rtlo loopback driver), rt_XXX (real-time NIC driver) 3. Configure real-time NICs: rtifconfig rtethX up <IP>, rtifconfig rtlo up 127.0.0.1 4. Add host routes to target nodes, either explicitly: rtroute add <target IP> <target hw-address> dev <local NIC> Or trigger an ARP handshake: rtroute solicit <target IP> dev <local NIC> 5. Don't forget that on RTAI and on Xenomai 2.0.x the system timer has to be started by someone (in typical RTnet setups this is done by loading RTcfg). Contributors ------------ Ulrich Marx - core programming <marx-at-fet.uni-hannover.de> Nathan Gustavson - testing and bug fixing Marc Kleine-Budde - RTmac, testing, bug fixing, autotools <kleine-budde-at-gmx.de> Jan Kiszka <jan.kiszka-at-web.de> - project management, core programming Wittawat Yamwong <wittawat-at-web.de> - testing, documents Hans-Peter Bock <rtnet-at-avaapgh.de> - testing, bug fixing, rtdm-select Mathias Koehrer - 3c59x-rt, rtnetproxy, testing, <mathias_koehrer-at-yahoo.de> bug fixing, ip fragmentation, e1000 Vinay Sridhara - ICMP support <vinaysridhara-at-yahoo.com> Erwin Rol <erwin-at-muffin.org> - Ethereal plugin, rtnetproxy Wolfgang Grandegger - MPC drivers, testing <wg-at-denx.de> Erik Buit - NatSemi driver <e.buit-at-student.utwente.nl> Yuchen Zhang - Ethernet-over-FireWire support <yuchen623-at-gmail.com> Klaus Keppler - RTL8169 gigabit driver <klaus.keppler-at-informatik.stud.uni-erlangen.de> Bill Vareka <bvareka-at-amsuper.com> - joint-slots TDMA extension Fabian Koch <me-at-tabascoeye.de> - various improvements of the configuration interfaces and tools Daniel Gregorek <dxg-at-gmx.de> - RT-WLAN support, RT2500 driver Jorge Almeida - SOCK_RAW for packet sockets and <j-almeida@criticalsoftware.com> ETH_P_ALL support Yeoh Chun Yeow <yeohchunyeow@gmail.com> - rt_at91_ether driver Cristiano Mantovani <cristianomantovani@hotmail.com>, Stefano Banzi - rt_macb driver Gilles Chanteperdrix - NIC statistics, select() groundwork, <gilles.chanteperdrix@xenomai.org> various fixes and enhancements ... and more, see git logs! Acknowledgements: David Schleef - he wrote the original RTnet, some parts of this version are based on his code RTnet is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under the terms of the GNU General Public License unless otherwise stated. This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. See "COPYING" and header files rtnet.h and rtmac.h for details.