Operating System for IoT
IoTs are playing important role these days. As requirements are increasing day by day, we not only require good hardware but also a supportive operating system. There are many IoT devices which support operating system such as Raspberry pi 4, Banana Pi M3, Odroid XU4, ARM etc. CPUs of these devices are based on ARM Architecture.
So, before choosing operating system for your IoT device, you should ask the following questions to yourself.
1. Are you looking for the task specific operating system?
If you have to work with servers then you have good options such as Azure sphere OS, Apache Mynewt, Amazon FreeRTOS. Then there are few real time OS such as tizen, fuschia etc, ; if you want to run it on multiple platforms and want regular data updates. Penetration tools are available in kali linux (for IoT). If your purpose is just to create an alternative for your PC you can use (surprisingly!) Windows 10 for IoTs or Snappy OS which is based on Ubuntu operating system.
2. How long your device is going to be active?
If you are planning to use the device for a year, then you don’t require software upgrade. In this case you can use almost every operating system in market. But if you are going to use it for few years, you will need an Operating system which gives regular updates. You can prefer Snappy, Fuschia and windows 10 IoT.
3. Is security a major concern?
If your task is required high security then you can use open source operating system as developer community checks for bugs and update it regularly. You can also go for OS developed by big tech-giants. Examples for security oriented OS are: Ubuntu , Windows IoT, Brillo(developed by google)etc.
Few Operating Systems are discussed below:
- Azure Sphere OS: Azure Sphere OS comes with built-in communication and security features for internet-connected devices. It uses Monolithic kernel. MediaTek3620 was the first chip certified by azure sphere OS and included an ARM Cortex-A7 processor. It provides the features displayed in the following picture. FreeRTOS can be used in embedded systems spanning industrial, commercial, and consumer applications. For example, smart meters, oil pump sensors, appliances, commercial security systems, fitness trackers, and sensor networks can all be benefited from FreeRTOS.
2.Apache Mynewt OS: This is the open source preemptive real time operating system consists of lot of libraries. It has kernel size of 6kb only. Some features it provides are:
1. It has Bluetooth support of low energy 4.2 stack
2. Command line package management and build system (Newt Tool)
3. Wi-Fi support
4. Console, shell, and bootloader support this operating system.
3.Amazon Free RTOS: This is the open source operating system. Team of Amazon (company) has added many useful libraries which make tasks easier. This system uses amazon web service for IoT that is AWS IoT core to run IoT applications so you get cloud support. This is very secure OS as Amazon has invested a lot of money for securing this operating system.
4. Tizen Operating System: This is linux based operating system designed for both mobile apps and small embedded system. It uses monolithic kernel. Samsung uses this OS in their TVs, monitors and various home appliances. It has a shared infrastructure “Tizen Common”.
5. Fuchsia OS: This is real time operating system developed by google. Kernel of this OS is a type of microkernel. It supports some new programming languages like GO, Dart and Rust. It uses Flutter as software development kit for UI.
6.Snappy OS: This is Ubuntu for IoT. So you get libraries, kernel and major applications from Linux package snap. This OS is a nice option for cloud management related tasks. It provides strong security and regular updates as this is open source project by Ubuntu.
7.Windows 10 IoT: Developed by Microsoft corporation with hybrid kernel. It provides support for many appliances. This OS is secure and enhances cloud experience.
8. Nucleus RTOS : Nucleus OS is a highly scalable real-time operating system developed by Embedded Software Division of Mentor Graphics, a Siemens Business. It is based on Micro-kernel. It comes with rich UI and high security. It offers power management APIs for low-power design. There are various integrated development tools available with Eclipse-Based IDE.
References: Azure Sphere, Apache Mynewt, FreeRTOS, Fuchsia, Ubuntu Core, Windows 10 IoT , Nucleus RTOS .
Thank You!
Regards:
Abhijit Patil
Amitesh Patil
Kshitij Patil
Nikita Patil
Pranit Patil
