Release notes for embOS Version 3.20g for M16C and Tasking compiler

Updated: 2004-07-16 [AW]
Updated: 2003-06-27 [AW]

1. Tool chain used for build
2. New features
3. Improvements
4. Program corrections
5. Known problems
6. Release history
7. Miscellaneous

Tool chain used for build

The following tools have been used:

TASKING Toolchain 3.0r1

Compiler:  TASKING CM16C   v3.0r1
Assembler: TASKING ASM16C  v3.0r1
Librarian: TASKING ARM16C  v3.0r1
Workbench: TASKING EDE v3.0

New features

Version 3.20

1. OS_Suspend() / OS_Resume() implemented
   New functions to suspend and resume tasks unconditionally.
   
2. Fixed size memory blocks implemeted
   New functions to allocate fixed size memory blocks from embOS.
3. Dynamic memory allocation supported by embOS
   Thread safe dynamic memory allocation functions implemented.

Version 3.10k

1. OS_GetMailTimed()
   New mailbox retreiving function with timeout.

Version 3.10d

1. OS_GetpCurrentTimer()
   New info routine. May be used in timer callback routines to examine which timer expired.
2. OS_GetpCurrentTask()
   New info routine. May be used to examine current running task.

Version 3.10

1. Data format for communication with embOSView modified
   For terminal I/O in embOSView, the data format was changed. Therefore embOSView V3.10 or later is required.
2. OS_WaitSingleEvent()
   Unmasked events remain unchanged when function returns.
3. OS_WaitSingleEventTimed()
   Unmasked events remain unchanged when function returns. Timeout for waiting can be specified.

Version 3.08a

1. Message Queue functionality enhanced
   OS_Q_GetPtrCond() function enables conditional request of data from Queue without task suspension.
   OS_Q_GetMessageCnt() functions delivers number of messages in the queue.

Version 3.08

1. Message Queues
   Message queues enable intertask communication with messages of various size.

Version 3.06h

1. Modified for Tasking toolchain 2.1
2. All embOS interrupts now defined in RTOSInit.c
   An additional interrupt definition in assembler file is not required anymore. The RTOSVect.asm file is eliminated. Default UART for embOSView changed to UART0.

Version 3.06

1. Serial interface for embOSView shared with application
   The serial interface used for communication with embOSView is now available for the application.
   embOSView can serve as a terminal for the target application in parallel with trace and profiling over the same serial interface.
   The user application can call the new function OS_SendString() to send data to the terminal, OS_SetRxCallback() to set a callback function for received characters.
2. Trace build added
   embOS can be traced during runtime with embOS Viewer version 3.06.
   This allows monitoring of the API functions and their parameters called by the application.
   Task- and API-specific filters can be defined via embOSView or directly by the application program via new API calls.
   This functionality requires the trace build (NT, MT, FT or HT libraries)
3. New event function
   OS_WaitEventTimed() implemented to handle timeout conditions during waiting for events.
4. New info function
   OS_IsTask() implemented to check, whether task actually exists.

Version 3.04i

1. Support for embOSView
   embOS Viewer can communicate with embOS via UART if the MCU is properly initialized and the required interrupt routines are present. (Default is UART 1, 38400 baud). This can be easily changed in RTOSInit.c
   embOSView is now shipped with the software.
2. Profiling
   New profiling builds allow measurement of task execution times.
3. Improved support for nested interrupt
   OS_EnterNestableInterrupt(), OS_LeaveNestableInterrupt() defined.
4. New timer functions introduced
   OS_SetTimerPeriod(),OS_GetTimerPeriod() introduced, to modify / check reload value of timer.
   OS_GetTimerStatus() introduced to check whether timer is active.
   OS_GetTimerValue() introduced to check remaining time of timer.
5. Additional functions
   OS_SetTimeSlice() added to modify the timeslice of a task during runtime.
   OS_CreateCSema() modified; now an initial value of sema can be set.
6. Modified functions
   OS_ClearEvent() now returns the actual state of events before clearing.

Improvements

Version 3.10f

1. Memory requirements reduced
   Granularity enhanced for non embOSView builds to save ROM and RAM

Version 3.06e

1. Context switching time improved
   Context switching time has been reduced to 373 clock cycles (23.3 us)
   (near model, M16C62 @16MHz)

Program corrections

Version 3.20c

1. OS_GetMailTimed() corrected
   OS_GetMailTimed () did not retrieve a mail after 256 calls, the waiting task remained suspended. Corrected with version 3.20c of embOS.
   This problem exists in all previous embOS versions and is fixed with version 3.20c.

Version 3.10p

1. GetMail functions corrected
   Internal functions for retrieving mail from a mailbox did not disable interrupts. This could cause message losses, when mail was written into mailboxes from within interrupt handlers.
   This problem exists in all previous embOS versions and is fixed with version 3.10p.

Version 3.06h

1. OS_Unuse error code corrected
   When calling OS_Unuse() more often than OS_Use(), the debug version generated an OS_ERR_TASKLIST_CORRUPT error instead of OS_ERR_UNUSE_BEFORE_USE.
   This problem exists in all previous embOS versions and is fixed with version 3.06h.

Version 3.04i

1. Modified functions
   OS_StartTimer() changed to match doc exactly.
   OS_GetMailCond() had assertions which did not permit usage in interrupt or software timers (debug build only). Fixed.

Known problems

None

Release history

Miscellaneous

This document was first released with version 3.04i of the software.
Software released earlier is documented internally.
This information is available at request.