IoT Operating System

Introduction

Welcome readers! In this blog, we will learn about IoT operating system software that provides a channel of interaction between IoT devices and the user. We will also discuss how it manages all hardware and software resources.

You can also read about the Multilevel Feedback Queue Scheduling, Multiprogramming vs Multitasking

The "Internet of Things," shortened as IoT, is a comprehensive model that includes all types of Internet-connected computing devices. These devices are also known as "things" or "smart objects."

Every IoT device requires an operating system in order to meet all of these needs and applications. An operating system makes the job of developers easier and adds to uniformity. In order to accommodate changing hardware configurations and communication standards, continuous development by industry practitioners and researchers is required in this domain. Different hardware architectures, boards, and devices must be supported by an ideal IoT OS.

What is IoT Operating System

An IoT Operating System is software that handles all hardware and software resources and provides a channel of interaction between the user and the IoT device. It is indeed just like any other operating system, such as Unix or Windows. The discrepancy is due to the host system's hardware architecture and resource limits. An IoT OS is an operating system for IoT devices that are specifically built for IoT applications and can run with the bare minimum of resources. IoT OS can be considered an extension of embedded system OS. An IoT OS ensures that IoT applications and embedded systems are connected.

Also read - features of operating system

Types of IoT Operating System

There are several popular IoT operating systems available now. Following are some of the best IoT operating systems:

Mbed OS
TinyOS
Contiki
RIOT OS
Ubuntu Core
Tizen
Apache Mynewt
Zephyr
Android Things
Windows 10 IoT
Embedded Linux

Mbed OS

Mbed OS is the Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) developed by ARM and delivered as an open-source product with an Apache 2.0 license. Mbed OS is a modular operating system designed for Cortex-M microcontrollers that includes a tiny RTOS based on CMSIS-RTOS RTX, networking standards, TLS protocol and common device drivers. It is specifically designed for the 32-bit ARM architecture. Mbed OS supports features such as multithreading, 6LoWPAN, BLE, Wi-Fi, sub-GHz, Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), and Long-Range Low-Power Wide Area Network(LoRaLPWAN. Its low system requirements and support for various development boards make it a popular IoT OS.
You can also read 8051 Microcontroller Pin Diagram here.

TinyOS

TinyOS is an open-source component-based operating system. TinyOS fundamental programming language is nesC, a version of C. It is made for wireless sensor networks. Because of its memory minimization features, TinyOS is particularly popular among developers. TinyOS has a component that neutralizes some IoT abstractions, including sensing, packet transmission, routing, etc. TinyOS Alliance is the IoT Operating System's development group.

It started as a Google Code project that only a limited group of core developers could write. Since 2013, it has been hosted on GitHub, where it is more accessible to the open-source community and receives at least 35,000 downloads per year.

Contiki

Contiki has greater acceptance. The low memory requirements in Contiki make it well suited for low-power devices. It is written in C language. Contiki offers multithreading through protothread and uses cooperative or preemptive scheduling for the processes. Contiki supports multiple network stacks and includes a comprehensive set of features such as6LoWPAN, IPv6, RPL, and CoAP. It can run on IoT platforms like z1, sky, and wismote. Contiki and its code simulator Cooja have been used as a development tool in several wireless sensor projects.

RIOT OS

RIOT is an open-source Internet of Things (IoT) operating system. RIOT was created as part of a collaboration between FU Berlin, INRIA, and HAW Hamburg. It is built on the FireKernel microkernel, which is designed for wireless sensor networks. RIOT is designed to be low-memory, energy-efficient, and modular. For independent hardware abstraction, RIOT implements modular architecture and standard API access. The programming languages C and C++ are supported by RIOT. It also has a tickless, pre-emptive, and priority-based scheduler for multithreading. Native, a RIOT emulator that functions as a hardware virtualizer, aids application development without the use of a development board.

Ubuntu Core

It's a powerful version of Ubuntu, Linux's most popular distribution, that is optimized for huge container deployments and IoT devices. Canonical created it to use a kernel, system software, and libraries identical to Ubuntu but on a smaller scale. Digital signs, gateways, power robots, and other devices use it. It could be used to build a secure embedded Linux for Internet of Things devices.

All of its components have been confirmed to build immutable packages and lasting digital signatures. It's a basic and enterprise-ready design.

Tizen

It's a free and open operating system built to fulfill the needs of the connected device ecosystem. It was developed in 2011 and is appropriate for mobile and tiny embedded devices. In comparison to the android operating system, its kernel is monolithic and lightweight.

Tizen is a free mobile and connected device operating system based on Linux that is available in versions for tablets, vehicles, smartphones, televisions, and wearables. The operating system provides a fast and secure user interface that allows developers to design programs that can run directly on top of the hardware without the need for bespoke ROMs or modifications.

Tizen also has a platform that allows app developers to construct apps swiftly. The Exynos 5410 or 5420 processor architectures, as well as the Mali G52 or Cuda M1 GPUs, are supported by Tizen. It also provides non-volatile storage and read/write capabilities for non-volatile storage-based applications. The Tizen community is always made up of people who work on the operating system together.

Apache Mynewt

Mynewt is an Apache License 2.0 open-source operating system created by the Apache Software Foundation. The operating system includes NimBLE, a flexible and powerful Bluetooth Low Energy stack (BLE 5) implementation that allows you to select HOST only, CONTROLLER only, or FULL stack. Mynewt makes cross-platform migration easier because it supports a wide range of hardware platforms. It is hardware agnostic, supporting Cortex M0-M4 microcontrollers, MIPS, and RISC-V. It is intended to be a proactive, multitasking real-time operating system kernel. Mynewt's Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) abstracts the peripheral functions of the MCU, allowing developers to easily write cross-platform code. All of these characteristics make Mynewt appropriate for IoT boards with limited computing power and memory resources.

Zephyr

Zephyr is an open-source OS maintained by the Linux Foundation. Zephyr employs two operating system design philosophies: a microkernel for less constrained IoT devices and a nanokernel for constrained devices. With priority-based, cooperative, Earliest Deadline First (EDF), non-preemptive, and preemptive scheduling, it allows multithreading. It is based on a small-footprint kernel that may be used on a wide range of resource-constrained and embedded devices, from simple embedded environmental sensors and LED wearables to sophisticated embedded controllers and smartwatches and IoT grids. The Zephyr kernel is compatible with over 200 development boards since it supports numerous architectures such as ARM Cortex-M, Intel x86, ARC, NIOS II, Tensilica Xtensa, and RISC-V 32. The languages utilized to develop apps in Zephyr are C and C++. Zephyr includes a full network stack and multiple protocols for communication. The native POSIX port can be used to develop, build, and test applications.

Android Things

Google's Android Things is an IoT operating system that it created and maintains. At Google I/O 2015, Google revealed Brillo, an IoT OS that was later renamed Android Things. As the name suggests, it's a stripped-down version of Android designed to work on low-power IoT devices. It is compatible with both C and C++ programming languages. It's based on a monolithic kernel and offers a completely fair scheduler. Apps can communicate with sensors and actuators using industry standard protocols and interfaces using the Peripheral I/O APIs. Android Things supports the following interfaces: GPIO, PWM, I2C, SPI, and UART. Apps for IoT devices can be created by combining existing Android development tools, APIs, and resources with new APIs that provide low-level I/O and libraries for common components such as temperature sensors, display controllers, and more. Although Android Things has a graphical user interface, its high memory requirements make it unsuitable for low-end, constrained IoT devices; rather, it is intended for high-end devices. Android Things OS currently supports two development boards: the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and the NXP i.MX7D.

Windows 10 IoT

With Windows CE, Microsoft entered the embedded systems market in 1996. Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows CE and has moved to Windows 10 IoT. The operating system comprises the Windows family of products' stability and user-friendliness. IoT Enterprise, IoT Core, and Server IoT are the three flavours of Windows 10 IoT. The operating system is licensed through OEM channels. When dependability and security are critical, Windows OS is recommended over free or open-source alternatives. Aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and industrial systems all use Windows 10 IoT. Microsoft has a number of other IoT-related devices. With Windows ML and Azure IoT Edge support, Windows 10 IoT offers Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to smart devices.

Embedded Linux

Embedded Linux is a classification, not a specific operating system. Rather than discussing each Linux-based operating system separately, all of those products have been discussed under this head. Linux is a versatile environment suitable for IoT development and is very adaptable. Some examples of embedded Linux distributions are Yocto, Ubuntu Core, RTLinux, Raspbian, OSMC, Gentoo, Arch Linux ARM, and openSUSE. Embedded Linux's popularity can be attributed to three key features: dependability, ease of configuration as per need, and low system requirements.

Only embedded computers with a 32-bit address space can run Linux. Linux is becoming stronger over time thanks to contributions from developers all over the world. If modifications need to be made to match the requirements of the deployment environment, commercially licensed and "closed" operating systems are not suggested. Linux distros are popular among IoT developers because of their flexibility, as well as their consistency in performance, architectural layers, virtualization, and cloud compatibility.

You can also read about the Multilevel Queue Scheduling.

Must Read Process Management in OS

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IoT?

IoT or the Internet of Things is a network of physical objects-"things" embedded with software, sensors, and other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet.

What is the purpose of IoT?

The Internet of Things' goal is to have devices that self-report in real-time, bringing crucial information and increase in efficiency to the surface faster than a system that relies on human interaction.

What is the IoT operating system?

An IoT Operating System is software that handles all hardware and software resources and provides a channel of contact between the user and the IoT device.

Do IoT devices have an operating system?

Yes. IoT operating systems are embedded into IoT devices and connected to a more extensive network. An IoT operating system is similar to a standard computer's operating system, but it can work within the confines of smaller IoT devices.

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed IoT Operating system and their various types and their usage.

We hope that this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge of the IoT Operating system and if you would like to learn more, check out our articles on our website.