Operating System Windows CE 7.0 and Processor ARM Advantages and Disadvantages

Operating System Windows CE 7.0 and Processor ARM Advantages and Disadvantages

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  IS 746 -ASSIGNMENT 2: Describing a Mobile Software and Hardware Operating System Windows CE 7.0 and Processor ARM Advantages and Disadvantages Fatih Özlü 1777762 Middle East Technical University 30 April, 2011 1
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  1. Mobile Software:Windows CE 7.0 Operating System Windows CE 7 (also known as Windows Embedded Compact) is an operating system for embedded systems developed by Microsoft. It is basically designed for specific usage on small enterprise, smart phone and consumer devices like barcode scanners, personal navigation GPS devices, industrial controls and health monitoring devices. It has real time and component based capabilities which provides abilities for device makers to modify for their specific purposes. Windows Embedded Compact 7 is the next generation of Windows Embedded CE which released in firstly November, 1996 (Windows CE 1.0). Figure 1 – A screen shot from Windows CE 5.0 (One of the earlier versions of Windows CE 7.0) It has similar interfaces that we are used to see on Windows operating systems like Windows XP, Vista or Seven. But it has different core (kernel) and properties compared to traditional computer purposed operating systems. It is optimized for embedded systems that have small storage and it has its Windows CE kernel that can be run in under almost a megabyte of memory. In addition, its real time capability comes from its deterministic interruption latency. Windows CE has evolved into a component-based, embedded, real-time operating system. Although “it is no longer targeted solely at hand-held computers”, many platforms are based on the core Windows CE operating system, such as Microsoft's AutoPC, Pocket PC 2000/2002, Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5.0/6, Smartphone 2002, Smartphone 2003, Portable Media Center. Different feature of Windows CE, when compared to other Windows operating systems is that some parts of the source code are shared to the several device vendors, so these vendors can adjust their hardware by modifying source code. To create, integrate and run source code on embedded devices, products like Platform Builder (an integrated environment for Windows CE operating system image) can be used. 2
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  Figure 2 -Windows CE 7 on a smart phone It has many facilities for developers to connect, debug and also run operating system on devices by Windows development tools like Microsoft .Net Platforms. Windows Embedded Compact 7 works with most common processor architectures (x86 and ARM) and with the last version, it offers multiprocessing support. So it provides performance and highly reliable environment for developers. Advantages: • Real Time and Multiprocessing It is a real time operating system and with the last version, it provides symmetrical multi- processing, providing new support for critical application performance. • Highly Confidence Platform Windows Embedded Compact 7 is the next release of Windows Embedded CE. It takes for 15 years from the first release so these operating systems have been relied on many devices. • Rich UI framework It offers an updated Silverlight for Windows Embedded declarative UI framework so developers and designers can develop user interfaces easily. 3
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  • Many ConnectivitySupport Compact 7 has connection support with updated NDIS 6.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, Kerberos v5 and USB networking, accelerating the creation of always-connected devices and applications to connect PCs, servers, online services and enterprise systems. • Media Support It has media management which is simplified with new Media Library, better media streaming with updated MPEG-4 and HD support. • Connection Support to Microsoft Windows 7 and Office It has data synchronization support with Windows 7 and Office tools to exchange data and information between computers and devices. It has installed PowerPoint, Excel and Adobe PDF. Includes support for Microsoft Office 97, 2000, 2003, XP & 2007. • Browsing Capability It has also Internet Explorer Embedded with integrated Flash 10.1 support to reach rich content which is indispensable, nowadays. • Touch Input It has support for touch input, so interactive applications can be developed on it. In addition it has integrated programs that have touch input capabilities. • Development Environment Tools Applications can be developed on specialized devices and enterprise solutions with many Microsoft tools and technologies like Visual Studio, Platform Builder. • Support for latest CPUs It has support for latest ARM v7 architectures as well as X86 and MIPS and for graphics performance with Open GL ES 2.0. Disadvantages: • Pricing Windows CE is more expensive when it is compared to other embedded operating systems. It causes in-house developers to prefer less expensive operating systems instead of using Windows CE • Source Code Microsoft shares to developers only some part of the Windows CE source code with development tools for modifying the code to developers’ specific purposes. So it leads Windows CE to be considered a closed and unshared system. This can be an important disadvantage when compared to other operating systems for mobile systems. 4
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  2. Mobile Hardware:ARM Processor ARM is a kind of very popular 32-bit embedded microprocessor that provides high performance, less power consumption and reduced system cost. ARM is an acronym for Advanced RISC Machines. The processor firstly developed in England in 1984. At first, ARM stood for Acorn RISC Machine and the first ARM systems were produced for desktop the Acorn Computers. During this period, mostly they were used for British educational systems, and so they were not common outside of England. However in 1987 the ARM became the first commercial RISC processor. In 1990, a part of Acorn was separated from the parent company and founded: ARM Ltd. (Advanced RISC Machines Limited). Today, ARM is one of the most licensed and so widespread processor cores all over the world. It is generally used in mobile and embedded devices due to lower power consumption and higher performance which is indicated by MIPS/watt ratio. This has made them successful and widespread in the mobile and embedded electronics devices, as relatively low cost, and small microprocessors and microcontrollers. ARM processors are developed by ARM and by ARM licenses and core processor are ARM6, ARM7, ARM9, ARM10, and ARM11. Some applied examples are listed below from mobile environment (Figure 3, 4 and 5). Figure 3 - Garmin Asus A 50 Figure 4 - Samsung Omnia i8910 5
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  Figure 5 -Dell Latitude e4200 Laptop When compared standard CPUs, ARM architecture is based on RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) which makes its special for this type of processor's performance, came from. It has advantages like simple and fixed 32-bit instruction size instead of variable and easier to prototype and put together that provides higher performance, simplicity and less power consumption compared to CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer). Although it is basically used for embedded systems, it is also specialized for specific purposes.  ARM Cortex Application Processors are used for higher performance processors for open operating systems by delivering “exceptional performance of up to 2GHz+ typical frequency in advanced process nodes, enabling the next generation of mobile internet devices”[Arm’s Official Web Site].  ARM Cortex Embedded Processors with Cortex-R and M Series are used for generally exceptional performance for real-time applications and sensitive operations for deterministic and critical applications which also consumes low power and good real time capability with deterministic interrupt management. Its examples are microcontrollers, signal devices and automotive braking systems.  ARM Classic Processors with ARM11, ARM9 and ARM7 Series are used for organizations who want to participate in mobile environment with a performance capability for lower cost and popular solutions, for general purpose applications like cameras, smart phones, etc. 6
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  Figure 6 -Different types of ARM CPUs Advantages: • Very low power consumption ARM is more power efficient, even much lower power as compared to current lowest power X86 based Intel Atom processor. • Simple instruction set With RISC, the design of the cpu is less complicated and have less instruction and so less power consumption. RISC processor has a number of hardwired instructions. • Suitable for embedded systems ARM is targeted for embedded systems, so it is its own community on this area. The chips are relatively low-size and low-power, so they're cheap. • High definition and display support It has video processors capable of 720p or 1080p video decodes and capability of high resolution display controllers. • Low cost A typical ARM processor costs around $35 – $50 where as typical AMD and Intel processors can go up a thousand dollars or more. 7
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  Disadvantages: • Incompatible withx86 It is not compatible with x86 because of its architecture, so it prevents from being used and common in netbooks or laptops, though some attemptions are available. Instead, it is widely used on embedded systems like smart phones, pdas and other mobile devices. • Restricted Operating Systems Since ARM and X86 cores are different from each other, so as an example for Windows operating systems like Windows XP cannot be run on this cpu. Instead, it could be run Linux OS, OS like Symbian and Windows Mobiles, or other embedded system operating systems like VxWorks. 8
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  REFERENCES  (02.14.2011). Windows Embedded Compact 7. Retrieved from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/gg154201.aspx  Official Windows CE 7 Web Site: Windows Embedded Compact 7. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/campaigns/compact7/default.aspx  Tiffany Garden. The Disadvantages of Windows CE. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_6370560_disadvantages-windows-ce.html#ixzz1L09YKbJw  ARM architecture. Retrived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture  ARM Official Web Site. Retrived from http://www.arm.com/index.php  (Feb 16, 2011). ARM Cortex-A15 Servers? What Advantages does ARM Have? Retrived from http://techlooser.com/2011/arm-cortex-a15-servers-what-advantages-does-arm-have/ 9