FSMLabs' LNet — a POSIX API real-time networking component of its RTLinux offering — now supports both the high speed “b” version of IEEE 1394 as well as Gigabit Ethernet. According to FSMLabs, LNet provides a zero copy light-weight bridge between these two networking technologies and RTLinux's low microsecond real-time threads and interrupt… handling.

Firewire 1394b is an 800Mbits/second serial bus that will soon be upgraded to 1.6Gbps and supports cable lengths up to100 meters. LNet supports 1394a and 1394b and also supports the 1394b-JSF chips for the world-wide Joint-Strike Fighter project.

This release of LNet also contains support for Intel EEPro1000-based Gigabit Ethernet devices. Control applications include vehicle and aircraft diagnostic equipment that can plug into 1394 device networks, and factory and process control systems making use of feedback.

The 1394 driver supports asynchronous, isochronous, and asynchronous stream channels plus the 1394 bus configuration options. LNet Ethernet supports raw packets and both the IP and UDP protocols. RTLinux Pro with LNet is available on IA32 and PowerPC processors including the PPC 440 processor. Within the next 6 months, FSMLabs expects to port LNet to other RTLinux Pro supported architectures and to the RTCore BSD alternative to RTLinux.

Performance Benchmarks

FSMLabs has supplied the following data meant to demonstrate LNet's low latency over FireWire and GigEthernet:

Developer's Kit available

FSMLabs' RTLinux Dev Kit contains the RTCore POSIX PS51 hard real-time kernel and an embedded Linux development system. RTCore employs a dual kernel technique to run Linux or BSD Unix as applications. Hard real-time software runs at hardware speeds while an open-source UNIX is available to non-real-time components.

FSMLabs CEO Victor Yodaiken notes that 1394 and GigEthernet can be used in fault tolerant computing clusters, agile network security, and other non-traditional applications. “The RTCore real-time kernel can use LNet to detect failures and monitor network traffic transparently to the UNIX system below,” said Yodaiken.

 
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