INTEGRITY RT Operating System

🧩 1. Basic Information

Field	Description
OS Name	INTEGRITY® RTOS
Developer	Green Hills Software
First Released	1997
Latest Version	INTEGRITY® Multivisor (secure virtualization), latest releases in 2024
License Type	Proprietary commercial
Supported Platforms	ARM, PowerPC, x86, MIPS, RISC-V, and more
Still Active?	✅ Yes (widely used in avionics, automotive, medical, industrial, defense systems)

⚙️ 2. Kernel & Architecture


Kernel Type	Real-time microkernel, designed for hard real-time determinism
Architecture	Fully preemptive, memory-protected, partitioned kernel
Based On	Built from scratch by Green Hills (not derived from Linux, UNIX, or POSIX)
Mixed Criticality Support	Can isolate high-safety tasks from general software
SMP Support	Supports Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) on multi-core processors

🌟 3. Key Features

Hard real-time performance: guaranteed scheduling deadlines even under high load

Memory partitioning: each process in its own isolated address space, preventing faults from spreading

Secure multivisor: runs guest OSes (like Linux or Android) alongside critical RTOS tasks safely

Supports DO-178C Level A certification for avionics, ISO 26262 for automotive, IEC 62304 for medical

Minimal trusted code base (TCB) for high assurance

Multi-core scheduling with asymmetric or symmetric strategies

Broad toolchain support with MULTI IDE, MISRA compliance checking, static analysis

📈 4. Version History & Important Milestones ✅

Milestone / Version	Year	Description
INTEGRITY RTOS launched	1997	Green Hills’ secure hard RTOS for embedded & safety-critical
INTEGRITY-178B for avionics	2001±	Certified DO-178B Level A, later DO-178C, widely used in military/aerospace
INTEGRITY Multivisor	~2010s	Hypervisor + RTOS combination to run Linux/Android alongside secure RT tasks
Ongoing releases	2020s±	Continues to evolve with new ARM64, RISC-V, AUTOSAR support

🎯 5. Target Audience & Use Cases

Aerospace & Defense: Avionics flight computers, drones, satellite systems

Automotive: ADAS, autonomous driving controllers, instrument clusters (ASIL-D)

Medical devices: Robotic surgery systems, infusion pumps, imaging devices

Industrial & Robotics: PLCs, motion controllers, factory automation

Secure multi-OS gateways: Where Linux runs non-critical UI while INTEGRITY handles critical control

✅ 6. Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Ultra-reliable, certified for highest safety levels	Proprietary, expensive licensing
Memory partitioning prevents fault propagation	Complex to configure for general developers
Extremely fast, deterministic performance	Fewer general-purpose community libraries than Linux
Can run guest OSes like Linux safely isolated	Primarily for embedded & safety-critical, not general desktop

🎨 7. UI Demo & Visuals

MULTI IDE showing INTEGRITY tasks, trace debugging & memory partitions

Real-time scheduling trace with timeline visualization

Example automotive dashboard powered by INTEGRITY

Diagram: ARM SoC running INTEGRITY RTOS alongside a Linux guest in Multivisor

Configuration screens showing task priorities & partition memory limits

📦 8. Ecosystem & App Support

Full Green Hills MULTI IDE + TimeMachine debugger for deep system analysis

Supports C, C++, Ada, even some Java (via safety runtimes)

Common communication stacks: TCP/IP, CAN, ARINC-653, I2C, SPI

Secure partition running guest Linux/Android on side for infotainment or non-critical apps

🔐 9. Security & Updates

Designed for security-critical environments: small attack surface, strict separation

Certifications: Common Criteria EAL 6+, DO-178C Level A, ISO 26262 ASIL D

Regular updates via Green Hills, often aligned with customer long-term maintenance contracts

Features like stack overflow detection, secure boot, kernel lockdowns by default

🌍 10. Community, License & Development

License: Proprietary, licensed per project or SoC family, often under long-term support contracts

Global user base includes Boeing, Lockheed Martin, GM, Toyota, Siemens, GE Healthcare

Supported by Green Hills direct engineers & certified safety consultants

Active in safety-critical conferences (embedded world, avionics expos, ISO/AUTOSAR working groups)