Press Releases

Vector Software Announces Support for HighTec’s OS PXROS- HR for Infineon TriCore® Microcontrollers

East Greenwich, RI – February 17, 2010. Vector Software, the leading provider of software test tools for embedded systems, today announced support for the real-time operating system PXROS-HR developed by HighTec. The integrated management of the TriCore memory protection unit (MPU) within PXROS-HR encapsulates for each task its data, stack, interrupt service routine and even the objects of inter-task- communication. PXROS-HR is able to build, link, reload and debug parts of an application independently without stopping the underlying system.

VectorCAST's integration of the PXROS-HR enables customers to execute module tests in a running TriCore application like a process on a host operating system. The benefit for the customer is that only the test case will be instrumented, which results in minimal RAM requirements. The coverage of an application can be measured under real-time conditions by loading and executing one or several test cases into a running application. This new technology for the TriCore gives customers new flexibility in the testing process and leads to a significant reduction of testing costs. In addition, the memory protection ensures that there are no adverse effects between the test modules and the running application. This solution is perfectly suited for reducing testing cost in a certification process for safety critical applications.

“This new integration is another example of Vector Software’s commitment to the industry for safety critical applications” says Bill McCaffrey, Director of Marketing at Vector Software. “With the future IEC 61508 or similar standards, unit testing and code coverage are becoming more relevant than ever. The development of our integration with the TriCore® family of chips will make it easier for companies using this architecture to meet their quality goals efficiently”. “Software applications in the automotive and industrial sectors are becoming more and more complex. By cooperating with Vector software and by integrating our operating system PXROS-HR, compiler and GDB-debugger into Vector Software tools, we provide a high quality test environment, which meets high standards and, at the same time, reduces testing costs” says Dr. Strothmann.

About HighTec EDV-Systeme GmbH

HighTec specializes in supporting GNU-based compilers for TriCore, ARM and PowerPC. In addition, HighTec's real-time operating system PXROS-HR was designed especially for security applications and safety-critical applications. It is the first hard RTOS without interrupt locks and with an integrated management of the Memory protection Unit (MPU) of the TriCore architecture. Since 1982, HighTec has been supplying software solutions for automotive, industrial, safety/security and military customers including Thales, Agco Fendt, Ford, Bosch, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, Continental, ETAS, BMW, Daimler, SEW-Eurodrive, CAT, FEV, Dspace, etc.

About Vector Software

Vector Software, Inc. is the leading independent provider of automated software testing tools for developers of safety-critical embedded applications. Vector Software’s VectorCAST line of products, automate and manage the complex tasks associated with unit, integration, and system level testing. The VectorCAST tools support the C, C++, and Ada programming languages.

Vector Software’s Product Family:

VectorCAST/C++
VectorCAST/Ada
VectorCAST/RSP
VectorCAST/Cover
VectorCAST/Manage
VectorCAST/Requirements Gateway
Modified Condition/Decision (MC/DC) module
DO-178B and FDA Tool Qualification Packages