Posted by John Keller

ALAMEDA, Calif., 22 Jan. 2011. Real-time software specialist Wind River in Alameda, Calif., is introducing RTCA DO-178C safety-critical software capability to the company's VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS) software. Wind River is adding DO-178C Level A certification evidence support VxWorks Cert Platform, for federated systems, and VxWorks 653 Platform, for ARINC 653 space and time partitioned, multi-vendor integrated modular avionics (IMA) systems.

DO-178 is the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidance document to ensure software will perform safely and reliably in an airborne system. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), as well as industry, also are considering DO-178 for safety-critical systems.

The latest revision of DO-178, revision C, includes updates to address new software methodologies and technologies not in DO-178B, such as software tool qualification considerations, model-based design, object-oriented design, and formal methods of certification.

These documents were created by RTCA SC-205 (together with EUROCAE WG-71), a DO-178C working group which includes worldwide members from industry and government agencies. DO-178C supplements include: DO-330, DO-331, DO-332, and DO-333.

For more information contact Wind River online at www.windriver.com.