The Orocos Real-Time Toolkit was designed with portability in mind. Currently, we support RTAI/LXRT (http://www.rtai.org), GNU/Linux userspace, Xenomai (Xenomai.org). So, you can first write your software as a normal program, using the framework for testing and debugging purposes in plain userspace Linux and recompile later to another target.

Orocos uses the well-known even/stable uneven/unstable version numbering scheme, just as the Linux kernel and many other projects. A particular version is represented by three numbers separated by dots. An even middle number indicates a stable version. For example :

This numbering allows to develop and release two kinds of versions, where the unstable version is mainly for testing new features and designs and the stable version is for people wanting to run a reliable system.

Before you install the RTT, verify that you have the following software installed on your platform :

You'll require the following software to build the documentation. However, all documentation can be downloaded as a single archive from the RTT website.

These packages are provided by most Linux distributions. Take also a look on the Orocos.org download page for the latest information.

The tool you will need is ecosconfig In Debian, you can use the official Debian version using

  apt-get install ecosconfig

If this does not work for you, Orocos will use the ready-to-use tools in Orocos' tools/bin subdirectory (i386 only). The build system will try to locate the tools in that directory and use them if present.

If the build tools cause problems, consult the eCos Configuration Tool Version 2 webpage for source and binary downloads.

	Note
	The optional configtool is a GUI in which users can configure some build options. It uses the libwxgtk2.4 library. The required ecosconfig is a commandline program, used by the make system.

Download the orocos-rtt-1.0.3-src.tar.bz2 package from the Orocos webpage.

Extract it using :

  tar -xvjf orocos-rtt-1.0.3-src.tar.bz2

Then proceed as in:

 
  mkdir orocos-rtt-1.0.3/build 
  cd orocos-rtt-1.0.3/build
  ../configure --with-<target>
  make rtt
  make check
  make install 

Where <target> is one of listed in ../configure --help. ( currently 'gnulinux', 'lxrt' or 'xenomai' ). When none is specified, 'gnulinux' is used.

	Note
	The ../configure script must be rerun after you installed missing libraries (like Boost, ...).

The RTT can be compiled in three flavours:

 make rtt 
 make rtt-corba 
 make rtt-embedded 

builds the 'standard', 'embedded' or 'corba' version. The embedded version is standard without scripting, the corba version is standard with Corba interfaces.

	Note
	Each one of these targets resets your configuration and starts building from scratch. Use plain make to continue building the current target.

The make command will have made a directory packages where the building takes place. The results of the build are in the packages/install directory. You will find the header files and a library called liborocos-rtt.a. These files allow you to build applications with Orocos.

The make docs and make doxy-dist (both in 'build') commands build manuals and API documentation in the build/doc directory.

When you want to build for another target or operating system, create a new build-<target> directory and simply re-invoke ../configure --with-<target> from that build directory.

If this step fails, it means that you have not everything installed which is needed for a basic Orocos build. Most users don't have the Boost library (libboost-dev or libboost-devel) installed. Please install this package from the binary or source package repository of your Linux distribution, or download and install it from the Boost project. As soon as the configure step succeeds, all the rest will succeed too. Please use the mailinglist at <orocos-dev@lists.mech.kuleuven.be> for support questions.

RTAI comes with documentation for configuration and installation. In the configuration process, make sure that you enable the following options (in addition to options you feel you need for your application) :

After configuring you must run 'make' and 'make install' in your RTAI directory: make ; make install

	Note
	In recent version of RTAI, some of these options may have changed in location or name.

	Warning
	The patched Linux kernel and RTAI must be compiled with a GCC 3.x compiler and not with a GCC 4.x compiler! Otherwise, your system may become unbootable or unstable.

After installation, RTAI can be found in /usr/realtime. You'll have to specify during the Orocos configure step the alternative if you chose so.

LXRT is a all-in-one scheduler that works for kernel and userspace. So if you use this, you can still run kernel programs but have the ability to run realtime programs in userspace. Orocos provides you the libraries to build these programs. Make sure that the following RTAI kernel modules are loaded

For example, by executing as root: modprobe rtai_lxrt; modprobe rtai_sem.

For a more detailed description of what LXRT really is, you can read the LXRT HOWTO here

In your build directory, run: ../configure --with-lxrt[=/usr/realtime] --with-linux[=/patched/linux/tree] The LXRT target requires the presence of the --with-linux=/path/to/linux option since these targets require Linux headers during the Orocos build. To use the LibC Kernel headers in /usr/include/linux, specify --with-linux=/usr.

	Note
	If your application uses the orocos-rtt.pc file (pkg-config format), it will automatically find the flags below.

Application which use LXRT as a target need special flags when being compiled and linked. Especially :

The default settings for Xenomai are fine for Orocos. The only option that requires to be set is the location of the patched Linux kernel. After configuring you can run 'make' and 'make install' in your Xenomai directory.

After installation, Xenomai can be found in /usr/realtime or /usr/xenomai. Orocos looks in the first directory for Xenomai. You'll have to specify during the Orocos configure step the alternative if you chose so.

Orocos uses the native Xenomai API to address the real-time scheduler. The Xenomai kernel modules can be found in /usr/realtime/modules. Thus only the following kernel modules need to be loaded:

in that order. For example, by executing as root: insmod xeno_hal.ko; insmod xeno_nucleus.ko; insmod xeno_native.ko.

For these versions, it is recommended that Xenomai is built-in the kernel. As such, no kernel modules need to be loaded.

In your build directory, run: ../configure --with-xenomai[=/usr/realtime] --with-linux[=/patched/linux/tree] The Xenomai target requires the presence of the --with-linux=/path/to/linux option since these targets require Linux headers during the Orocos build. To use the LibC Kernel headers in /usr/include/linux, specify --with-linux=/usr.

	Note
	If your application uses the orocos-rtt.pc file (pkg-config format), it will automatically find the flags below.

Application which use Xenomai as a target need special flags when being compiled and linked. Especially :

	Note
	If your distribution does not provide the TAO libraries, or you want to use the OCI version, you need to build manually. These instructions are for building on Linux. See the ACE and TAO installation manuals for building on your platform.

You need to make an ACE/TAO build on your workstation. Download the package here: OCI Download. Unpack the tar-ball, and enter ACE_wrappers. Then do: export ACE_ROOT=$(pwd) export TAO_ROOT=$(pwd)/TAO When using GNU/Linux, continue with: ln -s ace/config-linux.h ace/config.h ln -s include/makeinclude/platform_linux.GNU include/makeinclude/platform_macros.GNU Finally, type: make cd TAO make cd orbsvcs make This finishes your TAO build.

Orocos will first try to detect your location of ACE and TAO using the ACE_ROOT and TAO_ROOT environment variables.

Alternatively, you may add a configure flag to tell Orocos where to find the ACE_wrappers directory:

../configure --with-ace=/path/to/ACE_wrappers
	  --with-tao=/path/to/ACE_wrappers/TAO

Orocos then assumes that the ACE headers are then found in /path/to/ACE_wrappers/ace, the TAO headers are found in /path/to/ACE_wrappers/TAO/tao, the libraries are found in /path/to/ACE_wrappers/lib and the IDL compiler in /path/to/ACE_wrappers/bin.

If neither ACE_ROOT and TAO_ROOT is set and --with-ace and --with-tao is not used, Orocos is not built using CORBA. The --with flags override the environment variables.

	Note
	Debian based systems may use the flags: --with-ace=/usr/share/ace --with-tao=/usr/share/ace/TAO. Fedora based systems may use the flags: --with-ace --with-tao.

When Orocos detects the presence of TAO, it immediately generates the client and server files for all the Orocos IDL files during the configure step. Thus in order to re-generate these files, the configure script needs to be called again. When you do not make use of Orocos' Corba functionality, these files are not compiled nor used in any way by the Orocos build.

	Note
	If your application uses the orocos-rtt.pc file (pkg-config format), it will automatically find the flags below.

Once you compile and link your application with Orocos and with the Corba functionality enabled, you must provide the correct include and link flags in your own Makefile if TAO and ACE are not installed in the default path. Then you must add: