Wind River VxWorks MILS Platform delivers the security foundation aerospace and defense (A&D) companies need to meet the real-time operating system (RTOS) requirements for high robustness (EAL6+) multilevel secure (MLS) systems.
Companies responsible for defense, networking, industrial, and other infrastructure systems worldwide are demanding ever increasing functionality and secure and safe operation with very high assurance of protection from intentional or inadvertent threats or errors. At the same time, these systems must often operate with requirements for reduced space, weight, and power, known as SWaP. To meet these competing demands, a new system architecture has emerged called multiple independent levels of security, or MILS.
A MILS operating system "partitions" a single processor among multiple software components, with resource allocation (space and time), information flow, and fault isolation strictly enforced to conform to rules defined by developers and system integrators. Wind River has leveraged its experience with partitioned environments, from the development of our industry-leading Wind River VxWorks 653 Platform for safety-certified Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) systems, to create VxWorks MILS as the basis of security-certified partitioned systems.
The VxWorks MILS operating system is provided as part of the Wind River VxWorks MILS Platform, which includes our award-winning Eclipse-based Wind River Workbench development suite. The development platform also includes development and debugging tools that enable examination of tasks inside the virtual execution environments controlled by the VxWorks MILS separation kernel (SK).
Wind River VxWorks MILS Platform Features
- Powerful two-level scheduling architecture: VxWorks MILS implements a two-level scheduler that yields better system performance, reducing cost of goods, because a system based on VxWorks MILS requires less processing power.
- High assurance application support: User components including applications, middleware, and drivers that require high assurance can use the direct interface to the MILS separation kernel and secure interpartition communication across multiple partitions (under control of a strict policy configured by the system integrator).
- Medium and low assurance application support: User components that require medium, low, or no assurance can utilize VxWorks guest OS support in multiple partitions.
- Network stack: VxWorks MILS general network stack provides IPv4, UDP, and TCP, suitable for medium or low assurance applications.
- Driver support: VxWorks MILS includes drivers to enable key capabilities such as Ethernet, I/O, and others (contact Wind River for details).
- Wind River Workbench development suite: VxWorks MILS Platform includes the Workbench development environment, based on the widely adopted Eclipse framework. Workbench provides deep capabilities that support the entire software design and development life cycle, from hardware bring-up via JTAG, to platform and application development, through agent-based debugging in a partition, to test and deployment, and enables standardization on one common development suite across the enterprise. Workbench is extensible and scalable, allowing A&D suppliers to meet specific project needs, and it can seamlessly integrate third-party plug-ins required for supporting the entire design flow for safety-critical deployments.
- Tools for configuration and build partitioning: VxWorks MILS includes tools to support configuration and build partitioning of user code, for complete application isolation, not just during execution but throughout the product life cycle, allowing for faster development and improved obsolescence avoidance. This is a key capability of VxWorks MILS Platform and a key requirement of any partitioned environment that must support multiple application groups or third-party hosted function suppliers, delivering software builds asynchronously.
- XML configuration tool suite: VxWorks MILS Platform includes an XML-based utility to configure MILS system parameters as well as application- and middleware-specific run-time parameters. The platform also includes an XML-to-binary compiler that ensures partition configuration data is correctly translated to binary format and supports independent development, testing, certification, and recertification of individual applications in a partitioned system.
- Modular XML configuration data and security policies: Independent XML-based configuration data and security policies for each user component help speed certification and recertification, reducing cost of obsolescence avoidance.
- DO-297/ED-124 supplier role support: VxWorks MILS Platform enables support of RTCA DO-297/EUROCAE ED-124 Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) Development Guidance and Certification Considerations. Our tools support the independent supplier roles of platform supplier, system integrator, and application supplier, to clearly define the roles of each supplier, which enables the reduction of initial development, integration, and certification time and cost, as well as the costs for change and maintenance later in the development process. This role-based approach to development was pioneered for partitioned avionics systems and will be equally critical to development of multilevel secure systems based on MILS.
- Wide language support: VxWorks MILS Platform supports C and C++ software development. Wind River partners will provide support for Ada and Java software development. All supported languages leverage the wide capabilities of our powerful Workbench/Eclipse development environment.
- Common Criteria EAL6+ certification: Wind River VxWorks MILS is in evaluation to be certified to the Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) Evaluation Assurance Level 6+/NSA high robustness.
- Extensive partner ecosystem: To ensure a complete range of integrated technologies, Wind River has established the device software industry's widest-ranging partner ecosystem, joining forces with leading hardware and software providers to address such technologies as COTS boards, system modeling tools, control design tools, test tools, certification services, and platform simulation applications. For MILS specifically there are partners for COTS boards, OpenGL, Ada, Java, and other complementary technologies.
Hardware Support
PowerPC 8641D
COTS Boards Support
Curtiss-Wright VPX6-185 (PowerPC MPC8641D, single core)
Wind River VxWorks MILS Partner Ecosystem
Wind River's world-class partner ecosystem ensures tight integration between our core technologies and those of the premier hardware and software companies we've chosen to build out our solutions. Our partners help to extend the capabilities of Wind River's development and run-time platforms by offering out-of-the-box integration and support for key technologies in the aerospace and defense market. Our customer support team is trained to troubleshoot partner technologies in use with Wind River products, making ours the most comprehensive and best-supported partner ecosystem in the DSO industry.
| Development Tools | Run-Time Middleware | COTS Hardware |
|
Embedded Computing |
Objective Interface Systems Inc. |
|
Wind River VxWorks MILS Platform Affiliations
Wind River applauds the move toward open industry standards. Because we believe the world is changing too fast to lock our customers into proprietary technologies, we've built our Device Software Optimization (DSO) solution on open standards, expertly integrated and intelligently applied.
Wind River does not just embrace open standards; we're taking the lead in establishing them. Wind River exemplifies its commitment to evolving standards by driving the Device Software Development Platform project at the Eclipse Foundation; providing TIPC support for messaging on the backplane between different operating systems; leading the way on Carrier Grade Linux with Open Source Development Labs (OSDL); and participating in standards bodies important to aerospace and defense.
APEX Working Group of the AEEC
The Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) is an international body of airline representatives that leads the development of technical standards for airborne electronic equipment used in commercial, military, and business aviation. The organization's APEX Working Group is focused on updating ARINC Specification 653, Application Software Standard Interface, for traditional avionics and integrated modular avionics.
Eclipse Foundation
Eclipse is an open platform for tool integration built by an open community of tool providers. Operating under an open source paradigm with a common public license that provides royalty-free source code and worldwide redistribution rights, the Eclipse platform enables tool developers to have ultimate flexibility and control over their software technology.
Object Management Group
The Object Management Group is a nonprofit, open membership consortium that produces and maintains computer industry specifications for interoperable enterprise applications.
RTCA Inc.
RTCA Inc. is a private, not-for-profit corporation that develops consensus-based recommendations regarding communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system issues. RTCA functions as a Federal Advisory Committee. Its recommendations are used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the basis for policy, program, and regulatory decisions, and by the private sector as the basis for development, investment, and other business decisions. RTCA includes about 335 government, industry, and academic organizations from the United States and around the world.
The Open Group
The Open Group is a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, whose vision of Boundaryless Information Flow will enable access to integrated information, within and among enterprises, based on open standards and global interoperability. The Real-Time and Embedded Systems Forum defines, coordinates, integrates, and prioritizes real-time and embedded systems standards utilizing various existing architectural approaches. The forum also defines test suites and certification programs for products adhering to these standards to enable the proliferation of conformant real-time and embedded systems, including POSIX profiles, Linux for embedded systems, and safety and mission-critical real-time Java.
UVS International
Unmanned Vehicle Systems International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of unmanned vehicle systems. UVS maintains a public site, UCARE, that offers an extensive collection of regulations and official documents, position and opinion papers, and international conference presentations pertaining to UAV-related airworthiness, certification, and air traffic management.
Wind River VxWorks MILS Platform Product Overview
Paul Chen, Director of Product Management, Wind River discusses the challenges of convergence, particularly as they pertain to multilevel secure systems.
