Micrium's Jean Labrosse written a new book on uC/OS-III Real-Time Kernel

The popular author of the definitive text on RTOS technology, MicroC-OS-II The Real-Time Kernel, Jean Labrosse, president and CEO of Micrium has written a new book, and this one comes with a twist. uC/OS-III, the Real-Time Kernel covers Micrium's newest kernel by the same name, and is offered as a two-part book accompanied by an STMicroelectronics STM32F107-based evaluation board (uC/Eval-STM32F107). The book and board combo target serious programmers and college students who need to understand and create programs based on the timesaving features of a real-time kernel.

Part I of the text covers the internals of the new kernel without going into each detail of the code, as did Labrosse's previous book. In this version, the emphasis is on the internals, features, API calls, and where and how to use an RTOS, all presented in a clear and useful way, and accompanied by a wealth of diagrams. Part II provides specific examples for using uC/OS-III on the popular STM32 (Cortex M3) processor architecture.

The uC/OS-III book makes use of Micrium's advanced tool, uC/Probe to visualize the kernel's data structures as well as up to five user variables 'live' using the uC/Eval-STM32F107's built-in J-Link-JTAG/SWD debugger. Readers can download this free, non-time-limited version of uC/Probe from the Micrium website.

The evaluation board contains the STM32F107 Cortex-M3-based MCU, an Ethernet (RJ-45) connector, USB-On-The-Go (OTG) connector, RS-232C connector, SD card interface, LM75 temperature sensor, and more.

"It's one thing to explain theory and data structures, and quite another to actually see them in action," said Jean Labrosse. "By offering Part II of the book in cooperation with STMicroelectronics, we're providing the ability to experience the workings of the kernel on a very popular Cortex M3-based processor architecture," Labrosse added.

"With the popularity and utility of the STM32 microcontrollers, developers have asked for proven software solutions that demonstrate possibilities and improve their productivity. The Micrium uC/OS-III RTOS and software components fulfill these needs," said Semir Haddad, 32-bit marketing manager, Microelectronics Division, STMicroelectronics. "Bundling the uC/OS-III book, with its practical examples, and an STM32 board is a useful and valuable innovation that dramatically accelerates progress on the learning curve and enables developers to immediately utilize what they read."

The goal of the book and board kit is to offer an interactive and practical, hands-on learning experience. Labrosse explains how a kernel works, how it is used, and how it is easily targeted to a specific architecture so that users can immediately try it.

Along with the book and board, the kit contains a link to the IAR KickStart tools that enable the user to write application programs of up to 32Kbytes in code size (excluding the RTOS itself).

According to Nadim Shehayed, General Manager of IAR Systems Software Inc., "As a leader in high-end tools for the ARM/Cortex architecture, IAR Systems is proud to be selected for this book. This effort represents a unique opportunity to use high-end software and tools in a very cost-effective package."

The official release date for the book is September 15, 2009. Pre-orders are available at Amazon.com (ISBN 978-0-9823375-3-0), Barnes & Noble, and other fine bookstores. The book and board combo list for $199.95.