Symobi

Key takeaways

Symobi belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Symobi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Symobi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Symobi (System for mobile applications) is a proprietary modern and mobile real-time operating system. It was and is developed by the German company Miray Software, since 2002 partly in cooperation with the research team of Prof. Dr. Uwe Baumgarten at the Technical University of Munich. The graphical operating system is designed for the area of embedded and mobile systems. It is also often used on PCs for end users and in the field of industry.

Design The basis of Symobi is the message-oriented operating system μnOS, which is on its part based on the real-time microkernel Sphere. μnOS offers communication through message passing between all processes (from basic operating system service processes to application processes) using the integrated process manager. On the lowest level, the responsibility of the Sphere microkernel is to implement and enforce security mechanisms and resource management in real-time. Symobi itself additionally offers a complete graphical operating system environment with system services, a consistent graphical user interface, as well as standard programs and drivers.

Classification Symobi combines features from different fields of application in one operating system. As a modern operating system it offers separated, isolated processes, light-weight threads, and dynamic libraries, like Windows, Linux, and Unix for example. In the area of mobile embedded operating systems, through its low resource requirement and the support of mobile devices it resembles systems like Windows CE, SymbianOS or Palm OS. With conventional real-time operating systems like QNX or VxWorks it shares the real-time ability and the support of different processor architectures.

History The development of Sphere, μnOS and Symobi is based on the ideas and work of Konrad Foikis and Michael Haunreiter (founders of the company Miray Software), initiated during their schooldays, even before they started studying computer science. The basic concept was to combine useful and necessary features (like real-time and portability) with modern characteristics (like microkernel and inter-process communication etc.) to form a stable and reliable operating system. Originally, it was only supposed to serve as a basis for the different application programs developed by Foikis and Haunreiter during their studies. In 2000, Konrad Foikis and Michael Haunreiter founded the company Miray Software when they realised that μnOS was suited for far more than their own use. The cooperation with the Technical University of Munich already evolved two years later. In 2006, the first official version of Symobi was completed, and in autumn of the same year it was introduced in professional circles on the Systems exhibition.

Support Single-Core Intel: 80386, 80486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Core Solo, Core 2 Solo AMD: Élan SC410, Élan SC520, K6, K6-2, K6-III, Duron, Sempron, Athlon, Opteron VIA: Cyrix Mark II, Cyrix III, C3, C7, Eden Rise: mP6 Marvell / Intel: PXA-250, PXA-255, PXA-270, IXP-420 Motorola / Freescale: G2, G3, G4 Multi-Core Intel: Pentium 4, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo AMD: Athlon X2, Opteron

Application areas Symobi is suited for hand-held products (portable communicators, internet appliances), as well as for consumer appliances (set-top boxes, home gateways, games, consoles). Furthermore, it is used in the areas of automotive (control and infotainment systems), industrial control systems (motion control, process control), and point of sale (cashier systems, ticket machines, information terminals).

Advantages and disadvantages The operating system stands out through its real-time microkernel and its multi-processor ability. Furthermore, it is portable and therefore not bound to specific hardware platforms. Symobi's inter-process communication guarantees security and flexibility. It has a modern architecture and runs with only low resource requirements (processor, system memory). The system offers a Java-VM. In the area of standard appliances the operating system it not yet widely spread. It has only a rudimentary POSIX support and has restricted hardware support through drivers. In addition, Symobi is not an open source operating system and at present does not offer office applications, email functions, or a web browser.

References

External links Symobi Chair for Operating Systems at the Technical University of Munich Miray Software

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Symobi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Symobi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Symobi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Symobi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Symobi

In research: Symobi appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Symobi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Symobi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Embedded operating systems, Microkernel-based operating systems, Real-time operating systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Symobi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Symobi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Symobi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Symobi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Symobi in simple terms?

Symobi (System for mobile applications) is a proprietary modern and mobile real-time operating system. It was and is developed by the German company Miray Software, since 2002 partly in cooperation with the research team of Prof.

Why does Symobi matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Symobi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Symobi.