Lynx Software Technologies: Mission-Critical Edge Platforms and High-Assurance Software
Lynx Software Technologies, Inc. is a venerable San Jose, California-based software company specializing in secure, mission-critical software platforms. Founded in 1988 as Lynx Real-Time Systems, the company has evolved through periods as LynuxWorks and finally to its current name, establishing itself as a foundational technology provider in the world of embedded systems, particularly those requiring the highest levels of safety, security, and reliability. The core of the company's business is the development and deployment of certifiable real-time operating systems (RTOSes) and secure virtualization technologies. Lynx aims to improve the economics of developing, deploying, and maintaining high-assurance Mission Critical Edge platforms through modular, open standards-based software solutions.
Continue…Core Business and Market Focus
Lynx Software Technologies provides the foundational software for what is referred to as the "Mission Critical Edge." These solutions are essential for systems where failure is not an option and where real-time, deterministic decisions are required, often in resource-constrained environments. The company's technology is built on a "security-from-the-ground-up" philosophy, emphasizing strong isolation and separation kernel technologies to prevent cyber threats without compromising performance or real-time determinism.
The primary markets served by Lynx include:
- Aerospace and Defense: A cornerstone of their business, providing flight-critical solutions for programs like the F-35 Lightning II's TR3 modernization. Clients in this sector include NASA, the U.S. Army, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, and Collins Aerospace.
- Industrial Automation: Enabling security and deterministic control for industrial and critical infrastructure systems.
- Automotive: Supplying core technology for autonomous and safety-critical vehicle systems.
- Medical: Providing reliability and certification support for advanced medical systems, as seen with clients like GE Healthcare.
- Enterprise Cybersecurity and IoT: Offering isolation technology to separate critical infrastructure and data, addressing the security challenges of billions of connected devices across the edge, gateway, and cloud.
Through strategic acquisitions, Lynx has broadened its capabilities to include expertise in Linux and open-source solutions, GPU software enablement, and safety-critical graphics, thereby supporting the integration of complex components like AI at the edge.
Products and Services
Lynx Software Technologies??? product portfolio centers on three main foundational technology offerings: a modular software framework, a separation kernel hypervisor, and certified real-time operating systems.
LYNX MOSA.ic (Modular Open Systems Approach Initiative)
LYNX MOSA.ic (pronounced ???mosaic???) is Lynx's flagship modular software development framework. It is designed to accelerate the development and integration of complex, safety- and security-critical software systems. The framework enables developers to partition a system into independent, self-managed environments, ensuring that applications with different criticality levels (e.g., safety-critical flight control, mission data processing, and human-machine interface) can coexist on a single multi-core processor without interference.
Key Features of LYNX MOSA.ic:
- Modularity: Allows for the use of independent application modules, simplifying the certification and integration process.
- OS Support: Supports a wide range of operating environments, including LynxOS-178, Linux, Windows, and third-party operating systems, as well as bare metal applications.
- Domain-Specific Versions: Specific offerings, such as LYNX MOSA.ic for Avionics and LYNX MOSA.ic for Industrial, are tailored to the regulatory and functional needs of those respective markets.
LynxSecure Separation Kernel Hypervisor
The LynxSecure Hypervisor is a "bare metal," Type 1 hypervisor and separation kernel that forms the foundation of the LYNX MOSA.ic framework. Its primary function is to enforce rigorous, hardware-based isolation between distinct workloads running on a multi-core processor.
Key Features of LynxSecure:
- Strong Isolation: It leverages hardware virtualization capabilities to isolate computing resources, effectively preventing any compromise in one application from spreading to others.
- High Assurance: The separation kernel architecture is highly secure and is used in military-grade security applications for edge devices, gateways, and the cloud.
- Programmable Partitioning: Acts as a programmable processor partitioning system, allowing developers to define and manage secure, real-time virtual machines.
LynxOS and LynxOS-178 Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS)
Lynx has a long history with its flagship RTOS, LynxOS, which was notable for its UNIX-like user model and standard POSIX interfaces.
Key Features of LynxOS-178:
- Certification: LynxOS-178 is specifically developed for the highest level of airborne software safety and is certified to the stringent FAA DO-178C DAL A safety standard. It has received the first and only FAA Reusable Software Component (RSC) certificate for an RTOS, which significantly lowers development costs and accelerates time-to-market for aerospace customers.
- Standards Compliance: It supports key avionics standards such as the ARINC API and the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) technical standard.
In essence, Lynx Software Technologies provides the critical, certifiable infrastructure that allows complex, multi-functional systems in demanding environments to operate securely, reliably, and with guaranteed performance. Its solutions are instrumental in enabling systems to meet exacting regulatory and safety compliance standards in industries from the air to the factory floor.
