Vxworks Command Cheat Sheet ((top)) ✦ High-Quality & Official

The VxWorks kernel shell allows users to monitor and debug real-time processes through a command-line interface. In this environment, strings must be quoted, and multiple arguments are separated by commas. Task Management

Commands used to control and monitor individual tasks within the system.

i: Prints a concise summary of all active tasks, including their TCB (Task Control Block) information.

ti [taskName|Id]: Displays detailed information from a specific task's TCB.

sp [entryPt, args]: Spawns a new task with default parameters at a specified entry point. sps [entryPt, args]: Spawns a task in a suspended state. td [taskName|Id]: Deletes a specified task. ts [taskName|Id]: Suspends a running task. tr [taskName|Id]: Resumes a task that has been suspended.

tt [taskName|Id]: Shows a stack trace for the specified task.

checkStack [taskName|Id]: Prints the stack usage for a task to help identify potential overflows. System & Memory Information

General commands for system status and direct memory manipulation.

devs: Lists all devices currently known to the target system.

lkup "[symbol]": Searches for and lists symbols from the system symbol table matching the string.

d [address]: Displays the contents of memory at a specific hex address.

m [address]: Allows you to manually modify memory at a specified hex address. printErrno [n]: Describes the most recent error status; use for the latest status. vxworks command cheat sheet

h [size]: Displays the command history or sets the history buffer size. reboot or CTRL+X: Restarts the target system. File System & Navigation

Standard commands for interacting with the target's directory structure. pwd: Displays the path of the current working directory.

cd "[dir]": Changes the default directory to the one specified. ls: Lists the contents of the current directory. ld < [filename]: Loads an object module into the system. unld "[moduleName]": Unloads a previously loaded module. Debugging Commands

Commonly used routines for setting execution breaks and stepping through code. b [address]: Sets a breakpoint at a specific address. bd [address]: Deletes a specific breakpoint. c: Continues execution from a breakpoint.

step or stepi: Steps through a program by source line or a single machine instruction.

Essential VxWorks Shell Command Cheat Sheet Navigating the VxWorks RTOS environment requires familiarity with its command-line interfaces. Whether you are using the Kernel Shell (resident on the target) or the Host Shell

(running on your development station), these commands are essential for debugging, task management, and system interrogation. 1. Task Management & Information Manage the lifecycle and execution of real-time tasks. : Displays a synopsis of all running tasks in the system. sp (entryPt, args) : Spawns a task with default parameters. sps (entryPt, args) : Spawns a task and leaves it in a suspended state. td (taskId) : Deletes a specific task. ts (taskId) : Suspends a task. tr (taskId) : Resumes a suspended task. ti (taskId)

: Shows detailed information from the Task Control Block (TCB). tt (taskId) : Displays a stack trace for the specified task. checkStack (taskId) : Prints a summary of a task's stack usage. 2. System Interrogation & Diagnostics

Gather data about the hardware environment and system status. : Lists all devices currently known on the target. lkup "string"

: Searches the system symbol table for symbols matching the string. : Displays a summary of system memory usage and statistics. moduleShow : Lists all downloaded or loaded object modules. printErrno(n) : Describes the specified error status value (use for the latest error). iosDevShow : Shows all loaded I/O devices. 3. Memory & Register Modification Interact directly with memory addresses and CPU registers. d (address, n)

: Displays memory contents starting at a specific hex address. m (address) The VxWorks kernel shell allows users to monitor

: Allows manual modification of memory at the specified address. : Allows modification of CPU registers. : Returns the current contents of the program counter. 4. File System & Navigation

Standard utilities for navigating the target's local or remote file systems. : Displays the current default directory. : Changes the default directory. : Lists files in the current directory. mkdir "name" : Creates a new directory. : Deletes a specified file. 5. Shell Control & Utilities : Displays command history or sets the history buffer size. : Prints a synopsis of available shell routines.

: Resets network devices and transfers control back to the boot ROMs. : Loads an object module into memory from a file. unld "module" : Unloads a previously loaded object module. usrLib - the triumf daq wiki

Navigating the VxWorks shell (WindSh) can feel like a throwback to pure C programming. Unlike standard Linux shells, VxWorks often expects function-call syntax: arguments must be comma-separated and strings quoted. Task Management i: Displays a summary of all active tasks in the system.

ti [taskId]: Shows detailed information from the Task Control Block (TCB) for a specific task.

sp [entryPt], [arg1], ...: Spawns a new task with default priority (100) and stack size (20000 bytes).

sps [entryPt]: Spawns a task and leaves it in a suspended state. td [taskId]: Deletes a specified task. ts [taskId]: Suspends a running task. tr [taskId]: Resumes a suspended task.

checkStack [taskId]: Displays stack usage for a task; use 0 to check all. System & Information

devs: Lists all devices currently known to the target system.

lkup "[string]": Searches the system symbol table for functions or variables containing the specified string.

printErrno [value]: Translates a numerical error code into a human-readable description. moduleShow: Lists all loaded object modules (programs). ps : List running processes (e

memShow: Displays current memory partition and allocation statistics. h: Shows the command history. Memory & Debugging

d [address], [count], [width]: Displays memory contents starting at a specific hex address.

m [address]: Opens a prompt to modify memory at that address. b [address]: Sets a breakpoint at the specified address. bd [address]: Deletes a breakpoint. tt [taskId]: Shows a stack trace for the specified task. Filesystem & Booting ls: Lists the contents of the current directory. cd "[dir]": Changes the default directory. pwd: Prints the current working directory.

bootChange: Allows you to modify the saved boot parameters (bootline). reboot (or CTRL+X): Restarts the processor. VxWorks Command Line Cheat Sheet | PDF | Booting - Scribd

3. Process Management

ps: List running processes (e.g., ps -ef)
kill: Terminate a process (e.g., kill <pid>)
taskSpawn: Spawn a new task (e.g., taskSpawn /test/task 10 0x1000)

2. Memory & Address Inspection

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | d <address> [,width] [,count] | Display memory (hex/ASCII) – e.g., d 0x1000, 4, 32 | | m <address> <value> | Modify memory byte (use mh for half-word, mw for word) | | fill <start> <end> <value> | Fill memory range with a byte value | | copy <src> <dst> <len> | Copy memory | | search <start> <end> <pattern> | Search memory for a byte pattern | | checkStack <taskId> | Check stack overflow/usage of a task |

Tip: For 32-bit aligned word display: d 0x10000, 4 – width 4 means 4 bytes per column.

⚙️ Kernel & Module Loading

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | ld <filename> | Load object module (e.g., .out file) | | unld <moduleId> | Unload module | | moduleShow | List loaded modules | | symShow [pattern] | Show global symbols | | symFind <name> | Find symbol address |

Part 5: Memory & Data Inspection

You are a low-level engineer. You need to peek and poke at physical memory.

11. Time & Tick Management

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | tickGet | Get current tick count | | tickAnnounce | Manually announce a tick (for testing) | | tickShow | Show tick rate and system time | | sysClkRateGet | Get system clock ticks per second | | sysClkRateSet <hz> | Change clock rate | | delay <ticks> | Delay current task by ticks | | taskDelay <ticks> | Same as delay |

Conclusion: Print This Cheat Sheet

VxWorks is not Linux. You cannot grep, awk, or systemctl. But its real-time shell is one of the most powerful debugging environments in existence. You have direct, cycle-accurate control over memory, tasks, and devices.

Keep this cheat sheet at your desk. Bookmark it. When the Mars rover sends back a 0xDEADBEEF or the fighter jet displays a taskDelay loop, these commands will be your lifeline.