This cheat sheet covers essential commands for managing tasks, memory, and system information within the VxWorks shell environment (WindSh). Task Management i: Displays a summary of all active tasks in the system.
ti "taskName" or taskID: Shows detailed Information for a specific task, including its TCB (Task Control Block).
sp function, arg1, ...: Spawns a new task starting at the specified function with provided arguments. td "taskName" or taskID: Deletes a specific task. ts "taskName" or taskID: Suspends a task. tr "taskName" or taskID: Resumes a suspended task.
tt "taskName" or taskID: Shows a stack trace for the specified task. Memory & Object Information
d address, [nWords]: Displays memory contents starting at a specific address.
m address: Modifies memory at the given address interactively.
memShow: Displays general memory partition statistics, such as free and allocated space.
moduleShow: Lists all currently loaded object modules and programs.
show semaphoreID: Displays information about a specific semaphore. System & File Operations
devs: Lists all devices currently known to the target system. vxworks command cheat sheet
ls ["directory"]: Lists the contents of the current or specified directory. pwd: Prints the current working directory path. cd "path": Changes the current directory. reboot: Reboots the processor.
lkup "name": Searches for and lists symbols matching the string in the system symbol table.
h [n]: Displays the command history; default size is typically 20.
printErrno status: Describes the meaning of the most recent error status value. Network & Boot
ifShow: Displays the status and configuration of network interfaces. bootParamsShow: Displays the current boot line parameters.
bootChange: Allows interactive modification of the saved boot parameters.
ping "host", [count]: Sends ICMP echo requests to a network host. Shell Syntax Tips
Quotes: Most commands require string arguments (like task names or file paths) to be enclosed in double quotes (e.g., ti "tRoot").
Arguments: Multiple arguments for functions or commands are separated by commas. This cheat sheet covers essential commands for managing
VxWorks Command Cheat Sheet
VxWorks is a real-time operating system (RTOS) used in a variety of embedded systems. Here are some common VxWorks commands:
| 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.
VxWorks is a real-time operating system (RTOS) widely used in embedded systems. This cheat sheet provides a concise reference to common VxWorks commands, helping users quickly navigate and interact with the system.
| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| i | Show all tasks (ID, name, state, priority, stack used) |
| ti <taskId> | Show detailed info about a specific task |
| taskSpawn <name>, <prio>, <options>, <stackSize>, <entryFunc> | Create and start a new task |
| taskDelete <taskId> | Delete a task |
| taskSuspend <taskId> | Suspend a task |
| taskResume <taskId> | Resume a suspended task |
| taskPrioritySet <taskId>, <newPrio> | Change task priority |
| taskLock / taskUnlock | Disable/enable preemption for current task |
| taskRestart <taskId> | Restart a task |
This VxWorks command cheat sheet provides a concise reference to common commands, helping users interact with the system efficiently. As VxWorks is a powerful and feature-rich operating system, this cheat sheet is not exhaustive. Users are encouraged to explore the VxWorks documentation and online resources for more information.
Managing a real-time operating system (RTOS) like VxWorks requires a specialized set of commands, primarily executed through its Kernel Shell
. Unlike standard Linux or Windows prompts, the VxWorks shell often allows you to call C functions directly as commands, meaning syntax usually requires parentheses and quoted strings. Stack Overflow Essential Task Management Tip : For 32-bit aligned word display: d
These commands allow you to control and monitor individual processes (tasks) in the system.
: Displays a summary of all active tasks, including their IDs and status. sp(entryPt, arg1, ...) : Spawns a new task starting at the specified function. td(taskId) : Deletes a task by its ID or name. ts(taskId) : Suspends a task, pausing its execution. tr(taskId) : Resumes a suspended task. ti(taskId)
: Displays detailed information from the Task Control Block (TCB), including register values. tt(taskId) : Shows a task's stack trace, useful for debugging crashes. Google Groups System & Memory Diagnostics
Use these to inspect the target hardware's state and memory contents. d(address, units, width)
: Dumps memory contents starting at a specific hexadecimal address. m(address, width) : Modifies memory at a given address interactively.
: Displays overall system memory usage, including free and allocated blocks.
: Lists all hardware devices currently recognized by the system. lkup "string"
: Searches the system symbol table for functions or variables containing that string. printErrno(value)
: Decodes a numeric error code into a human-readable description. Stack Overflow Networking Commands For troubleshooting connectivity and protocol stacks: VxWorks Command Cheat Sheet | PDF | Booting - Scribd
| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| i | Show all tasks (Task ID, name, state, priority) |
| ti <taskId> | Display task详细信息 (stack, registers, etc.) |
| taskSpawn "name", priority, options, stackSize, entryFunc | Create & start a new task |
| taskDelete <taskId> | Delete a task |
| taskSuspend <taskId> | Suspend a task |
| taskResume <taskId> | Resume a suspended task |
| taskPrioritySet <taskId> <priority> | Change task priority |
| taskPriorityGet <taskId> | Get current priority |
| taskLock | Disable preemption for current task |
| taskUnlock | Re-enable preemption |
| taskSafe | Protect current task from deletion |
| taskUnsafe | Remove deletion protection |
| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| semShow | Show all semaphores |
| semDelete <semId> | Delete a semaphore |
| semGive <semId> | Give a semaphore |
| semTake <semId> <timeout> | Take a semaphore |
| semInfo <semId> | Display semaphore info |