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Bookmark it. When the Mars rover sends back a 0xDEADBEEF or the fighter jet displays a taskDelay loop, these commands will be your lifeline. Quick Reference Card (Print-friendly) | Category | Top 3 Commands | | :--- | :--- | | Info | i , version , memShow | | Tasks | taskSpawn , taskDelete , ti | | Memory | d , m , fill | | Debug | tr , checkStack , lkup | | Network | ifConfig , ping , routeShow | | Files | ls , cd , cp |
| Command | Description | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Display (dump) memory in hex and ASCII. | d 0x00100000, 100 (dump 100 bytes) | | d.b | Display bytes. | d.b 0x80001000 | | d.w | Display words (2 bytes). | d.w 0x80001000 | | d.l | Display long words (4 bytes). | d.l 0x80001000 | | m | Modify memory (interactive). | m 0x80001000 | | m.b / m.w / m.l | Modify bytes/words/longs. | m.l 0x80001000 0xDEADBEEF | | fill | Fill a memory region with a value. | fill 0x80000000, 0x100, 0xFF | | copy | Copy memory region. | copy 0x8000, 0x9000, 0x200 | Working with Variables Since the shell is a C interpreter, you can declare and print variables: vxworks command cheat sheet
If you are debugging a driver, testing a board support package (BSP), or tuning a real-time task, you will eventually find yourself staring at the (also known as the C interpreter shell or Host shell ). Unlike a Linux bash shell, the VxWorks shell is a direct window into the kernel. You can execute C functions, inspect memory, change variables, and even spawn tasks on the fly. Bookmark it
| Command | Description | Use Case | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Cold restarts the target hardware. | "Just reset it." | | tr | Task Trace – shows task history. | Who blocked which semaphore? | | checkStack | Verifies task stack boundaries (no overflow). | Intermittent crashes. | | wdShow | Shows all watchdog timers. | Hung task detection. | | exceptionShow | Prints detailed exception register dump. | After a page fault. | | lkup | Look up symbols by name (or partial name). | lkup "net" (finds all network symbols) | | objShowAll | Lists all kernel objects (tasks, semaphores, msgQs). | Resource leak hunting. | | d 0x00100000, 100 (dump 100 bytes) | | d
Introduction In the world of real-time operating systems (RTOS), VxWorks by Wind River stands as a titan. For over three decades, it has powered mission-critical systems: from the Mars rovers (Curiosity and Perseverance) and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to avionics systems, industrial robotics, and network infrastructure.
If a command isn't working, type help "command" first. If that fails, your BSP might have disabled the C interpreter. In that case, switch to the Kernel Shell using -> prompt.
int x = 42; // Declare char * msg = "Hello"; // Declare string printVal x; // Print value printf("Msg: %s\n", msg); // Use stdio functions VxWorks provides robust crash analysis tools.
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