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FreeRTOS FAQ - Memory Usage and Boot Times
How much RAM does FreeRTOS use?
Why does my compiler tell me FreeRTOS is consuming all the available RAM?
Why do queues use that much RAM?
How much ROM does FreeRTOS use?
Why does my compiler tell me FreeRTOS is using much more ROM than you claim it requires?
How can I reduce the amount of RAM used?
How is RAM allocated to tasks?
How is RAM allocated to queues?
How big should a task stack be?
How Long does FreeRTOS take to boot?
FAQ Top
How much RAM does FreeRTOS use?
This depends on your application. Below is a guide based on:
- IAR STR71x ARM7 port.
- Full optimisation.
- Minimum configuration
- Four priorities.
| Item | Bytes Used |
| Scheduler Itself | 236 bytes (can easily be reduced by using smaller data types). |
| For each queue you create, add | 76 bytes + queue storage area (see FAQ Why do queues use that much RAM?) |
| For each task you create, add | 64 bytes (includes 4 characters for the task name) + the task stack size. |
Note these figures are much lower for 8 and 16 bit architectures!
Why does my compiler tell me FreeRTOS is consuming all the available RAM?
Two of the example memory allocation schemes supplied with FreeRTOS allocate memory from a statically allocated array that is dimensioned by the configTOTAL_HEAP_SIZE constant in FreeRTOSConfig.h. These are just normal statically allocated arrays, and therefore appear in the RAM usage figures provided by many tool chains. The tool chain is in effect showing the heap as consumed RAM, even though at that point the heap is completely free as no memory has actually been allocated.
C applications require some RAM for things like static variables, buffers, etc. but will rarely use all the RAM available on a microcontroller. Many of the FreeRTOS demo applications dimension the heap to use up all the RAM that is left over, making it appear as if the application is using all the RAM available.
Why do queues use that much RAM?
Event management is built into the queue functionality. This means the queue data structures contain all the RAM that other RTOS systems sometimes allocate separately. There is no concept of an event control block within FreeRTOS.
How much ROM/Flash does FreeRTOS use?
This depends on your compiler, architecture, and RTOS kernel configuration.
The RTOS kernel itself required about 5 to 10 KBytes of ROM space when using the same configuration as stated for the FAQ "How much RAM does FreeRTOS use?".
How can I reduce the amount of RAM used?
- Use the uxTaskGetStackHighWaterMark() and xPortGetFreeHeapSize() API functions to analyse where RAM is being allocated but not used.
- Set configMAX_PRIORITIES and configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE (found in portmacro.h) to the minimum values acceptable to your application.
- Recover the stack used by main(). The stack used upon program entry is not required once the RTOS scheduler has been started (unless your application calls vTaskEndScheduler(), which is only supported directly in the distribution for the PC and Flashlite ports, or uses the stack as an interrupt stack as is done in the ARM Cortex-M and RX ports). Every task has its own stack allocated so the stack allocated to main() is available for reuse once the RTOS scheduler has started.
- Minimise the stack used by main(). The idle task is automatically created when you create the first application task.
The stack used upon program entry (before the RTOS scheduler has started) must therefore be large enough for a nested call to
xTaskCreate(). Creating the idle task manually can half this stack requirement. To create the idle task manually:
- Locate the function prvInitialiseTaskLists() in Source\tasks.c.
- The idle task is created at the bottom of the function by a call to xTaskCreate(). Cut this line from Source\tasks.c and paste it into main().
- Rationalise the number of tasks. The idle task is not required if:
- Your application has a task that never blocks, and ...
- Your application does not make any calls to vTaskDelete().
- Reduce the data size used by the definition portBASE_TYPE (this can increase execution time).
- There are other minor tweaks that can be performed (for example the task priority queues don't require event management), but if you get down to this level - you need more RAM!
Why does my compiler tell me FreeRTOS is using much more ROM than you claim it requires?
The quoted ROM/Flash footprint figures are genuine. If you write a tiny FreeRTOS test program and it appears to consume more ROM than expected then it is probably because of the libraries that are being included in your build, not because of FreeRTOS. In particular, GCC string handling and any floating point library is going to bloat your code.
FreeRTOS includes a very cut down open source implementation of many string handling functions in a file called printf-stdarg.c. Including this in your project can greatly reduce both the amount of ROM used by the build, and the size of the stack required to be allocated to any task making a string handling library call (sprintf() for example). Note that printf-stdarg.c is open source, but not covered by the FreeRTOS license. Ensure you are happy with the license conditions stated in the file itself before use.
Also, most linkers will remove unused code by default, but the GNU linker will only remove unused code if you explicitly tell it to.
Check the output .map file to find exactly how ROM/Flash is being used.
How is RAM allocated to tasks?
Two calls to pvPortMalloc() are made when a task is created. The first allocates the task control block, the second allocates the task stack. The stack used by main() is not used by tasks, but (depending on the port) may be used by interrupts.
Please read the memory configuration section of the API documentation for details of the allocation scheme.
How is RAM allocated to queues?
To create a queue the RTOS kernel makes two calls to pvPortMalloc(). The first allocates the queue structure, the second the queue storage area (the size of which is a parameter to xQueueCreate()).
How big should the stack be?
This is completely application dependent, and not always easy to calculate. It depends on the function call depth, number of local variables allocated, number of parameters in function calls made, etc. The stack must always be large enough to contain the execution context (all the processor registers).
The FreeRTOS download contains a demo application for each port. A task created using that port must not be allocated a stack size that is lower than the value of configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE used in the demo application. The RTOS kernel itself only uses configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE to set the size of the stack used by the idle task. Tasks that allocate more variables than the idle task, or have a larger function call nesting depth than the idle task, will require a larger stack.
The stack of each task is filled with 0xa5 bytes upon creation which allows the high water mark to be viewed using suitable debugging tools, and obtained using the uxTaskGetStackHighWaterMark() API function. The RTOS kernel can also be built to include stack overflow detection.
How long does FreeRTOS take to boot?
FreeRTOS, OpenRTOS and in most cases SafeRTOS are supplied as source code for static linking into the users application. The build process therefore results in a single executable binary image. Typically such an image will include a C start up routine to set up the C run time environment, before calling main() to execute the users application. The interrupt vector table will also be statically configured and included at a predetermined location within the same binary.
The table below provides an indication of the sequence of processing booting such a system will require, along with some guidance on the time required for this processing to complete. Note that any numbers provided are indicative only and realistic. Actual times achievable will depend on the architecture being used, the clock frequencies configured, and the configuration of the memory interface.
| # | Description |
Timing |
| 1 | Configure the CPU clocks for the performance level required. |
Typically requires a few register writes, followed by a short delay for clocks to lock. This will
take in the order of a few microseconds, depending on the architecture being used.
This is an optional step. It could be performed later from C code but can boost the boot time if it is performed prior to initializing memory. |
| 2 | Initialize static and global variables that contain only the value zero (bss). |
Including FreeRTOS in an application would typically only add an extra couple of hundred write accesses
to be performed within a very tight assembly loop. This will add in the region of a few microseconds
to the time taken when compared to that taken were the RTOS kernel not included. |
| 3 | Initialize variables that contain a value other than zero. |
Including FreeRTOS in an application would typically not add any extra time to this step. |
| 4 | Perform any other hardware set up required. |
Often it is desirable to configure peripherals prior to starting the RTOS scheduler. How long this takes will
depend on the complexity of the peripherals being used, but on the class of microcontroller targeted by
FreeRTOS the total time would typically require a few milliseconds only. |
| 5 | Create application queues, semaphores and mutexes. |
Typically the majority of queues, semaphores and mutexes will be created prior to the RTOS scheduler being started.
By way of example, on a ARM Cortex-M3 device, using the ARM RVDS compiler with optimization set to 1 (low), creating a queue, semaphore or mutex will take approximately 500 CPU cycles. |
| 6 | Create application tasks. |
Typically the majority of tasks will be created prior to the RTOS scheduler being started.
By way of example, on a ARM Cortex-M3 device, using the ARM RVDS compiler with optimization set to 1 (low), creating each task will take approximately 1100 CPU cycles. |
| 7 | Start the RTOS scheduler. |
The RTOS scheduler is started by calling vTaskStartScheduler(). The start up process includes configuring the
tick interrupt, creating the idle task, and then restoring the context of the first task to run.
By way of example, on a ARM Cortex-M3 device, using the ARM RVDS compiler with optimization set to 1 (low), starting the RTOS scheduler will take approximately 1200 CPU cycles. |
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