FSFW From Zero Workshop

This workshop gives an introduction to the Flight Software Framework, starting from a simple hello world program in C++. As such, it it also suitable for people with basic C++ skills who want to learn how the FSFW works and how to build On-Board Software (OBSW) in general. This workshop does not rely on external hardware and can be done on a host machine (e.g. laptop).

Requirements

For you own sanity, I really recommend doing this in an Unix environment. If you do not have or do not want to use a VM, consider using Ubuntu WSL on Windows.

1. git installed
2. cmake installed as the build system generator
3. C++ compiler installed. On Windows, you can use MinGW64 or clang. On Unix, you can use the pre-installed GCC
4. Build system for C/C++ installed. For Windows, it is recommended to use ninja. On Unix, you can use the pre-installed make tool.

Getting started

Start by cloning this repository and updating the submodules to also clone the Flight Software Framework:

git clone https://egit.irs.uni-stuttgart.de/fsfw/fsfw-from-zero.git
git submodule init
git submodule update

This workshop uses CMake like the framework to build the application. This command sequence will build the software

mkdir build
cd build && cmake ..
cmake --build . -j

This will generate the fsfw-from-zero executable inside the build folder. It is recommended to use an IDE like VS Code or CLion. Those generally have good CMake support.

Overview

This workshop is organised in chapters which have multiple tasks. For each task, solution source files will be provided but you are encouraged to work to the solution on your own.

It is recommended to have a basic understanding of C++ basics and object-oriented programming in general before doing this workshop. There are various books and online resources available to learn this.

Tasks workshop

This chapter provides an introduction into the thread/tasks abstractions provided by the framework. The chapter descriptions and solutions are located inside ws-tasks.

Structuring your project and managing third-party dependencies with CMake

OBSW usually becomes very complex as more and more features and functionality is added. We need to split the software into smaller dedicated modules as this happens to keep complexity in check. This workshop shows how this is done with CMake. Another common task is the integration of third-party libraries. In general, this is a painful process in C/C++ with no built-in package management and an archaic header system. This workshop will attempt to alleviate some of the pain by showing how to integrate a CMake compatible library by example and how to intgerate a library without CMake support.

Object Manager and TMTC handling workshop

This chapter will introduce the object manager and expand the knowledge of the tasks workshop by showing how to conveniently create global addressable objects. It also provides an introduction into TMTC handling, as virtually all space systems are remote systems where telemetry and telecommands are the primary data interface available to communicate with the satellite.

Controller workshop

This chapter will introduce the ControllerBase and ExtendedControllerBase class and the various helper interfaces they expose.