The CMSIS-RTOS API Version 2 (CMSIS-RTOS2) is a generic RTOS interface for ARM® Cortex®-M processor-based devices. It provides a standardized API for software components that require RTOS functionality and gives therefore serious benefits to the users and the software industry:

CMSIS-RTOS2 provides basic features that are required in many applications.
The unified feature set of the CMSIS-RTOS2 reduces learning efforts and simplifies sharing of software components.
Middleware components that use the CMSIS-RTOS2 are RTOS agnostic and are easier to adapt.
Standard project templates of the CMSIS-RTOS2 may be shipped with freely available CMSIS-RTOS2 implementations.

Note: The CMSIS-RTOS API Version 2 defines a minimum feature set. Implementations with extended features may be provided by the RTOS vendors.

The CMSIS-RTOS2 manages the resources of the microcontroller system and implements the concept of parallel threads that run concurrently.

Applications frequently require several concurrent activities. CMSIS-RTOS2 can manage multiple concurrent activities at the time when they are needed. Each activity gets a separate thread which executes a specific task and this simplifies the overall program structure. The CMSIS-RTOS2 system is scalable and additional threads can be added easily at a later time. Threads have a priority allowing faster execution of time-critical parts of a user application.

The CMSIS-RTOS2 offers services needed in many real-time applications, for example, periodical activation of timer functions, memory management, and message exchange between threads with time limits.

The CMSIS-RTOS2 addresses the following new requirements:

Dynamic object creation no longer requires static memory, static memory buffers are now optional.
Support for ARMv8-M architecture that provides a secure and non-secure state of code execution.
Provisions for message passing in multi-core systems.
Full support of C++ run-time environments.
C interface which is binary compatible across ABI compatible compilers.

As a consequence of these requirements the CMSIS-RTOS2 has the following fundamental modifications:

The functions osXxxxNew replace osXxxxCreate functions; osXxxxNew and osXxxxDelete create and destroy objects.
The C function main is no longer started as a thread (this was an optional feature in CMSIS-RTOS v1).
Functions that return osEvent have been replaced.

CMSIS-RTOS2 provides an translation layer for the CMSIS-RTOS API v1. It is possible to intermix CMSIS-RTOS API Version 2 and CMSIS-RTOS API Version 1 within the same application. Over time, you may migrate to the new API as explained in Migration from API v1 to API v2.

CMSIS-RTOS2 is not POSIX compliant, but has provisions to enable a C++11/C++14 interface.

The following sections provide further details about CMSIS-RTOS2 and the RTX reference implementation.

Revision History documents changes made in each version for CMSIS-RTOS API v2 and RTX v5.
Generic RTOS Interface provides an overview about the CMSIS-RTOS API v2.
Function Overview lists the CMSIS-RTOS2 API functions and the header file cmsis_os2.h.
RTOS Validation describes the validation suite that is publicly available.
Migration from API v1 to API v2 shows how to use CMSIS-RTOS2 in existing projects and lists function differences to CMSIS-RTOS v1.
RTX v5 Implementation provides general information about the operation and usage of RTX v5.

CMSIS-RTOS2 in ARM::CMSIS Pack

The following files relevant to CMSIS-RTOS2 are present in the ARM::CMSIS Pack directories:

File/Folder	Content
CMSIS/Documentation/RTOS2	This documentation
CMSIS/RTOS2/Include	cmsis_os2.h header file
CMSIS/RTOS2/RTX	CMSIS-RTOS v2 reference implementation based on RTX version 5
CMSIS/RTOS2/Template	Compatibility layer to CMSIS-RTOS v1