Caution: This version of this document is no longer maintained. For the latest documentation, see http://www.qnx.com/developers/docs.

Getting Started

This chapter includes:

Supported hosts

To install and use QNX Momentics, you'll need a desktop machine running one of the following for your host development environment:

For particular system requirements (e.g. amount of disk space you'll need to install), see the installation note that came with your software.

Installing and removing QNX Momentics

QNX Momentics uses InstallShield on all hosts except Neutrino (which uses tarballs and shell scripts) to help you install and remove software. For specific instructions, see the installation note that was shipped with your software.

What do I do if my installation fails?

If for some reason (e.g. hardware incompatibility) your QNX Momentics system doesn't install properly, you should:

  1. Review the requirements and instructions given in the installation note that was shipped with your software.
  2. If you can access the Internet, check the lists of supported hardware posted on our website (http://www.qnx.com).
  3. Check the troubleshooting sections in the Neutrino User's Guide.
  4. Contact us for help, or post questions in one of our forums. For more information, see the How to Get Help chapter.

What did I just install?

QNX Momentics software is organized around these two main areas:

Host-related
All your libraries, executables, etc., designed to run on your host system (e.g. Windows).
Target-related
All CPU-specific components, as well as certain common things that you can use on any target system.

The QNX_HOST environment variable identifies the directory that holds the host-related components:


Host-related directory


The host-related directory structure.

The QNX_TARGET environment variable identifies the directory that holds the target-related components:


Target-related directory


The target-related directory structure.

Neutrino also uses these environment variables to locate files on the host machine:

QNX_CONFIGURATION
The location of the configuration files and licenses for QNX Momentics.
MAKEFLAGS
The location of included *.mk files.

Here's where some of the key components are installed:

Component Location
Buildfiles $QNX_TARGET/platform/boot/build/boardname.build
Command-line utilities For the host: $QNX_HOST/usr/bin and $QNX_HOST/platform/bin

For the target: $QNX_TARGET/bin and $QNX_TARGET/platform/bin and $QNX_TARGET/platform/sbin

Device drivers (binaries) $QNX_TARGET/platform/sbin
Device drivers (DLLs) $QNX_TARGET/platform/lib/dll
Filesystems $QNX_TARGET/platform/sbin
GUI-related $QNX_TARGET/usr/photon
Shared libraries $QNX_TARGET/platform/lib
System header files $QNX_TARGET/usr/include
Documentation Eclipse plugin directory, also in $QNX_TARGET/usr/help/product on self-hosted Neutrino systems

If you install any BSPs or DDKs, they're installed under ${QNX_TARGET}, or in a directory of your choosing. The IDE creates a workspace, a directory that holds your development projects. By default, this workspace is in your home directory on Linux and Neutrino, and in C:\QNX632 on Windows.

For information about the directory structure on a Neutrino runtime system, see "Where everything is stored" in the Working with Files chapter of the Neutrino User's Guide.

What's on my desktop?

How you access the components of QNX Momentics depends on your host machine:

Windows
You can start the IDE by clicking its icon on the desktop:

IDE icon

or by choosing Start-->QNX Momentics IDE. The Start-->All Programs-->QNX Momentics 6.3.2 menu lets you add or activate licenses, configure your machine to build for a specific version of QNX Momentics, run Phindows, and start the IDE.

Linux
The Start-->Programming menu lets you add or activate licenses, and start the IDE.
Neutrino
The Launch-->QNX Momentics 6.3.2 menu lets you start the IDE; the Launch-->Configure menu lets you add and activate licenses. The Help item in the Launch menu and on the shelf starts the Helpviewer, where you'll find the documentation.

Upgrading your software

Here's the general procedure for updating a version of QNX Momentics or other components you've purchased:

  1. Go to the QNX Software Systems website (http://www.qnx.com) and log into your myQNX account. If you don't already have a myQNX account, please register now.
  2. Follow the instructions for registering your product. You'll need the Product Registration serial number and password from your License Certificate.
  3. Go to the Download area.
  4. Select the product (e.g. "QNX Momentics 6.3.2") or search by keywords.

    Note: In the next step, you'll download a file. Don't download it into a directory whose path contains spaces. For example, don't download the file into C:\Documents and Settings\my_userid\Desktop.

  5. Download the appropriate file and follow the instructions.

If you installed an evaluation copy of QNX Momentics, you can upgrade to a permanent copy without reinstalling. For more information, see our website.

Managing source code

You'll probably want to use some sort of version-control system to manage and track changes to the software that you develop.

For information about: See:
CVS (Concurrent Versions System) Using CVS in the Neutrino User's Guide, and Managing Source Code in the IDE User's Guide.
Subversion (svn) Collins-Sussman, Ben, Fitzpatrick, Brian W., Pilato, C. Michael. 2004. Version Control with Subversion. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates. ISBN: 9780596004484

QNX Momentics includes clients for both CVS and Subversion.

Running QNX Neutrino self-hosted

You can develop software on a self-hosted QNX Neutrino system. For more information on working with Neutrino, see the Neutrino User's Guide; for information on developing software on Neutrino, see the Neutrino Programmer's Guide and the IDE User's Guide.

Mixing a self-hosted machine with other hosts

If you have a Neutrino host, you can communicate with other hosts in various ways:

Can different versions of QNX Momentics coexist?

You can install both QNX Momentics 6.3.x and 6.2.1 on your machine. You can use the IDE or the qconfig utility to set up your environment to build for the correct version. On Windows hosts, use QWinCfg, a graphical front end for qconfig that you can launch from the Start menu.


Note: Coexistence of 6.3.x and 6.2.1 is supported only on Windows hosts.

For more information, see the Compiling and Debugging chapter of the Neutrino Programmer's Guide and the IDE Concepts chapter of the IDE User's Guide.

Running QNX Neutrino on a target machine

Neutrino is well suited to embedded systems. For information about creating OS images, downloading them to your target hardware, and running your software, see:

You don't always need to have the hardware to run your software; for more information, see "Getting started before you have your target" in the What is QNX Momentics? chapter in this guide.