Iceoryx is an open-source middleware developed by Eclipse that provides real-time data transport capabilities. It can be used as an alternative to ROS2's Fast-RTPS and Connext middleware implementations. Iceoryx uses shared memory and message queues for high-performance data transport between processes. However, it currently has some limitations including single point of failure if the central RouDi daemon crashes, fixed memory mapping, and lack of support for request/response calls and quality of service features.

1. Sec.2 Tokyo Laboratory 29 R&D Center
Copyright 2020 Sony Corporation
Eclipse Iceoryx Overview
R&D Center, Sony Corporation ) Tomoya Fujita

2. Introduction
rclxxx (lang frontend)
ROS2 Client Library
ROS2 Middleware API (RMW front)
rmw_fastrtps rmw_iceoryx
eProsima
Fast-RTPS
Eclipse
Iceoryx

3. RMW Modification
3
rclcpp
rcl
rmw
rmw_connextrmw_fastrtps rmw_iceoryx
RTI ConnextFast-RTPS Eclipse/iceoryx
Application
Can I loan the memory?
No NoYes

4. Iceoryx Architecture
4
RouDi DaemonHost System
Introspection
Process, Pub/Sub List
Configuration
Description
(code)
Publisher
(Application)
Subscriber
(Application)
Subscriber
(Application)
/iceoryx_mgmt
Shared Object
ServiceDescription
Semaphore
Chunk
Shared Memory
Message Queue
/publisher_name
/roudi
/subscriber_name
/subscriber_name
Message Queue
AliveCheck/HeartBeat

5. Iceoryx Data Transport
RouDi DaemonHost System
Introspection
Process, Pub/Sub List
Configuration
Description
(code)
Publisher
(Application)
Subscriber
(Application)
Subscriber
(Application)
/iceoryx_mgmt
Shared Object
ServiceDescription
Semaphore
Chunk
Shared Memory
1. Write Chunk
2. Post Semaphore 3. Notification
4. Read Chunk
Everything via Shared Memory

6. 6
Constraints
• Single Point Failure because of RouDi Daemon.
• RouDi Daemon must be required to run before any application.
• Fixed virtual address dependency.
– Currently it is required to mmap the specific base address for all process.
• Unconfigurable memory pool after compile. (static only)
• RPC(Request/Response Procedure Call) is not supported.
• Single publisher only supported.
• Latching data transport is not supported. (QoS)

7. Tips
https://discourse.ros.org/t/robotics-distributed-system-
based-on-kubernetes/12558

8. SONYはソニー株式会社の登録商標または商標です。
各ソニー製品の商品名・サービス名はソニー株式会社またはグループ各社の登録商標または商標です。その他の製品および会社名は、各社の商号、登録商標または商標です。