Multi-core architectures have recently gained in popularity due to their high-performance and low-power characteristics. Most modern desktop systems are now equipped with multi-core processors. Despite the wide-spread adaptation of multi-core processors in desktop systems, using such processors in embedded systems still poses several challenges. Real-time, embedded systems often need to satisfy several extra-functional constraints, such as timing. In particular, for hard real-time systems, such timing constraints are strictly enforced. Violation of these timing constraints may have serious consequences, potentially costing human lives. Therefore, static timing-analysis of hard real-time systems has emerged as a critical problem to solve. This monograph first discusses the challenges imposed by multi-core architectures in designing time-predictable embedded systems. It goes on to describe, in detail, a comprehensive solution to guarantee time-predictable execution on multi-core platforms. It also discusses various techniques and surveys the state-of-the-art in terms of available solutions. Throughout the text, the aim is to provide a solid background on recent trends in research towards achieving time-predictability on multi-cores. It also highlights the limitations of the state-of-the-art and discusses future research opportunities and challenges to accomplish time-predictable execution on multi-core platforms. The monograph is an ideal reference for embedded systems designers and researchers interested in having a foundation for building time-predictable software on multi-core platforms. It will also help the research community to address the existing challenges in this area.

About the Author

Zebo Peng and Petru Eles have both (co)authored several successful research monographs for Springer. They are also getting increasingly more established within the EDA community, Prof. Zebo Peng will be Technical Chair at DATE 2007 and Prof. Petru Eles is General Chair for the 2006 Embedded Systems Week conference.

Matteo Sonza Reorda is the leader of the computer-aided design group of the Dipartimento di Automatica e Informatica, Politecnico di Torino. Zebo Peng is Professor of the chair in Computer Systems and Director of the Embedded Systems Laboratory at LinkAping University.

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