Title
A formal approach to the WCRT analysis of multicore systems with memory contention under phase-structured task sets
Abstract
Multicore technology has the potential for drastically increasing productivity of embedded real-time computing. However, joint use of hardware, e.g., caches, memory banks and on-chip buses makes the integration of multiple real-time applications into a single system difficult: resource accesses are exclusive and need to be sequenced. Moreover, resource access schemes of modern off-the-shelf multicore chips are commonly optimized for the average-case, rather than being timing predictable. Real-time analysis for such architectures is complex, as execution times depend on the deployed hardware, as well as on the software executing on other cores. This will ask for significant abstractions in the timing analysis, where the resulting pessimism will lead to over-provisioned system designs and a lowered productivity as the number of applications to be put together into a single architecture needs to be decreased. In response to this, (a) we present a formal approach for bounding the worst-case response time of concurrently executing real-time tasks under resource contention and almost arbitrarily complex resource arbitration policies, with a focus on main memory as shared resource, (b) we present a simulation framework which allows for detailed modeling and empirical evaluation of modern multicore platforms and applications running on top of them, and (c) we present experiments to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of the presented methodologies and compare their accuracy. For limiting non-determinism inherent to the occurrence of cache misses, we particularly take advantage from the predictable execution model as discussed in recent works.
Year
DOI
Venue
2014
10.1007/s11241-014-9211-y
Real-Time Systems
Keywords
Field
DocType
Multicore systems,Worst-case response time analysis,Resource contention,Real-time simulation,Timed model checking,Real-time performance analysis,Predictable execution model
Memory bank,Cache,Computer science,Real-time computing,Static timing analysis,Software,Execution model,Shared resource,Real-time simulation,Multi-core processor,Distributed computing
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
50
5-6
0922-6443
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
11
0.55
34
Authors
5
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Kai Lampka122814.45
Georgia Giannopoulou219410.43
Rodolfo Pellizzoni3421.84
Zheng Wu4110.55
Nikolay Stoimenov532216.77