After introducing interrupts and the foreground/background architecture, I am finally ready to tackle the concept of a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS). In this first lesson on RTOS (commonly ...

Modifying any part of the Linux kernel source code is usually a challenging task most software developers would prefer to avoid, composed as it is thousands of code lines divided by hundred of files.

A real-time system must respect time constraints to ensure that its execution makes functional sense. It must be deterministic, ensuring the execution of system processes a priori. After analyzing the ...

Examine a computer-controlled machine built in the last 20 years and you’ll note a common design practice. The machine’s real-time control functions, its vision system (if there is one), and its human ...

A newly released update to Linux delivers kernel pre-emption, improved scheduling, and a Posix (Portable Operating System Interface for Unix) for enhanced real-time performance. Depending on the ...

With the advent of multithreaded/multicore CPUs, even embedded real-time applications are starting to run on SMP systems—for example, both the Xbox 360 and PS/3 are multithreaded, and there even have ...

As more complex devices with higher levels of integration are inserted into real-time systems, traditional testing methods are becoming obsolete. The most difficult obstacle to thorough testing of ...

The proliferation of multicore processors has done more than provide a boost in processing power to server applications. Multicore chips also pose the opportunity to revolutionize how embedded systems ...

Real-time scheduling algorithms determine the order and timing with which tasks execute in embedded systems subject to stringent timing constraints. These algorithms seek to guarantee that critical ...