Computer Hardware Executive: Concept and Hardware Design.

Abstract

Large multiprocessing and distributed processing computer systems suffer from diminishing returns in system performance as additional processors are added. The slow execution speed of executive software is one of the principal causes of this phenomenon. The purpose of the executive software is to regulate the time when the various application programs gain access to the computer system resources. This task investigated the potential of special-purpose hardware to eliminate the execution-speed bottlenecks within executive software. A unit, named the Hardware Executive, was designed and fabricated. The Navy standard SDEX/M executive was used as a model. Algorithms were developed for the executive functions of task creation, task dispatching, intratask coordination, real-time clock management, and event-to-task registration and translation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1981
Accession Number
ADA110028

Entities

People

  • Dwight Wilcox

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Algorithms
  • Application Software
  • Classification
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Content Addressable Memory
  • Control Systems
  • Databases
  • Firmware
  • Mental Processes
  • Microcode
  • Operating Systems
  • Standards
  • Systems Engineering

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Engineering

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Parallel and Distributed Computing.