A Real-Time Linux for Multicore Platforms

Abstract

The objective of this project is to extend a prototype Linux-based real-time operating system developed previously at UNC (under ARO support) to obtain a fully-functional OS for supporting real-time workloads on multicore platforms. This system, called LITMUS-RT (LInux Testbed for MUltiprocessor Scheduling in Real-Time systems), allows different multiprocessor real-time scheduling and synchronization policies to be specified as plugin components. LITMUS-RT is open-source software (available at http://www.litmus-rt.org). The pre-existing LITMUS-RT implementation included plugins for several real-time scheduling and synchronization policies. However, as its name suggests, LITMUS-RT was originally designed as a testbed for empirically comparing such policies. Extending LITMUS-RT so that it can host real applications will require extensions on several fronts. These include: (i) new synchronization and scheduling algorithms that are better suited for large multicore platforms; (ii) new analysis and implementation methods for dealing with non-CPU resources such as graphics processing units (GPUs); (iii) support for dynamic task behavior (tasks can be created, destroyed, and their timing parameters altered at runtime); and (iv) mechanisms for supporting precedence constraints and task suspensions (e.g., due to I/O). The research in this project has led to several joint efforts with colleagues in industry and government labs involving military avionics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 20, 2013
Accession Number
ADA606864

Entities

People

  • James H. Anderson

Organizations

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Algorithms
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Department Of Defense
  • Embedded Systems
  • Engineering
  • Graphics
  • Graphics Processing Unit
  • Mathematics
  • Military Research
  • North Carolina
  • Open Source Software
  • Operating Systems
  • Prototypes
  • Students

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Database Systems and Applications
  • Parallel and Distributed Computing.
  • Research Science/Academic Research