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Key Characteristics of an RTOS

The document outlines key characteristics of Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS), emphasizing attributes such as reliability, predictability, performance, compactness, and scalability, which vary based on application needs. Reliability is crucial for embedded systems, with different applications requiring varying degrees of reliability, while predictability ensures timely operation in real-time systems. Performance, compactness, and scalability are also essential, allowing RTOS to meet specific application requirements efficiently and effectively.

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3 views

Key Characteristics of an RTOS

The document outlines key characteristics of Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS), emphasizing attributes such as reliability, predictability, performance, compactness, and scalability, which vary based on application needs. Reliability is crucial for embedded systems, with different applications requiring varying degrees of reliability, while predictability ensures timely operation in real-time systems. Performance, compactness, and scalability are also essential, allowing RTOS to meet specific application requirements efficiently and effectively.

Uploaded by

subtlybeige
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Key Characteristics of an RTOS

• An application's requirements define the


requirements of its underlying RTOS. Some of
the more common attributes are
• reliability,
• predictability,
• performance,
• compactness, and
• scalability.
• These attributes are discussed next; however,
the RTOS attribute an application needs
depends on the type of application being built.
• 4.7.1 Reliability
• Embedded systems must be reliable.
Depending on the application, the system
might need to operate for long periods
without human intervention.
• Different degrees of reliability may be
required. For example, a digital solar-powered
calculator might reset itself if it does not get
enough light, yet the calculator might still be
considered acceptable. On the other hand, a
telecom switch cannot reset during operation
without incurring high associated costs for
down time. The RTOSes in these applications
require different degrees of reliability.
• Although different degrees of reliability might
be acceptable, in general, a reliable system is
one that is available (continues to provide
service) and does not fail.
• While RTOSes must be reliable, note that the
RTOS by itself is not what is measured to
determine system reliability. It is the
combination of all system elements-including
the hardware, BSP, RTOS, and application-that
determines the reliability of a system.
• Predictability
• Because many embedded systems are also
real-time systems, meeting time requirements
is key to ensuring proper operation. The RTOS
used in this case needs to be predictable to a
certain degree. The term deterministic
describes RTOSes with predictable behavior, in
which the completion of operating system
calls occurs within known timeframes.
• Developers can write simple benchmark
programs to validate the determinism of an
RTOS. The result is based on timed responses
to specific RTOS calls. In a good deterministic
RTOS, the variance of the response times for
each type of system call is very small.
• Performance
• This requirement dictates that an embedded
system must perform fast enough to fulfill its
timing requirements. Typically, the more
deadlines to be met-and the shorter the time
between them-the faster the system's CPU
must be.
• Although underlying hardware can dictate a
system's processing power, its software can
also contribute to system performance.
Typically, the processor's performance is
expressed in million instructions per second
(MIPS).
• Throughput also measures the overall
performance of a system, with hardware and
software combined. One definition of
throughput is the rate at which a system can
generate output based on the inputs coming
in. Throughput also means the amount of data
transferred divided by the time taken to
transfer it. Data transfer throughput is typically
measured in multiples of bits per second (bps).
• Sometimes developers measure RTOS
performance on a call-by-call basis.
Benchmarks are written by producing
timestamps when a system call starts and
when it completes. Although this step can be
helpful in the analysis stages of design, true
performance testing is achieved only when
the system performance is measured as a
whole.
• Compactness
• Application design constraints and cost
constraints help determine how compact an
embedded system can be. For example, a cell
phone clearly must be small, portable, and
low cost. These design requirements limit
system memory, which in turn limits the size
of the application and operating system.
• In such embedded systems, where hardware
real estate is limited due to size and costs, the
RTOS clearly must be small and efficient. In
these cases, the RTOS memory footprint can
be an important factor. To meet total system
requirements, designers must understand
both the static and dynamic memory
consumption of the RTOS and the application
that will run on it.
• Scalability
• Because RTOSes can be used in a wide variety
of embedded systems, they must be able to
scale up or down to meet application-specific
requirements. Depending on how much
functionality is required, an RTOS should be
capable of adding or deleting modular
components, including file systems and
protocol stacks.
• If an RTOS does not scale up well, development
teams might have to buy or build the missing
pieces. Suppose that a development team wants to
use an RTOS for the design of a cellular phone
project and a base station project. If an RTOS scales
well, the same RTOS can be used in both projects,
instead of two different RTOSes, which saves
considerable time and money.

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