Book Image

Embedded Systems Architecture

By : Daniele Lacamera
Book Image

Embedded Systems Architecture

By: Daniele Lacamera

Overview of this book

Embedded systems are self-contained devices with a dedicated purpose. We come across a variety of fields of applications for embedded systems in industries such as automotive, telecommunications, healthcare and consumer electronics, just to name a few. Embedded Systems Architecture begins with a bird's eye view of embedded development and how it differs from the other systems that you may be familiar with. You will first be guided to set up an optimal development environment, then move on to software tools and methodologies to improve the work flow. You will explore the boot-up mechanisms and the memory management strategies typical of a real-time embedded system. Through the analysis of the programming interface of the reference microcontroller, you'll look at the implementation of the features and the device drivers. Next, you'll learn about the techniques used to reduce power consumption. Then you will be introduced to the technologies, protocols and security aspects related to integrating the system into IoT solutions. By the end of the book, you will have explored various aspects of embedded architecture, including task synchronization in a multi-threading environment, and the safety models adopted by modern real-time operating systems.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Packt Upsell
Contributors
Preface
Index

Chapter 11. Embedded Operating Systems

While the bare-metal, single-thread approach is still the most popular when designing embedded solutions, many systems can benefit from multitasking scheduling, centralized resource management, and a safer environment; several existing implementations are available to select an operating system that works well with the specific design.

Building a scheduler tailored to a custom solution from scratch is not impossible and, if done properly, would provide the closest approximation of the desired architecture, while focusing on the specific characteristics offered by the target hardware. In a real-life scenario, however, it is advisable to consider one of the many open source embedded operating systems available and ready to be integrated in the architecture, among those supporting the selected hardware platform. Some of the available kernels are in a healthy development state, deserving their well-established role in the embedded market, and sufficiently...