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 9. Distributed Systems and IoT Architecture

By accessing communication peripherals, such as network controllers and radio interfaces, microcontrollers are able to establish data communication with nearby devices and even with remote servers through the internet.

A set of embedded targets connected together and interacting with each other can be seen as a self-contained distributed system. Homogeneous machine-to-machine communication can be implemented using non-standard, and even proprietary, protocols.

Depending on the set of standard protocols it implements, an embedded system may be able to successfully communicate with heterogeneous, remote systems. Implementing standard protocols that are standardized and/or widely supported introduces the possibility to interact with gateways in the same geographic area, and with remote cloud servers across the internet.

The connectivity range of small embedded devices may include remote coordination using information technology systems. The encounter...