Book Image

The Complete Edition - Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems

By : Jim Cooling
Book Image

The Complete Edition - Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems

By: Jim Cooling

Overview of this book

From air traffic control systems to network multimedia systems, real-time systems are everywhere. The correctness of the real-time system depends on the physical instant and the logical results of the computations. This book provides an elaborate introduction to software engineering for real-time systems, including a range of activities and methods required to produce a great real-time system. The book kicks off by describing real-time systems, their applications, and their impact on software design. You will learn the concepts of software and program design, as well as the different types of programming, software errors, and software life cycles, and how a multitasking structure benefits a system design. Moving ahead, you will learn why diagrams and diagramming plays a critical role in the software development process. You will practice documenting code-related work using Unified Modeling Language (UML), and analyze and test source code in both host and target systems to understand why performance is a key design-driver in applications. Next, you will develop a design strategy to overcome critical and fault-tolerant systems, and learn the importance of documentation in system design. By the end of this book, you will have sound knowledge and skills for developing real-time embedded systems.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Preface
15
Glossary of terms

11. Development Tools

The culminating point in embedded system design is the installation of correct, reliable, and safe software on the target system. To use a well-known cliché, this is easier said than done. Even assuming that system specifications are clear, precise, and agreed, many problems still have to be overcome. The final design and development phase can (no – will!) be one of graft, perspiration, and frustration. Any help at this stage is gratefully received. The early designers of microprocessor systems soon realized that existing instruments were inadequate. As a result, many tools have been developed over the years specifically to ease this task. Such developments have been driven by the needs and demands of the user.

During this time, microprocessor software has become increasingly more complex. This complexity is mirrored by the facilities of the development support tools. Not surprisingly, the variety and features of such tools can easily confuse...