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.

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Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
1. Real-Time Systems – Setting the Scene
1. Real-Time Systems – Setting the Scene
1.1 Categorizing Computer Systems
1.2 Real-Time Computer Systems
1.3 The Computing Elements of Real-Time Systems
1.4 Software for Real-Time Applications – Some General Comments
1.5 Review
1.6 Useful Reading Material
2
2. The Search for Dependable Software
2. The Search for Dependable Software
2.1 What Do We Want in Our Software?
2.2 Software Errors
2.3 The Basics of Good Software
2.4 A Final Comment
2.5 Review
2.6 References
3
3. First Steps – Requirements Analysis and Specification
3. First Steps – Requirements Analysis and Specification
3.1 The Software Life Cycle
3.2 The Importance of the Requirements Stage
3.3 Making Mistakes – Sources and Causes
3.4 Practical Approaches to Analysis and Specification
3.5 Communication Aspects – the Role of Prototyping
3.6 Review
3.7 Exercises
3.8 References and Further Reading
4
4. Software and Program Design Concepts
4. Software and Program Design Concepts
4.1 Design Fundamentals
4.2 The Elements of Modular Design
4.3 Program Control Structures – the Influence of Structured Programming
4.4 Structured Software Designs
4.5 Object-Oriented Design
4.6 Functionally Structured Design and Functional Flow Modeling
4.7 Design Patterns
4.8 Review
4.9 Exercises
4.10 Useful Reading Material
5
5. Multitasking Systems – an Introduction
5. Multitasking Systems – an Introduction
5.1 The Task Model of Software
5.2 Controlling Task Execution – Scheduling
5.3 Sharing Resources in Multitasking Systems
5.4 Contention Problems in Multitasking Systems
5.5 Inter-task Communication
5.6 Review
5.7 Background Reading Material
6
6. Diagramming – an Introduction
6. Diagramming – an Introduction
6.1 Diagrams – Why?
6.2 The Essentials of Software Diagrams
6.3 Review
6.4 Exercises
6.5 References and Further Reading
7
7. Practical Diagramming Methods
7. Practical Diagramming Methods
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Diagrams for Functionally Structured Methods
7.3 UML Diagrams for Object-Oriented Designs
7.4 Extensions, Variations, and Project-Specific Diagrams
7.5 Diagrams and the Design Process
7.6 Review
7.7 Exercises
7.8 References and Further Reading
8
8. Designing and Constructing Software – Code-Related Issues
8. Designing and Constructing Software – Code-Related Issues
8.1 Fundamental Design and Construction Methods
8.2 Code Development and Packaging
8.3 Important Features of Programming Languages
8.4 Choosing a High-Level Language for Embedded Systems
8.5 Review
8.6 Important and Useful Reading
9
9. Software Analysis and Design – Methods and Methodologies
9. Software Analysis and Design – Methods and Methodologies
9.1 The Development Process
9.2 Viewpoint Analysis for Deriving Requirements
9.3. Design Implementation Using Functionally Structured Techniques
9.4 Object-Oriented Analysis and Design
9.5 Model-Driven Architecture
9.6 Model-Based Design (MBD)
9.7 Agile Software Development
9.8 Review
9.9 Further Useful Reading
10
10. Analyzing and Testing Source Code
10. Analyzing and Testing Source Code
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Static Analysis
10.3 Source Code Metrics – Code Size, Content, and Complexity
10.4 Dynamic Analysis – Testing and Coverage Analysis
10.5 Integration Testing
10.6 Metrics for OO Designs
10.7 Review
10.8 Further Reading
11
11. Development Tools
11. Development Tools
11.1 An Outline of the Modern Development Process for Embedded Systems
11.2 The Software Development Process for Embedded Systems
11.3 Software Debugging – What and Why?
11.4 Software Debugging on the Host
11.5 Software Debugging on the Target – Software-Based Techniques
11.6 Software Debugging in the Target – Hardware-Based Methods
11.7 Software Debugging in The Target – Combined Hardware/Software Techniques
11.8 Debugging in Host-As-Target Combinations
11.9 Testing Multitasking Software
11.10 Installing Code on the Target – Non-Volatile Software (Firmware)
11.11 Integrated Development Toolsets
11.12 Review
12
12. Mission-Critical and Safety-Critical Systems
12. Mission-Critical and Safety-Critical Systems
12.1 Introduction
12.2 System Specification Aspects
12.3 Numerical Issues
12.4 Application Software Aspects
12.5 Real-World Interfacing
12.6 Operating Systems Aspects
12.7 Processor Problems
12.8 Hardware-Based Fault Tolerance
12.9 Review
12.10 References and Further Reading
12.11 Some Important Standards
13
13. Performance Engineering
13. Performance Engineering
13.1 Why Performance Engineering Is Important
13.2 Performance Engineering – Requirements, Targets, and Achievables
13.3 Top-Down (Requirements-Driven) Performance Modeling
13.4 Bottom-Up (Results-Driven) Performance Modeling
13.5 Middle-Out (Risk-Driven) Performance Modeling
13.6 Some Practical Issues in Performance Engineering
13.7 Review
13.8 References and Further Reading
14
14. Documentation
14. Documentation
14.1 Documentation – What and Why?
14.2 Software Life Cycle Documentation – Overview
14.3 System Functional Specifications
14.4 Software System Specifications
14.5 Source Code Aspects
14.6 Configuration Management and Version Control
14.7 Review
14.8 Further Information
15
Glossary of terms
Glossary of terms

12.5 Real-World Interfacing

12.5.1 Background

Many design processes pay scant attention to the handling of real-world interactions. Frequently, OO techniques treat interfacing rather dismissively, using "interface" or "boundary" classes that are peripheral to the design (no pun intended). In some ways, this view is understandable in desktop-type IT systems. However, to take the same approach for real-time embedded systems is, at best, risky; at worse, it can be extremely dangerous. Lutz [LUT93], for example, describes the experiences gained in the integration and system testing of the Voyager and Galileo spacecrafts. He found that the misunderstanding of interface requirements and the lack of detailed requirements for robustness were the primary causes of safety-related software errors. These accounted for 44% of all logged safety-related errors, as a result of the following:

  • Out-of-range input values
  • Non-arrival of expected inputs
  • The unexpected...
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