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

Summary


Open source operating systems are designed for different purposes and use cases. In this chapter, we have analyzed a few of the available implementations and research projects, in search of the ideal solution to better fit the design of embedded systems, from lightweight RTOS purely designed for performance, through more advanced strategies for process separation and standard interfaces, to the effort in redefining security through process isolation using new programming paradigms. For most embedded systems, a tailored solution with the smallest overhead introduced by the thread management mechanisms is still the preferred option, while high-end multipurpose systems might benefit from the increased level of safety of more complex designs. Increased safety, however, increases the real-time process latency and may slightly impact performance. In conclusion, while more complex architectures may benefit from the added security and compatibility of more advanced operating systems, many...