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Real-Time Embedded Systems Theory and Analysis

Approx. 60 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Learn about real-time systems, embedded systems, and analysis techniques for developing efficient and reliable software in this course.

Key Learning Points

Understand the fundamentals of real-time and embedded systems
Learn about scheduling and synchronization
Analyse and optimize software for real-time systems

Learning Outcomes

Develop real-time and embedded systems software
Analyse software for real-time systems
Optimise software for real-time systems

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of programming
Familiarity with C or C++

Course Difficulty Level

Intermediate

Course Format

Online
Self-paced

Similar Courses

Real-Time Systems
Embedded Software and Hardware Architecture

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Edward Lee
Sanjoy Baruah

Related Books

Description

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5316, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.

This course provides an in-depth and full mathematical derivation and review of models for scheduling policies and feasibility determination by hand and with rate monotonic tools along with comparison to actual performance for real-time scheduled threads running on a native Linux system. By the end of this course the learner will be able to full derive the fixed priority rate monotonic least upper bound for feasibility as well as justifying the rate monotonic policy and will be able to compare to dynamic priority scheduling including earliest deadline first and least laxity policies. At the end of this course learners will be able to fully derive and explain the math model for the rate monotonic least upper bound as well as performing timing diagram analysis for fixed and dynamic priority software services. Tools to provide analysis will be learned (Cheddar) to automate timing analysis and to compare to actual performance. Specific objectives include: ● Rate monotonic theory (complete math models) ● Differences between fixed priority rate monotonic policy and dynamic priority earliest deadline first and least laxity policies ● Scheduling theory and practice writing code for multi-frequency executives, priority preemptive RTOS services, and real-time threaded services on traditional operating systems (Linux) ● Building a simple Linux multi-service system using POSIX real-time extensions on Raspberry Pi 3b using sequencing and methods to log and verify agreement between theory and practice ● Timing diagram generation and analysis using Cheddar

Knowledge

Methods to analyze dynamic prioirty real-time service feasibility
Methods to control unbounded priority inversion problems
Avoiding and recovering from deadlock
Avoiding and recovering from unbounded priority inversion

Outline

Real-Time Scheduling and Rate Monotonic Least Upper Bound Derivation
Course Assumed Real-Time Knowledge and Overview
Code Walkthrough: Syslog for Tracing and Autograded Assignments
Rate Monotonic Fixed Priority Policy and Optimality (Review)
Rate Monotonic Scheduling within the Least Upper Bound
Challenges with and Alternatives to Fixed Priority RM Policy
Deadline Monotonic Extensions to Rate Monotonic Policy
Deadline Driven Scheduling: using Dynamic Priority Alternatives
RM LUB Derivation - Introduction
Two Cases that Drive the RM Least Upper Bound
RM Least Upper Bound Intersection Point
RM Least Upper Bound Derivation - Conclusion
Necessary and Sufficient Feasibility by Worst-Case Analysis (Exact Test)
Exact Feasibility for Rate Monontoic Policy with Scheduling Point
Exact Feasibility for Rate Monotonic using Completion Test
EXTRA HELP: Home Lab Set Up
Read, Review and Understand Derivations in Original RMA Paper (Liu & Layland)
Optional: Rate Monotonic Exact Analysis
Module 1 | Key steps in the RM least upper bound derivation

Service Design Feasibility Analysis Practice and Methods of Implementation
Comparison of RM Policy to Round Robin
RM Fixed Priority Scheduling Examples with Timing Diagrams
More Complex RM Timing Diagrams
Timing Diagram with a Harmonic Case
Timing Diagram Example Comparing RM and EDF
POSIX RT Extension Support
General Design Pattern Part-1: AMP RT Functions, Services and Systems
General Design Pattern Part-2: Mulit-Core, Multi-Service AMP Systems
Implementation Pattern: Periodic Services with POSIX RT Threads, Interval Timers and Signals
Message Queues for Synchronization and Data Sharing
Code Walkthrough: POSIX RT Feature Demonstration
Methods to Determine Worst Case Execution Time (WCET)
Methods for WCET Speed-up to Meet Deadlines
Service Request Period Jitter and Drift
RT Extensions to POSIX - 1003.1 in Linux, QNX, Solaris, FreeBSD, etc.
Optional Resources for POSIX 1003.1 RT Extensions
Module 2 | Service implementation and admission to real-time using RMA, scheduling point, completion test

Dynamic priority Earliest Deadline First and Least Laxity First
Advantages of Dynamic Priorities and When to use EDF
Disadvantages of Dynamic Priorities and When EDF should not be used
Advantages of Dynamic, Adaptive Scheduling: When to use LLF
Disadvantages of Dynamic Adaptive Scheduling: When LLF should not be used
Final Comparison of EDF and LLF Failure Modes and Recovery
Cheddar Tool Introduction and Overview
Rate Monotonic vs. EDF - Judgement Day Paper
Module 3 | Earliest Deadline First , Least Laxity First

Synchronization and Bounded vs. Unbounded Blocking
Note on Linux Methods of Synchronizaiton Compared to RTOS
Bounded blocking for service release
Bounded blocking and Execution Efficiency impact on RT systems
Definition of unbounded blocking and examples of root causes
Code Walkthrough: Circular Wait - Deadlock Demonstration
Code Walkthrough: Can you think of a simple way to break deadlock after a timeout?
Review of semaphore use and necessity of Critical Section (C.S.)
Code Walk-through: Unbounded Priority Inversion Demonstration
Priority Inheritance, Priority Ceiling, and Priority Ceiling Emulation
Mars Pathfinder Problem - Rolling Reset 3 Days prior to closest approach to Mars
Mars Pathfinder Root Cause Analysis
Mars Pathfinder - Bug Localization and the Fix
Priority Inversion (Unbounded) and Priority Inheritance Protocol
Module 4 | Thread synchronization

Summary of User Reviews

Real-time Embedded Theory Analysis course on Coursera has received positive reviews from many users. The course covers the essential concepts of real-time embedded systems and their analysis. One key aspect that many users appreciated is the hands-on exercises that helped them to apply the learned concepts in real-world scenarios.

Pros from User Reviews

Hands-on exercises for practical application
Clear explanations of complex concepts
Great instructor support
Good pace for beginners
Useful course content

Cons from User Reviews

Some technical issues with the platform
Not enough depth in some topics
Could benefit from more real-world examples
Some assignments were too difficult
Not suitable for advanced learners

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