Mastering Timing Challenges for the Design of Multi-Mode Applications on Multi-Core Real-Time Embedded Systems

Driven by the increasing demand for computational power and by the rising applications' complexity in various embedded application domains, multi-core solutions emerge as the predominant platform for embedded real-time applications. In this context, designers have to face new challenges generated by the need to accommodate applications with complex timing behaviour, e.g. multi-mode applications that can switch between different operational modes at runtime. Consequently the availability of appropriate timing analysis methods for the prediction of the timing behaviour is essential for the design of multi-core real- time systems. Relying on current automotive practice and on related work of the real-time research community we explain and exemplify how tool supported formal analysis methods can be applied to current and upcoming industrial design. We present recent progress in the field of scheduling analysis methods and discuss challenges and new options in the design of multi-mode applications on multi-core real-time systems.