Real-Time Embedded Systems Theory and Analysis
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Real-Time Embedded Systems Theory and Analysis
This course is part of Real-Time Embedded Systems Specialization
Instructor: Sam Siewert
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What you'll learn
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
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Tools you'll learn
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There are 4 modules in this course
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 This course includes specific hardware and software requirements. Please review the FAQ below for complete details.
At the end of this module, you will be able to analyze the mathematics involved in Rate Monotonic Least Upper Bound Condition along with its challenges and alternatives to it. An extension to RM scheduling policy i.e. Deadline Monotonic Scheduling Policy along with implementation of completion test for determining exact feasibility for Rate Monotonic Scheduling policy is also in scope of this module. Working on Programming assignments will give system level implementation of real time services and determining the best scheduling policies for meeting the deadlines for the designed real-time systems along with their trade offs.
What's included
14 videos12 readings1 assignment3 programming assignments3 peer reviews1 discussion prompt
14 videos•Total 191 minutes
- Course Assumed Real-Time Knowledge and Overview•12 minutes
- Code Walkthrough: Syslog for Tracing and Autograded Assignments•7 minutes
- Rate Monotonic Fixed Priority Policy and Optimality (Review)•10 minutes
- Rate Monotonic Scheduling within the Least Upper Bound•13 minutes
- Challenges with and Alternatives to Fixed Priority RM Policy•16 minutes
- Deadline Monotonic Extensions to Rate Monotonic Policy•11 minutes
- Deadline Driven Scheduling: using Dynamic Priority Alternatives•14 minutes
- RM LUB Derivation - Introduction•13 minutes
- Two Cases that Drive the RM Least Upper Bound•13 minutes
- RM Least Upper Bound Intersection Point•10 minutes
- RM Least Upper Bound Derivation - Conclusion•23 minutes
- Necessary and Sufficient Feasibility by Worst-Case Analysis (Exact Test)•12 minutes
- Exact Feasibility for Rate Monotonic Policy with Scheduling Point•24 minutes
- Exact Feasibility for Rate Monotonic using Completion Test•13 minutes
12 readings•Total 214 minutes
- Course Updates and Accessibility Support•1 minute
- Non-Credit Students: Welcome and Where to Find Help•10 minutes
- Hardware & Software Requirements•10 minutes
- EXTRA HELP: Home Lab Set Up•10 minutes
- Code Walkthrough for Peer Reviews•10 minutes
- Guidelines for Code Quality Peer Reviews•10 minutes
- CODE: CU Boulder Linux Example Code - Public•10 minutes
- Textbook: RTECS with Linux and RTOS•10 minutes
- Basic Makefile Skills by Example•10 minutes
- Timing Analysis Examples for RM, EDF, and LLF•10 minutes
- Read, Review and Understand Derivations in Original RMA Paper (Liu & Layland)•120 minutes
- Optional: Rate Monotonic Exact Analysis•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 1 | Key Steps in the RM Least Upper Bound Derivation•30 minutes
3 programming assignments•Total 540 minutes
- Assignment 1:Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, Below LUB, Feasible, Margin (Safe)•180 minutes
- Assignment 2: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, Above LUB, Feasible, Margin (safe)•180 minutes
- Assignment 3: Timing Diagram Emulation - RM Succeeds, Fair Fails•180 minutes
3 peer reviews•Total 180 minutes
- Assignment 1: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, Below LUB, Feasible, Margin (Safe)•60 minutes
- Assignment 2: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, Above LUB, Feasible, Margin (safe)•60 minutes
- Assignment 3: Timing Diagram Emulation - RM Succeeds, Fair Fails•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Introduce Yourself•10 minutes
At the end of this module learners will be able to describe the design pattern for real-time services, describe implementation challenges such as unbounded blocking and describe normal operation - request for service synchronization between an ISR and each thread or task, initialization, keep-alive posting, error handling, and termination.
What's included
15 videos2 readings1 assignment3 programming assignments3 peer reviews
15 videos•Total 229 minutes
- Comparison of RM Policy to Round Robin•14 minutes
- Recall Method for RM Fixed Priority Scheduling Timing Diagram Creation•8 minutes
- More Complex RM Timing Diagrams•12 minutes
- Timing Diagram with a Harmonic Case•7 minutes
- Timing Diagram with a Full Utility Harmonic Case•6 minutes
- Timing Diagram Example Comparing RM and EDF•14 minutes
- POSIX RT Extension Support•17 minutes
- General Design Pattern Part-1: AMP RT Functions, Services and Systems•20 minutes
- General Design Pattern Part-2: Mulit-Core, Multi-Service AMP Systems•20 minutes
- Implementation Pattern: Periodic Services with POSIX RT Threads, Interval Timers and Signals•19 minutes
- Message Queues for Synchronization and Data Sharing•18 minutes
- Code Walkthrough: POSIX RT Feature Demonstration•9 minutes
- Methods to Determine Worst Case Execution Time (WCET)•26 minutes
- Methods for WCET Speed-up to Meet Deadlines•24 minutes
- Service Request Period Jitter and Drift•15 minutes
2 readings•Total 183 minutes
- RT Extensions to POSIX - 1003.1 in Linux, QNX, Solaris, FreeBSD, etc.•180 minutes
- Optional Resources for POSIX 1003.1 RT Extensions•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 2 | Service Implementation and Admission to Real-Time Using RMA, Scheduling Point, Completion Test•30 minutes
3 programming assignments•Total 540 minutes
- Assignment 4: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, Above LUB, Not-Feasible•180 minutes
- Assignment 5: Timing Diagram Emulation - Harmonic, Above LUB, Feasible, Zero-Margin (Unsafe)•180 minutes
- Assignment 6: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, RM Failure, DM Success•180 minutes
3 peer reviews•Total 180 minutes
- Assignment 4: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, Above LUB, Not-Feasible•60 minutes
- Assignment 5: Timing Diagram Emulation - Harmonic, Above LUB, Feasible, Zero-Margin (Unsafe)•60 minutes
- Assignment 6: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, RM Failure, DM Success•60 minutes
At the end of this Module learners will know when to use dynamic priority policies, advantages of them for soft real-time, disadvantages for error detection and recovery, challenges of feasibility determination and efficiency compared to fixed priority.
What's included
6 videos4 readings1 assignment1 programming assignment1 peer review
6 videos•Total 73 minutes
- Advantages of Dynamic Priorities and When to use EDF•17 minutes
- Disadvantages of Dynamic Priorities and When EDF should not be used•10 minutes
- Advantages of Dynamic, Adaptive Scheduling: When to use LLF•13 minutes
- Disadvantages of Dynamic Adaptive Scheduling: When LLF should not be used•4 minutes
- Final Comparison of EDF and LLF Failure Modes and Recovery•11 minutes
- Cheddar Tool Introduction and Overview•18 minutes
4 readings•Total 210 minutes
- Rate Monotonic vs. EDF - Judgement Day Paper•180 minutes
- Fundamentals of EDF Book and Key Papers•10 minutes
- Reference: Key Least Laxity First Papers•10 minutes
- Cheddar 3.2 Tools and Examples Updated!•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 3 | Earliest Deadline First, Least Laxity First•30 minutes
1 programming assignment•Total 180 minutes
- Assignment 7: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, RM Failure, EDF and LLF Success•180 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
- Assignment 7: Timing Diagram Emulation - Non-Harmonic, RM Failure, EDF and LLF Success•120 minutes
At the end of this Module learners will be able to describe issues with resources used beyond CPU (memory, I/O, and storage) and how to avoid problems or recover from them
What's included
12 videos2 readings1 assignment2 peer reviews
12 videos•Total 152 minutes
- Note on Linux Methods of Synchronization Compared to RTOS•17 minutes
- Bounded Blocking for Service Release•6 minutes
- Bounded Blocking and Execution Efficiency Impact on RT Systems•25 minutes
- Definition of Unbounded Blocking and Examples of Root Causes•18 minutes
- Code Walkthrough: Circular Wait - Deadlock Demonstration•6 minutes
- Code Walkthrough: Can you think of a simple way to break deadlock after a timeout?•4 minutes
- Review of Semaphore Use and Necessity of Critical Section (C.S.)•4 minutes
- Code Walkthrough: Unbounded Priority Inversion Demonstration•8 minutes
- Priority Inheritance, Priority Ceiling, and Priority Ceiling Emulation•19 minutes
- Mars Pathfinder Problem - Rolling Reset 3 Days prior to closest approach to Mars•19 minutes
- Mars Pathfinder Root Cause Analysis•10 minutes
- Mars Pathfinder - Bug Localization and the Fix•16 minutes
2 readings•Total 250 minutes
- Priority Inversion (Unbounded) and Priority Inheritance Protocol•240 minutes
- OPTIONAL: The Evolution of Real-Time Linux•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 4 | Thread Synchronization•30 minutes
2 peer reviews•Total 360 minutes
- Linux has no Priority Inheritance or Ceiling Protocol - Why? What can be done?•180 minutes
- What Really Happened to Mars Pathfinder? Why are there multiple stories?•180 minutes
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This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
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Reviewed on Apr 5, 2022
Very nice and interesting course. The Professor is an enthusiast and his lessons are very well structured. His preparation and knowledge can be clearly felt from its way of teaching.
Frequently asked questions
System Requirements
● A Windows or Mac computer for remote access to the Raspberry Pi
● Home network with internet access and a router that allows the Raspberry Pi to be reached on the local network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
● SSH enabled on the Raspberry Pi (required)
● VNC enabled on the Raspberry Pi (optional, for remote desktop access)
Hardware Requirements
To complete this specialization, you will need a home lab setup based on a supported embedded Linux platform. The following configuration is required and tested for all course activities.
Required Hardware
● Embedded Linux hardware platform - Recommended: Raspberry Pi 3B+ (Raspberry Pi family or equivalent)
● MicroSD card (16 GB minimum; 32 GB recommended)
● 5V / 2.5A power supply with switch
● UVC-compatible USB camera (USB 2.0 or better)
● HDMI cable
● HDMI monitor + keyboard + mouse (for initial setup only)
● Network connection between the Raspberry Pi and your home router (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
Recommended Hardware Configuration
Raspberry Pi 3B+, which may be sourced from:
● SparkFun(~$44, board only) or
● CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ Starter Kit(~$125, includes board) plus:
● MicroSD card (preloaded with NOOBS or Raspberry Pi OS)
● Heat sinks
● Case
● 5V / 2.5A power supply with switch
● HDMI cable
● UVC-compatible USB Camera (USB 2.0 or better)
Alternative Hardware Configurations
While the Raspberry Pi 3B+ is the officially supported platform, you may use other Linux-capable embedded platforms at your own risk:
● Raspberry Pi 4 (offers USB 3.0, 2+ GB RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet)
● Jetson Nano, DE10-SoC, or similar boards (advanced users only; self-support required)
Note: All starter code provided in this specialization is tested and verified on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ with Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian).
Software Requirements
Ability to install and use one of the following remote-access tools on your computer:
● MobaXterm (recommended for Windows)
● PuTTY
● VNC Viewer
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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Financial aid available,