A Real-Time Linux for Multicore Platforms

Principal Investigator:James Anderson
Funding Agency:U.S. Army Research Office
Agency Number:W911NF-09-1-0535

Abstract
This project is part of a continuing effort (funded to date by ARO) to develop operating-system infrastructure for enabling real-time execution on multicore platforms. This effort has resulted in the development of a testbed system called LITMUS-RT, which is an extension of Linux that allows different (multiprocessor) scheduling algorithms to be linked as plug-in components. In the proposed project, a number of extensions will be added to the current LITMUS-RT system to enable it to support potentially complex real-time workloads. These include: a new process container abstraction that isolates different system components from a temporal perspective; new adaptive real-time scheduling policies for dealing with dynamic workloads and system overloads; modifications to support systems with both real-time and non-real-time components; and extensions for supporting I/O and enforcing precedence constraints in real-time tasks. The resulting LITMUS-RT system will differ from existing commercial OSs in that its design will be rooted in real-time resource-allocation mechanisms (to be developed) that explicitly target multicore platforms. The efficacy of the resulting system will be demonstrated via two case-study experimental efforts of defense-related relevance, one involving avionics workloads, and another involving real-time stream warehouses. Army relevance is further bolstered by the increasing use of Linux in defense-related applications. The Army's "Future Combat System" is a notable example.