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Real-Time CPU Scheduling

 

Introduction and properties 

The most important feature of a real-time operating system is to respond immediately to a real-time process as soon as that process requires the CPU.

 

Real-time scheduling must handle two special scheduling constraints while trying to meet the deadlines of applications. First, the processes within a real-time application are interacting processes, so the deadline of an application should be translated into appropriate deadlines for the processes. Second, processes may be periodic i.e. processes always occur at regular intervals.

 

The timing properties of a real-time CPU Scheduling:

Release time (or ready time): Time at which the task is ready for processing.

 

Deadline: Time by which execution of the task should be completed after the task is released.

 

Minimum delay: Minimum amount of time that must elapse before the execution of the task is started after the task is released.

 

Maximum delay: Maximum permitted amount of time that elapses before the execution of the task is started after the task is released.

 

Worst case execution time: Maximum time taken to complete the task, after the task is released. The worst case execution time is also referred to as the worst case response time.

 

Run time: Time taken without interruption to complete the task, after the task is released.

 

Weight (or priority): Relative urgency of the task.

 

Subtask structure: A task may be decomposed into a mandatory subtask and an optional subtask. Only mandatory subtask possesses a hard deadline.