A Real-Time Execution Performance Agent Interface for Confidence-Based Scheduling

In this thesis we present an alternative framework for the implementation of real-time systems which accommodates mixed hard and soft real-time processing with measurable reliability by providing a

confidence-based scheduling and execution fault handling framework. This framework, called the

RT EPA (real-time execution performance agent), provides a more natural and less constraining

approach to translating both timing and functional requirements into a working system. The RT

EPA framework is based on an extension to deadline monotonic theory. The RT EPA has been

evaluated with simulated loading, an optical navigation test-bed, and the RT EPA monitoring

module will be flown on an upcoming NASA space telescope in late 2001. The significance of

this work is that it directly addresses the shortcomings in the current process for handling

reliability and provides measurable reliability and performance feedback during the

implementation, systems integration, and maintenance phases of the real-time systems engineering

process.