Design of a Real-Time Co-Operating System for Multiprocessor Workstations

: We have designed a Real-Time Co-Operating System (RTCOS) for simultaneously supporting real-time and non-real-time activities on a workstation with two or more processors. The RTCOS is the software equivalent of a coprocessor, with a software architecture analogous to the hardware architecture that has been used in many workstations and personal computers. In this paper, we discuss our first software prototype of the RTCOS, which co-exists with Solaris 2.4 on a four-processor Sun SPARCstation 20. We summarize the feasibility of our approach through an experimental characterization of Solaris 2.4. We address the technical issues involved and present the details of our design. The RTCOS is targeted towards real-time applications in the sensor-based control, process control, signal processing, multimedia, and manufacturing domains.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1996
• Where: HICSS
• Authors: Gebran Krikor, Md. Touhidur Raza, David B. Stewart
• Keywords: Biometrics, Four-processor Sun Sparcstation, HICSS 1996, Real-Time Co-Operating System, Software Equivalent