This thesis compares different mixed integer programming (MIP) formulations for sequencing of tasks in the context of avionics scheduling. Sequencing is a key concern in many discrete optimisation problems, and there are numerous ways of accomplishing sequencing with different MIP formulations. A scheduling tool for avionic systems has previously been developed in a collaboration between Saab and Linköping University. This tool includes a MIP formulation of the scheduling problem where one of the model components has the purpose to sequence tasks. In this thesis, this sequencing component is replaced with other MIP formulations in order to study whether the computational performance of the scheduling tool can be improved. Different scheduling instances and objective functions have been used when performing the tests aiming to evaluate the performances, with the computational times of the entire avionic scheduling model determining the success of the different MIP formulations for sequencing. The results show that the choice of MIP formulation makes a considerable impact on the computational performance and that a significant improvement can be achieved by choosing the most suitable one.

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The problem of scheduling a parallel program presented by a weighted directed acyclic graph (DAG) to the set of homogeneous processors for minimizing the completion time of the program has been extensively studied as academic optimization problem which occurs in optimizing the execution time of parallel algorithm with parallel computer.In this paper, we propose an application of the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) to a multiprocessor scheduling problem (MPSP). In the MPSP, no preemption is allowed and each operation demands a setup time on the machines. The problem seeks to compose a schedule that minimizes the total completion time.We therefore rely on heuristics to find solutions since solution methods are not feasible for most problems as such. This novel heuristic searching approach to the multiprocessor based on the ACO algorithm a collection of agents cooperate to effectively explore the search space.A computational experiment is conducted on a suit of benchmark application. By comparing our algorithm result obtained to that of previous heuristic algorithm, it is evince that the ACO algorithm exhibits competitive performance with small error ratio.

The multiprocessor task graph scheduling problem has been extensively studied asacademic optimization problem which occurs in optimizing the execution time of parallelalgorithm with parallel computer. The problem is already being known as one of the NPhardproblems. There are many good approaches made with many optimizing algorithmto find out the optimum solution for this problem with less computational time. One ofthem is branch and bound algorithm.In this paper, we propose a branch and bound algorithm for the multiprocessor schedulingproblem. We investigate the algorithm by comparing two different lower bounds withtheir computational costs and the size of the pruned tree.Several experiments are made with small set of problems and results are compared indifferent sections.

We consider the problem of scheduling a given set of tasks on multiple pro- cessors with predefined periods of unavailability, with the aim of minimizing the maximum completion time. Since this problem is strongly NP-hard, polynomial ap- proximation algorithms are being studied for its solution. Among these, the best known are LPT (largest processing time first) and Multifit with their variants. We give a Multifit-based algorithm, FFDL Multifit, which has an optimal worst- case performance in the class of polynomial algorithms for same-speed processors with at most two downtimes on each machine, and for uniform processors with at most one downtime on each machine, assuming that P 6= NP. Our algorithm finishes within 3/2 the maximum between the end of the last downtime and the end of the optimal schedule. This bound is asymptotically tight in the class of polynomial algorithms assuming that P 6= NP. For same-speed processors with at most k downtimes on each machine our algorithm finishes within ( 3 2 + 1 2k ) the end of the last downtime or the end of the optimal schedule. For problems where the optimal schedule ends after the last downtime, and when the downtimes represent fixed jobs, the maximum completion time of FFDL Multifit is within 3 2 or ( 3 2+ 1 2k ) of the optimal maximum completion time. We also give an LPT-based algorithm, LPTX, which matches the performance of FFDL Multifit for same-speed processors with at most one downtime on each machine, and is thus optimal in the class of polynomial algorithms for this case. LPTX differs from LPT in that it uses a specific order of processors to assign tasks if two processors become available at the same time. For a similar problem, when there is at most one downtime on each machine and no more than half of the machines are shut down at the same time, we show that a bound of 2 obtained in a previous work for LPT is asymptotically tight in the class of polynomial algorithms assuming that P 6= NP.

This research addresses real-time task scheduling in industrial process control. It includes a constraint-based scheduler which is based on MSP.RTL, a tool for real-time multiprocessor scheduling problems with a wide variety of timing constraints. This dissertation extends previous work in two broad directions: improving the tool itself and broadening the application domain of the tool to include wired and wireless industrial process control. For the tool itself, we propose enhancements to MSP.RTL in three steps. In the first step, we modify the data structure for representing the temporal constraint graph and cutting the memory usage in half. In the second step, we model the search problem as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) and utilize backmarking and conflict-directed backjumping to speed up the search process. In the third step, we perform the search from the perspective of constraint satisfaction programming. As a result, we are able to use existing CSP techniques efficiently, such as look ahead, backjumping and consistency checking. Compared to the various ad hoc heuristics used in the original version, the new approach is more systematic and powerful. To exercise the new MSP.RTL tool, we acquired an updated version of the Boeing 777 Integrated Airplane Information Management System(AIMS). This new benchmark problem is more complicated than the old one used in the original tool in that data communications are described in messages and a message can have multiple senders and receivers. The new MSP.RTL tool successfully solved the new benchmark problem, whereas the old tool would not be able to do so. In order to apply real-time scheduling in industrial process control, we carry out our research in two directions. First, we apply the improved tool to traditional wired process control. The tool has been successfully applied to solve the block assignment problem in Fieldbus networks, where each block comprising the control system is assigned to a specific device such that certain metrics of the system can be optimized. Wireless industrial control has received a lot of attention recently. We experimented with the tool to schedule communications on a simulated wireless industrial network. In order to integrate the scheduler in real wireless process control systems, we are building an experimental platform based on the WirelessHART standard. WirelessHART, as the first open wireless standard for process control, defines a time synchronized MAC layer, which is ideal for real time process control. We have successfully implemented a prototype WirelessHART stack on Freescale JM128 toolkits and built some demo applications on top of it. Even with the scheduler tool to regulate communications in a wireless process control, it may still be possible that communications cannot be established on an inferior wireless link within an expected period. In order to handle this type of failures, we propose to make the control modules aware of the unreliability of wireless links, that is, to make the control modules adapt to the varying link qualities. PID(Proportional, Integral, Derivative) modules are the most used control modules. We developed PIDPlus, an enhanced PID algorithm to cope with possible lost inputs and outputs. It has been shown that PIDPlus can drastically improve the stability of the control loop in cases of unreliable wireless communications. / text

[Truncated abstract] Parallel computing is recognised today as an important tool in the solution of a wide variety of computationally intensive problems, problems which were previously considered intractable. While it offers the promise of vastly increased performance, parallel computing introduces additional complexities which are not encountered with sequential processing. One of these is the scheduling problem, in which the individual tasks comprising a parallel program are scheduled onto the processors comprising the parallel architecture. The objective is to minimise execution time while still preserving the precedence relations between the tasks. Scheduling is of vital importance since a poor task schedule can undo any potential gains from the parallelism present in the application. Inappropriate scheduling can result in the hardware being used inefficiently, or worse, the program could run slower in parallel than on a single processor. The scheduling problem is one of the more difficult problems facing the parallel programmer. In fact, it is NP-complete in the general case. As a result, a large number of heuristic methods with sub-optimal performance but polynomial, rather than exponential, time complexity have been proposed. In order to simplify their algorithms, researchers have restricted the problem: by making assumptions concerning the parallel architecture or imposing limitations on the task graph representing the parallel program. The evolution of the task scheduling problem has involved the gradual relaxation of these restrictions. A major change occurred when the assumption of zero inter-processor communication costs was removed. This was driven by the increasing popularity of distributed-memory message-passing multiprocessors.

Recent advancements of multiprocessor architectures have led to increasing use of multiprocessors in real-time embedded systems. The two most popular real-time scheduling approaches in multiprocessors are global and partitioned scheduling. Cluster based multiprocessor scheduling can be seen as a hybrid approach combining benefits of both partitioned and global scheduling. Virtual clustering further enhances it by providing dynamic cluster resource allocation duringrun-time and applying hierarchical scheduling to ensure temporal isolation between different software components. Over the years, the study of virtual clustered-based multiprocessor scheduling has been limited to theoretical analysis. In this thesis, we implemented a Virtual-Clustered Hierarchical Scheduling Framework (VC-HSF) in Linux without modifying the base Linux kernel. This work includes complete design, implementation and experimentation of this framework in a multiprocessor platform. Our main contributions are twofold: (i) to the best of our knowledge, our work is the first implementation of any virtual-clustered real-time multiprocessor scheduling in an operating system, (ii) our design and implementation gives practical insights about challenges of implementing any virtual-clustered algorithms for real-time scheduling.

Nowadays, computer systems are everywhere. From simple portable devices such as watches and MP3 players to large stationary installations that control nuclear power plants, computer systems are now present in all aspects of our modern and every-day life. In about only 70 years, they have completely perturbed our way of life and they reached a so high degree of sophistication that they will be soon capable of driving our cars and cleaning our houses without any human intervention. As computer systems gain in responsibilities, it becomes essential that they provide both safety and reliability. Indeed, a failure in systems such as the anti-lock braking system (ABS) in cars could threaten human lives and generate catastrophic and irreversible consequences. Hence, for many years, researchers have addressed these emerging problems of system safety and reliability which come along with this fulgurant evolution. This thesis provides a general overview of embedded real-time computer systems, i.e., a particular kind of computer system whose number grows daily. We provide the reader with some preliminary knowledge and a good understanding of the concepts that underlie this emerging technology. We focus especially on the theoretical problems related to the real-time issue and briefly summarizes the main solutions, together with their advantages and drawbacks. This brings the reader through all the conceptual layers constituting a computer system, from the software level---the logical part---that specifies both the system behavior and requirements to the hardware level---the physical part---that actually performs the expected treatments and reacts to the environment. In the meanwhile, we introduce the theoretical models that allow researchers for theoretical analyses which ensure that all the system requirements are fulfilled. Finally, we address the energy consumption problem in embedded systems. We describe the various factors of power dissipation in modern technologies and we introduce different solutions to reduce this consumption./Cette thèse se focalise sur un type de systèmes informatiques bien précis appelés “systèmes embarqués temps réel”. Un système est dit “embarqué” lorsqu’il est développé afin de servir un but bien précis. Un téléphone portable est un parfait exemple de système embarqué étant donné que toutes ses fonctionnalités sont rigoureusement définies avant même sa conception. Au contraire, un ordinateur personnel n’est généralement pas considéré comme un système embarqué, les concepteurs ne sachant pas à l’avance à quelles fins il sera utilisé. Une grande partie de ces systèmes embarqués ont des contraintes temporelles très fortes, ce qui les distingue encore plus des ordinateurs grand public. A titre d’exemple, lorsqu’un conducteur de voiture freine brusquement, l’ordinateur de bord déclenche l’application ABS et il est primordial que cette application soit traitée endéans une courte échéance. Autrement dit, cette fonctionnalité ABS doit être traitée prioritairement par rapport aux autres fonctionnalités du véhicule. Ce type de système embarqué est alors dit “temps réel”, dû à ces notions de temps et de priorités entre les applications. La problèmatique posée par les systèmes temps réel est la suivante. Comment déterminer, à tout moment, un ordre d’exécution des différentes fonctionnalités de telle sorte qu’elles soient toutes exécutées entièrement endéans leur échéance ? De plus, avec l’apparition récente des systèmes multiprocesseurs, cette problématique s’est fortement complexifiée, vu que le système doit à présent déterminer quelle fonctionnalité s’exécute à quel moment sur quel processeur afin que toutes les contraintes temporelles soient respectées. Pour finir, ces systèmes embarqués temp réel multiprocesseurs se sont rapidement retrouvés confrontés à un problème de consommation d’énergie. Leur demande en terme de performance (et donc en terme d’énergie) à évolué beaucoup plus rapidement que la capacité des batteries qui les alimentent. Ce problème est actuellement rencontré par de nombreux systèmes, tels que les téléphones portables par exemple. L’objectif de cette thèse est de parcourir les différents composants de tels système embarqués et de proposer des solutions afin de réduire leur consommation d’énergie.

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