Re: Ada Run-time for embedded systems

[CONDIC@PSAVAX.PWFL.COM]

From: Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93
Subject: Re: Ada Run-time for embedded systems
Original_To:  PROFS%"SMTP@PWAGPDB"
Original_cc:  CONDIC



"R.A.L Williams" <BILL@VALIANT.BITNET> writes:
>
>Does anyone know anything about running multiple applications on
>a single embedded processor or, more to the point, N applications
>on M processors, where N > M and, if a processor fails, several
>of the applications may get moved around.
>
I worked on a project very much like this called ICNIA when I was
with Singer Electronics in New Jersey. TRW was the prime. This
was a radio that was designed to run "radio applications"
(Narrowband, TCAS, JTIDS, etc...) across multiple processors and
be able to reconfigure itself in the event of hardware failures.

The only way we could make it work at the time (and I don't know
that anything has changed) was to have a "custom operating
system" which executed "applications" written in JOVIAL. (We were
planning to migrate to Ada as soon as we could get a good
compiler or the government quit believing that excuse.) I don't
think there was any easy way of mapping this sort of thing to Ada
tasks - we had to get right down to the bits and bytes of
operating system writing in order to get the behavior we wanted.

>
>Assuming that the applications are COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf)
>programs, as may increasingly become the case, what happens about
>the Ada run-time? COTS software will probably be supplied by
>multiple independent vendors, so I can't make the usual assumption
>that 'application' = 'task' and then rely on the tasking system
>to solve my problems. Basically, I'm assuming that COTS applications
>will be non-cooperative.
>
I've never heard of COTS software applications for embedded
computers. What exactly are you trying to do? Run Windows NT on a
missile navigation system? ;-) Seriously, a little more info on
what you're trying to do might help suggest a solution.

Pax,
Marin

Marin David Condic, Senior Computer Engineer    ATT:        407.796.8997
M/S 731-93                                      Technet:    796.8997
Pratt & Whitney, GESP                           Internet:   CONDICMA@PWFL.COM
P.O. Box 109600                                 Internet:   MDCONDIC@AOL.COM
West Palm Beach, FL 33410-9600
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