• Journal of KIISE:Computer Systems and Theory
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• v.30 no.5_6
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• pp.299-306
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• 2003

This paper formulates a problem of embedded real-time system re-engineering, and presents its solution approach. Embedded system re-engineering is defined as a development task of meeting performance requirements newly imposed on a system after its hardware and software have been fully implemented. The performance requirements nay include a real-time throughput and an input-to-output latency. The proposed solution approach is based on a bottleneck analysis and nonlinear optimization. The inputs to the approach include a system design specified with a process network and a set of task graphs, task allocation and scheduling, and a new real-time throughput requirement specified as a system's period constraint. The solution approach works in two steps. In the first step, it determines bottleneck precesses in the process network via estimation of process latencies. In the second step, it derives a system of constraints with performance scaling factors of processing elements being variables. It then solves the constraints for the performance staling factors with an objective of minimizing the total hardware cost of the resultant system. These scaling factors suggest the minimal cost hardware upgrade to meet the new performance requirement. Since this approach does not modify carefully designed software structures, it helps reduce the re-engineering cycle.