Interaction Analysis for Integrated Embedded Systems

该项目将研究一种新的程序分析、交互分析和一套新的实现技术，以支持未来几代嵌入式系统。这些未来的系统将以分层的方式构建，而不是执行唯一负责控制特定硬件的低级代码，核心控制软件被外层软件包围，外层软件将核心软件和它控制的设备集成成一个更大的集成的、分布式的设备和用户系统。实现这一愿景的关键挑战是需要有效地应用实现机制，使外层能够共享硬件设备，而不会破坏时间和安全关键核心代码的操作。开发大型软件系统的经济效益将确保大多数外层将由来自笔记本电脑、台式机和服务器计算世界的标准的、现成的软件组件组成。因此，外层软件将被开发为使用不适合在时间关键控制软件中使用的实现机制。然而，核心软件和外层软件需要相互作用。使用标准实现机制，由与外层共享的对象介导的交互很容易导致无法接受的延迟和核心中实时控制的丧失。本研究的重点是开发和研究新的交互分析算法，提取核心层和外层之间的交互模式，然后使用这些模式将对象分为几类。然后，每个类别都可以使用适合其在系统中使用的实现机制。最终的结果是一个系统，在这个系统中，外层和核心软件有效地合作，而不会失去安全性或可预测性。所设想的分析具有几个属性，使其适合于此应用程序。首先，它能够通过分析程序的一部分提取有意义的结果。其次，它可以有效地分析来自外层和核心集成的多线程程序。第三，部分分析是目标驱动的，通过只分析获得结果所需的程序的那些部分来提取所需的信息。

Rinard, MartinCCR-0209075The project will investigate a new program analysis, interactionanalysis, and a new set of implementation techniques to supportfuture generations of embedded systems. Instead of executing low-levelcode whose sole responsibility is to control a specific piece ofhardware, these future systems will be built in a layered fashion,with the core control software surrounded by outer layers of softwarethat integrate the core software and the device that it controls intoa larger integrated, distributed system of devices and users.The key challenge associated with realizing this vision is the need toeffectively apply implementation mechanisms that enable the outerlayers to share the hardware device without disrupting the actions ofthe time and safety critical core code. The economics of developinglarge software systems will ensure that most of the outer layers willconsist of standard, off-the-shelf software components from the worldof laptop, desktop, and server computing. The outer layer softwarewill therefore have been developed to use implementation mechanismsthat are unsuited for use in time-critical controlsoftware. Nevertheless, the core software and the outer layer softwarewill need to interact. With standard implementation mechanisms,interactions mediated by objects shared with outer layers could easilylead to unacceptable delays and a loss of real-time control in thecore.The focus of this research is the development and investigation of newinteraction analysis algorithms that extracts the interaction patternsbetween the core and outer layers, then uses these patterns toclassify objects into several categories. Each category can then usean implementation mechanism appropriate for how it is used in thesystem. The end result is a system in which the outer layers and coresoftware effectively cooperate without a loss of safety orpredictability.The envisioned analysis has several properties that will make itsuitable for this application. First, it is capable of extracting ameaningful result with an analysis of only part of the program.Second, it can effectively analyze the multithreaded programs thatcome from the integration of the outer layers and the core. Third, thepartial analysis is goal-driven to extract the required informationwith an analysis of only those parts of the program required to obtainthe result.