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Browsing by Author "DeBrunner, Linda Sumners"

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    Modeling reconfiguration algorithms for regular architecture
    DeBrunner, Linda Sumners (Virginia Tech, 1991-07-05)
    Three models are proposed to evaluate and design distributed reconfigurable systems for fault tolerant, highly reliable applications. These models serve as valuable tools for developing fault tolerant systems. In each model, cells work together in parallel to change the global structure through a series of separate actions. In the Local Supervisor Model (LSM), selected cells guide the reconfiguration process. In the Tessellation Automata Model (TAM), each cell determines its next state based on its state and its neighbors' states, and communicates its state information to its neighbors. In the Interconnected Finite State Machine Model (IFS:MM:), each cell determines its next state and outputs based on its state and its inputs. The hierarchical nature of the TAM and IFSMM provides advantages in evaluating, comparing, and designing systems. The use of each of these models in describing systems is demonstrated. The IFSMM: is emphasized since it is the most versatile of the three models. The IFSMM: is used to identify algorithm weaknesses and improvements, compare existing algorithms, and develop a novel design for a reconfigurable hypercube.
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    Multitasking operating systems for real-time applications
    DeBrunner, Linda Sumners (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1986)
    Multitasking systems are becoming increasingly used for implementing real-time systems since they are well-suited to asynchronous, often overlapping, events. With the availability of kernels such as Hunter and Ready's VRTX Operating System components, multitasking becomes a good alternative to other implementations of real-time systems, such as interrupt-driven and polling systems. We developed a software design method and wrote a sample real-time system with many of the characteristics of typical real-time systems. This multitasking system uses a standard printer port to output bits which indicate the various activities of the tasks in the system. It also allows the user to interactively change the priorities of the tasks and to modify parameters which determine how long and how often the tasks execute. Through the use of the printer port connected to a logic analyzer and the ability to change various parameters in the system dynamically, the interaction between tasks was studied for different situations. The observed interaction between tasks was consistent with intuition. We observed task pre-emption, tasks waiting for results from other tasks and the system overhead required for context switching. When the timing restrictions were increased, we observed that data is lost during intertask communication and that higher priority tasks are the only tasks which run. This ability to observe the interaction between tasks has removed much of the mystery surrounding multitasking.