System and method for executing distributed software

• US 7,848,359 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfgang PREE GmbH
• Original Assignee: Wolfgang PREE GmbH
• Inventors: Templ, Josef, Pree, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, IV; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang; Charles C
• Application Number:
  US11/820,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20080013572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 370/276, 370/277, 370/280, 370/294, 370/310, 370/512, 370/316, 370/326, 370/328, 370/329, 370/336, 370/345, 370/464, 370/478, 370/498, 717/100, 717/106, 717/109, 717/136, 717/140, 717/146, 717/151, 717/159, 717/160, 705/1.01, 705/300, 705/301, 718/100, 718102-107
• US Class Current: 370/498
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A system for executing distributed software under hard real-time conditions comprises a plurality of nodes and a communication channel. Nodes are allowed to transmit data across the communication channel within time windows relative to repetitive communication time intervals of the communication channel, wherein a number of bytes transmitted within the communication time windows may vary from communication time window to communication time window. The data may be transmitted as a message comprising a representation of an identifying tag and a representation of the data. Also a number of bytes representing respective tags may vary from communication time interval to communication time interval.

Claims

1. A system for executing a distributed software, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes; and

a communication channel;

wherein the nodes are configured to allow communication across the communication channel, wherein repetitive communication time intervals of a predetermined constant duration are definable and wherein data transmission occurs within data communication time windows defined by start times and end times relative to the communication time intervals;

wherein the distributed software comprises at least a first task and a second task;

wherein the nodes are configured to execute the first and second tasks such that only one of the first and second tasks is executed at a given time;

wherein the first task generates first data and transmits the first data to the communication channel repetitively at a first period, wherein data transmission of the first data occurs within first communication time windows having the same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein the second task generates second data and transmits the second data to the communication channel repetitively at a second period, wherein data transmission of the second data occurs within second communication time windows having same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein each of the first and second periods is an integer multiple of the predetermined constant duration;

wherein the start time of the first communication time windows is prior to the end time of the second communication time windows, and the start time of the second communication time windows is prior to the end time of the first communication time windows;

wherein the first task and/or the second task is configured to have a predefined logical execution time interval associated therewith, wherein a physical execution of an invocation of the task starts at or after a beginning of the logical execution time interval and wherein the physical execution of the invocation of the task is completed before or at an end of the logical execution time interval, and

wherein the node executing the first task is further configured to execute a third task, wherein a logical execution time interval associated with the first task overlaps with a logical execution time interval associated with the third task.

2. A system for executing a distributed software, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes; and

a communication channel;

wherein the nodes are configured to allow communication across the communication channel, wherein repetitive communication time intervals of a predetermined constant duration are definable and wherein data transmission occurs within data communication time windows defined by start times and end times relative to the communication time intervals;

wherein the distributed software comprises at least a first task and a second task;

wherein the nodes are configured to execute the first and second tasks such that only one of the first and second tasks is executed at a given time;

wherein the first task generates first data and transmits the first data to the communication channel repetitively at a first period, wherein data transmission of the first data occurs within first communication time windows having the same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein the second task generates second data and transmits the second data to the communication channel repetitively at a second period, wherein data transmission of the second data occurs within second communication time windows having same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein each of the first and second periods is an integer multiple of the predetermined constant duration;

wherein the start time of the first communication time windows is prior to the end time of the second communication time windows, and the start time of the second communication time windows is prior to the end time of the first communication time windows;

wherein the data transmission of the data includes transmission of a message including a representation of the data and a tag, wherein the tag is indicative of the task which generated the data, and

wherein the tag is indicative of a module which includes the task which generated the data.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the tag is indicative of a mode of the module which includes the task which generated the data.

4. A system for executing a distributed software, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes; and

a communication channel;

wherein the nodes are configured to allow communication across the communication channel, wherein repetitive communication time intervals of a predetermined constant duration are definable and wherein data transmission occurs within data communication time windows defined by start times and end times relative to the communication time intervals;

wherein the distributed software comprises at least a first task and a second task;

wherein the nodes are configured to execute the first and second tasks such that only one of the first and second tasks is executed at a given time;

wherein the first task generates first data and transmits the first data to the communication channel repetitively at a first period, wherein data transmission of the first data occurs within first communication time windows having the same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein the second task generates second data and transmits the second data to the communication channel repetitively at a second period, wherein data transmission of the second data occurs within second communication time windows having same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein each of the first and second periods is an integer multiple of the predetermined constant duration;

wherein the start time of the first communication time windows is prior to the end time of the second communication time windows, and the start time of the second communication time windows is prior to the end time of the first communication time windows, and

wherein the start time of the first communication time windows is equal to the start time of the second communication time windows.

5. A system for executing a distributed software, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes; and

a communication channel;

wherein the nodes are configured to allow communication across the communication channel, wherein repetitive communication time intervals of a predetermined constant duration are definable and wherein data transmission occurs within data communication time windows defined by start times and end times relative to the communication time intervals;

wherein the distributed software comprises at least a first task and a second task;

wherein the nodes are configured to execute the first and second tasks such that only one of the first and second tasks is executed at a given time;

wherein the first task generates first data and transmits the first data to the communication channel repetitively at a first period, wherein data transmission of the first data occurs within first communication time windows having the same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein the second task generates second data and transmits the second data to the communication channel repetitively at a second period, wherein data transmission of the second data occurs within second communication time windows having same start and end times relative to their respective communication time intervals;

wherein each of the first and second periods is an integer multiple of the predetermined constant duration;

wherein the start time of the first communication time windows is prior to the end time of the second communication time windows, and the start time of the second communication time windows is prior to the end time of the first communication time windows, and

wherein the end time of the first communication time windows is equal to the end time of the second communication time windows.