2013年3月25日 星期一

How About Embedded development...

In response to growing pressure to boost the performance and trim down the size of embedded applications, standards organizations meet regularly to optimize their portfolios in light of the latest available technology.
Embedded PC, in vehicle PC, Industrial PC
These standardized computer platforms allow designers to trade in substantial savings in Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) and scheduling for slightly higher recurring costs.
refer: http://embedded-computing.com/articles/evolving-simplify-embedded-development/

Security in connected embedded devices

In vehicle computer, single board computer, Industrial PC
 

IDC is predicting that 15 billion intelligent devices will be connected to the Internet by 2015. This explosion in connected embedded devices has spawned a new generation of hackers targeting mobile devices, automobiles, medical equipment, and other systems. ...

refer:

http://embedded-computing.com/articles/the-president-cofounder-icon-labs/

2013年3月11日 星期一

A new dimension in operating systems about performance management

Network security,Console server,single board computer

Given the increased complexity of processors and applications, the current generation of Operating Systems (OSs) focuses mostly on software integrity while partially neglecting the need to extract maximum performance out of the existing hardware.

Processors perform as well as OSs allow them to. A computing platform,  or otherwise, consists of not only physical resources – memory, CPU cores, peripherals, and buses – managed with some success by resource partitioning (virtualization), but also performance resources such as CPU cycles, clock speed, memory and I/O bandwidth, and main/cache memory space. These resources are managed by ancient methods like priority or time slices or not managed at all. As a result, processors are underutilized and consume too much energy, robbing them of their true performance potential.
Most existing management schemes are fragmented. CPU cycles are managed by priorities and temporal isolation, meaning applications that need to finish in a preset amount of time are reserved that time, whether they actually need it or not. Because execution time is not safely predictable due to cache misses, miss speculation, and I/O blocking, the reserved time is typically longer than it needs to be. To ensure that the modem stack in a smartphone receives enough CPU cycles to carry on a call, other applications might be restricted to not run concurrently. This explains why some users of an unnamed brand handset complain that when the phone rings, GPS drops.
Separate from this, power management has recently received a great deal of interest. Notice the “separate” characterization. Most deployed solutions are good at detecting idle times, use modes with slow system response, or particular applications where the CPU can run at lower clock speeds and thus save energy. For example, Intel came up with Hurry Up and Get Idle (HUGI). To understand HUGI, consider this analogy: Someone can use an Indy car at full speed to reach a destination and then park it, but perhaps using a Prius to get there just in time would be more practical. Which do you think uses less gas? Power management based on use modes has too coarse a granularity to effectively mine all energy reduction opportunities all the time.
Ideally, developers want to vary the clock speed/voltage to match the instantaneous workload, but that cannot be done by merely focusing on the running application. Developers might be able to determine minimum clock speed for an application to finish on time, but can they slow down the clock not knowing how other applications waiting to run will be affected if they are delayed? Managing tasks and clock speed (power) separately cannot lead to optimum energy consumption. The winning method will simultaneously manage/optimize all performance resources, but at a minimum, manage the clock speed and task scheduling. Imagine the task scheduler being the trip planner and the clock manager as the car driver. If the car slows down, the trip has to be re-planned. The driver might have to slow down because of bad road conditions (cache misses) or stop at a railroad barrier (barrier in multithreading, blocked on buffer empty due to insufficiently allocated I/O bandwidth, and so on). Applications that exhibit data-dependent execution time also present a problem, as the timing of when they finish isn’t known until they finish. What clock speed should be allocated for these applications in advance?
An advanced performance management solution
One example of managing performance resources is VirtualMetrix Performance Management (PerfMan), which controls all performance resources by a parametrically driven algorithm. Thesoftware schedules tasks, changes clock speed, determines idle periods, and allocates I/O bandwidth and cache space based on performance data such as bandwidth consumed and instructions retired. This approach (diagrammed in Figure 1) solves the fragmentation problem and can lead to optimum resource allocation, even accounting for the unpredictability of the execution speed of modern processors and data-dependent applications.

Network security,Console server,single board computer
Figure 1: PerfMan controls all performance resources using a parametrically driven algorithm, leading to optimum resource allocation.
 


The patent-pending work performed allocation algorithm uses a closed-loop method that makes allocation decisions by comparing work completed with work still to be performed, expressed in any of the measurable performance quantities the system offers. For example, if the application is a video player or communication protocol that fills a buffer, PerfMan can keep track of the buffer fill level and determine the clock speed and time to run so that the buffer is filled just in time. The time to finish will inevitably vary, so the decision is cyclically updated. In many cases, buffers are overfilled to prevent blocking on buffer empty, which can lead to timing violations. PerfMan is capable of precise performance allocation, keeping buffering to a minimum and reducing memory footprint. The algorithm can handle hard, soft, and non-real-time applications mixed together.
If the application execution graph is quantified into simple performance parameters and the deadlines are known when they matter, the algorithm will dynamically schedule to meet deadlines just in time. Even non-real-time applications need some performance allocation to avoid indefinite postponement. Allocating the minimum processor resources an application needs increases system utilization, resulting in a higher possible workload. The method does not rely on strict priorities, although they can be used. The priority or order in execution is the direct result of the urgency the application exhibits while waiting its turn to run, which is a function of the basic work to be performed/worked completed paradigm.
Extending to more dimensions
If tasks are ready to run in existing OSs, they will run, but do they need to? Can they be delayed (forced idling) if the OS knows it will not affect their operation?
Knowing the timing of every task and whether it is running or waiting to run with respect to its progress toward completion allows the software to automatically determine the minimum clock speed and runtime. Thus everything completes on time under all load conditions. Matching clock speed to the instantaneous workload does not mean the clock speed is always minimized. The goal of low energy consumption sometimes calls for a burst of high speed followed by idle, as in Intel’s HUGI. But even then, there is no benefit in running faster than the optimum utilization (executed operations per unit of time) would indicate. Fast clocking while waiting for memory operations to complete does not save energy.
The algorithm’s mantra of “highest utilization/workload at the lowest energy consumption” is largely accomplished with a closed-loop algorithm managing all performance resources.
In multicore systems, a balanced load, low multithreading barrier latency, and the lowest overall energy consumption cannot be achieved simultaneously. To resolve this, PerfMan can be configured to optimize one or several performance attributes. If minimum energy consumption is the goal, an unbalanced system with some cores that are highly loaded and others that are empty and thus shut down might offer the lowest energy consumption at the expense of longer execution latency and overall lower performance.
Accelerating threads to reduce barrier latency can also lead to higher energy consumption. However, meeting deadlines (hard or soft) overrides all other considerations. The precise closed-loop-based performance resource allocation algorithm can safely maintain a higher workload level, which in turn, allows pushing the core consolidation further than possible with existing methods and thus achieving higher energy reduction.
Implementation on VMX Linux
PerfMan has been implemented as a thin kernel (sdKernel) running independently of the resident OS. It has been ported to Linux 2.6.29 (VMX Linux), as shown in Figure 2. An Android port is nearing completion. The software takes over Linux task scheduling and interworks with the existing power management infrastructure. A separate version of the sdKernel provides virtualization and supports hard real-time tasks in a POSIX-compliant environment. Scheduling/context switching is at the submicrosecond level on many platforms, but because most Linux system calls are too slow for hard real-time applications, the sdKernel provides APIs for basic peripherals, timers, and other resources.

Network security,Console server,single board computer
Figure 2: In a Linux implementation, PerfMan takes over Linux task scheduling and interworks with the existing power management infrastructure.
 


By monitoring performance, the software can detect unusual execution patterns that predict an upcoming OS panic and crash. In such cases, the sdKernel will notify mission-critical applications to stop using Linux system calls and temporarily switch over to sdKernel APIs (safe mode) while Linux is being rebooted.
VMX Linux supports a mix of real and non-real-time applications with efficient performance isolation while minimizing energy consumption. It can also provide hardware isolation/securityand safe crash landing.
Benchmarks show the results
The energy consumption, measured in real time using a VMX-designed energy meter, was accumulated for the system and correlated to individual applications. A media player application (video and audio) was run on an OMAP35xx BeagleBoard first using standard Linux 2.6.29 (Figure 3 red graph) and then VMX Linux (Figure 3 blue graph).

Network security,Console server,single board computer
Figure 3: Using VMX Linux on an OMAP35xx BeagleBoard achieves a 95 percent average load that finishes just in time.
 


Performance compliance (Perf Compl graph) shows how close the application tasks come to finish on time (center line). Below the line indicates deadline violations. Notice that with VMX Linux, a 95 percent average load is achieved with no prebuffering and no deadline violations, but it gets close. The total board energy consumption for the 46 seconds of video dropped from 68.7 W*sec to 27.6 W*sec with VMX Linux. The displayed data represents averages over a preset interval. As an additional bonus, when Linux is purposely crashed, the video disappears but the music plays on in safe mode with no audible glitches.
In short, the implementation creates a new approach to performance management with exciting results.
refer:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/performance-management-new-dimension-operating-systems/

2013年3月5日 星期二

Upgrades M2M networks about embedded industry

Networking appliance, Console server, Industrial PC
 
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications strategies and cloud computing are transforming industrial interconnects from an assortment of fragmented, proprietary technologies to open standards easily integrated into new designs. This new direction in M2M connectivity enables a wide range of applications and services by exchanging real-time data between remote devices, one or more central servers, and authorized third parties.

M2M technology allows embedded design teams to contain costs, improve security, enable remote management, and maximize system availability. The major goal of M2M communications is to combine real-time data from remote devices with enterprise applications to automate everyday company decisions and thus optimize industrial output and lower operating costs.

In this issue of Industrial Embedded Systems, we asked contributors to take a look at the networking, sensing, and computing issues affecting embedded design for industrial applications. For example, Mike Ueland, senior VP and general manager at Telit Wireless Solutions North America, describes the benefits and cost savings associated with M2M connections for remotely monitoring and managing assets. Mike outlines several good reasons to support an M2M industrial application based on cellular technology. In an in-depth interview covering intelligent networking technologies, Tom Barber, director of marketing at Silicon Labs, presents a new wireless microcontrollerproduct that fulfills the requirements of embedded applications with RF connectivity. Tom also highlights the new capabilities offered in low-power mesh networks resulting from Silicon Labs’ acquisition of Ember Corporation. Expanding the discussion, Shaye Shayegani, senior field applications engineer at Lantronix, answers questions on the security and adaptability of industrial networking modules. Shaye addresses the major connectivity challenges that industrial customers are dealing with right now.

Changing the subject to the sensitivity and stability of brushless DC motors in industrial applications, Honeywell Sensing and Control’s Joshua Edberg, senior global marketing manager in the Magnetic Sensors division, and Fred Hintz, engineering manager in the Speed and Position Sensors division, dispel three myths of chopper stabilization techniques. Covering another topic essential to factory settings, Karim Wassef, director of DC-DC product line management at GE Energy’s Power Electronics division, answers questions about the power sources available to operate in hostile conditions such as extended temperatures or corrosive environments. In a software-related topic, Doug Jones and Brian McKay, marketing managers at MathWorks, cover the advantages Model-Based Design offers for complex industrial control systems, allowing users to simulate, test, and debug circuitry before committing it to hardware.

This issue also includes our annual Resource Guide, with a comprehensive directory of embedded products divided into dozens of categories to simplify your next industrial design project. You can find a wide selection of off-the shelf industrial systems, small form factor modules, power sources, panel computers, enclosures, and specialized embedded components to solve your unique requirements. You will also find embedded support software including operating systems plusdata acquisition and motion control systems. Our aim is to provide a reference source of available products that match your future design projects. If you have suggestions or products for the next Resource Guide, please let us know.
The articles and interviews in this issue include a wide-ranging look at the embedded industry from the industrial perspective and should serve as a valuable technical resource for your next design project. Please give us your ideas on technical articles and online updates that we can provide to support your design efforts.

refer:
http://industrial-embedded.com/articles/embedded-upgrades-m2m-networks/