EDF Feasibility Conditions with Kernel Overheads on an Event Driven OSEK System

Abstract

In this paper we show how to extend classical real time feasibility conditions to take into account kernel overheads for mixed preemptive and non- preemptive periodic tasks with Earliest Deadline First (EDF) scheduling policy. The EDF algorithm allows us to schedule some tasks sets which are not valid with FP/FIFO scheduling policy, the classical scheduling implemented for OSEK. That is why we have improved our OSEK by implementing EDF algorithm. First of all, we identify the sources of overheads that influence the response time of the tasks: the context switching, the mechanisms used to activates/terminates and reschedules tasks, and the granularity of the periodic timer used to implement the periodic task model. We then show how to take into account those overheads in the classical EDF feasibility conditions. We compare the response times computed with theoretical feasibility conditions with kernel overhead to the results obtained on a real implementation. We show that the kernel overheads cannot be neglected and that our theoretical results are valid and can be used for a real-time dimensioning of an OSEK system with EDF scheduling policy. Finally, we compare the performances of our EDF implementation to the FP/FIFO native scheduling showing the benefits of implementing EDF in OSEK.