A priori execution time analysis for parallel processes

A method of knowing a priori the time required by parallel processes to complete their execution is described, which allows for the automatic estimation of an upper bound for a task´s execution time. The method is discussed within the framework of the high-level real-time programming language Pearl. Several language extensions are defined to enable the execution-time estimations for all language constructs. The practical implementation of the method is based on a combination of a control-flow analyzer with procedures determining the execution times of compiled code and carrying out the developed estimation rules, respectively. The importance of the method for the utilization of deadline-driven scheduling is pointed out