A Survey of Worst-Case Execution Time Analysis for Real-Time Java

As real-time systems become more prevalent, there is a need to guarantee that these increasingly complex systems perform as designed. One technique involves a static analysis to place an upper bound on worst-case execution time (WCET). Other techniques aim for new architectures and algorithms that reduce the WCET. At the same time, there is a growing interest in using Java for real-time systems. Several WCET analysis prototypes for Java have been created, and more are under development. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of research that combines WCET analysis with the Java domain. We begin by explaining the importance of WCET analysis and why it is so difficult to perform adequately. We then examine the features that make Java an attractive platform for WCET analysis, as well as the new challenges it brings. Finally, we provide a survey of prior work on this subject, organized as a simple one-level taxonomy.