Efficient modelling and simulation of embedded software multi-tasking using SystemC and OSSS

Since the software part in todaypsilas designs is increasingly important, the impact of platform decisions with respect to the hardware and the software infrastructure (OS, scheduler, priorities, mapping) has to be explored in early design phases. In this paper, we present an extension of the existing SystemCtrade-based OSSS design flow regarding software multi-tasking in system models. The simulation of the OSSS software run-time model supports different scheduling policies, as well as efficient timing annotations, and deadlines. Inter-task communication is modelled via user-defined shared objects. The impact of timing annotation granularity on the achievable simulation performance is studied. As a result, a lazy synchronisation scheme is proposed, that is based on omitting SystemC time synchronisations, that do not have observable effects on the application model.