A resource management framework for mixed-criticality embedded systems

Dynamic resource management enables a system to dynamically react to changing resource demands or resource availability. It enables better resource utilization, improved dependability, and the enabling of power-aware system behavior. This paper examines the application of dynamic resource management for an integrated time-triggered system architecture for embedded systems, which is designed to support mixed-criticality systems, i.e., systems integrating distributed application subsystems (DASs) with different dependability requirements on the same hardware platform. For such systems a vital characteristic is to achieve encapsulation of the hosted DASs and to provide mechanisms for fault-isolation. The key challenge addressed in this paper is to preserve these system characteristics despite the presence of dynamic resource allocation. To this end, a resource management framework is presented that provides static resource guarantees for DASs having higher dependability requirements, while facilitating efficient resource utilization for less critical DASs.