Operating system for a dedicated common memory multimicroprocessor system

By using multiple processors it is possible to increase the computing power and hence the complexity of the task that can be managed by a microprocessor-based system. To be useful, such a system must consist of (a) hardware, (b) development software, which provides program development support, and (c) operating-system software which executes on the multiprocessor and provides run-time support for applications programs. In this paper, we present the design of an operating system intended for dedicated real-time multiprocessor applications. The problems encountered in designing such a system are discussed, together with the solutions which we have adopted. The use of our system for parallel processing is illustrated by two example applications.