The case for fair multiprocessor scheduling

In this paper, we compare the PD² Pfair algorithm to the EDF-FF partitioning scheme, which uses "first fit" (FF) as a partitioning heuristic and the earliest-deadline-first (EDF) algorithm for per-processor scheduling. We present experimental results that show that PD² is competitive with, and in some cases outperforms, EDF-FF. These results suggest that Pfair scheduling is a viable alternative to partitioning. Furthermore, as discussed herein, Pfair scheduling provides many additional benefits, such as simple and efficient synchronization, temporal isolation, fault tolerance, and support for dynamic tasks.