MDARTS: A real-time database for the control and monitoring of manufacturing systems

In this paper, we describe an object-oriented memory-based real-time database system called MDARTS (Multiprocessor Database Architecture for Real-Time Systems). MDARTS is specifically designed to support high-speed real-time applications such as next-generation manufacturing system controllers. MDARTS allows applications to specify their real-time requirements in application code, and during object initialization it attempts to guarantee that these requirements will be met. We have implemented MDARTS on Sun workstations and VME-based multiprocessors and have used our prototype to control an actual manufacturing machine. Our MDARTS prototype can guarantee transaction response times of about 100 microseconds for typical memory-based transactions on VME multiprocessors using 68030 processors.