Computers as Components, 2nd Edition

404 CHAPTER 8 Networks

An alternative to a non-bus network is to use multiple networks. As with PEs,

it may be cheaper to use two slow, inexpensive networks than a single high-

performance, expensive network. If we can segregate critical and noncritical

communications onto separate networks, it may be possible to use simpler topolo-

gies such as buses. Many systems use serial links for low-speed communication and

CPU buses for higher speed and volume data transfers.

8.1.4 Message Passing Programming

Distributed embedded systems do not have shared memory,so they must communi-

cate by passing messages. We will refer to a message as the natural communication ...