Computers as Components, 3rd Edition

8.4 Distributed Embedded Systems

We often use networks to build distributed embedded systems out of multiple processors. The network delays in a distributed system are generally larger than those in a tightly-coupled multiprocessor, leading to differences in how we design software. These systems can be modeled as message-passing systems. The nodes typically interact in a loosely coupled way with many of the messages specifying events. We will start by introducing the standard hierarchy for network processing. We will then look at the CAN bus and its use in cars. We will also look at I²C, which is widely used in low-cost distributed embedded systems, and Ethernet, which is used in many industrial systems. We will close with a brief look at the ...