Real-Time Systems Development

Recommended lab sessions

It is anticipated that the majority of the readers of this text will be advanced

undergraduates or masters-level students pursuing a course called Computer

Science, Computing, Software Engineering, or some similar title. They will

probably have chosen to take an option in Real-time Systems Design, or

Development. Such modules normally include weekly lectures and practical

work in laboratories. So, the material covered in the following chapters rep-

resents only one component of their learning experience. The following list

of extended practical exercises is not a recommended schedule for a single

semester’s laboratory activity because each individual student will bring dif-

ferent experience and skills to the course. They have different ambitions and

expectations, so what they actually decide to do during the practical sessions

will vary. A variety and choice of laboratory work is always a popular factor

with students.

1. Introduction to I/O programming with Linux

2. Real-time motor control

3. Finite state methodology

4. SA/SD, real-time Yourdon, case study

5. OOD, case study

6. Configuring gcc cross-compilers

7. Cross-development methods

8. Synchronization and communications

9. Petri net methods

10. Point Of Sale (POS) network case study

An alternative and very effective strategy is to organize an extended case

study project, which involves design, implementation and test activities. This

develops and extends the students’ understanding throughout the semester,

and can be subdivided into component parts for each member of the team.

In this way, a wide range of technical skills and interests, from embedded

microcontrollers to Oracle database servers, can be integrated into a sin-

gle project, and assessed partly individually and partly as a team. Such

ix

x Recommended lab sessions

activity offers the extra benefit of enabling groups to work together on a

much larger assignment, certainly an important experience for undergraduate

students. A suitable idea which we have used recently is the development of

a POS network, with POS terminals, data concentrator and central database

server. This supplies a broad scope for design variation and allows for regular

enhancement to keep the technology up to date.