Interfaces

Abstract

Embedded real-time systems are concerned with measuring and controlling the world outside the computer and of communicating with other systems or parts of a system in the case of distributed processing. Knowledge of the techniques of interfacing and the associated software implications and complications is a vital part of the work of the real-time programmer. It is an essential but messy end of the software design job, involving bits, part words, and packing and unpacking of both data and control. Absolute addresses are also necessarily involved, often with different read and write formats at the same address and having implied parameter FIFOs associated with particular functions. Isolating this level of detail in I/O modules is an important part of the designer—s task.