Abstract
Alpha is a non-proprietary experimental operating system kernel which extends the real-time domain to encompass distributed applications, such as for telecommunications, factory automation, and defense. Distributed real-time systems are inherently asynchronous, dynamic, and non-deterministic, and yet are nonetheless mission-critical. The increasing complexity and pace of these systems precludes the historical reliance solely on human operators for assuring system dependability under uncertainty. Traditional real-time OS technology is based on attempting to assert or impose determinism of not just the ends but also the means, for centralized low-level sampled-data monitoring and control, with an insufficiency of hardware resources. Conventional distributed OS technology is primarily based on two-party client/server hierarchies for explicit resource sharing in networks of autonomous users. These two technological paradigms are special cases which cannot be combined and scaled up cost-effectively to accommodate distributed real-time systems. Alpha’s new paradigm for real-time distributed computing is founded on best-effort management of all resources directly with computation completion time constraints which are expressed as benefit functions; and multiparty, peer-structured, trans-node computations for cooperative mission management.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Jensen, E.D. The Implications of Physical Dispersal on Operating Systems Proceedings of Informatica ‘82, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, March 1982.
Jensen, E.D., C.D. Locke, and H. Tokuda A Time-Value Driven Scheduling Model for Real-Time Operating Systems Proceedings of the Symposium on Real-Time Systems, IEEE, November 1985.
C.D. Locke Best-Effort Decision Making for Real-Time Scheduling Ph.D. Thesis, CMU-CS-86–134, Department of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 1986.
Clark, R.K. Scheduling Dependent Real-Time Activities Ph.D. Thesis, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 1990.
Jensen, E.D. A Benefit Accrual Model of Real-Time Proceedings of Echtzeit ‘92, publisher: Prof. Dr. H. Rzehak u. Ludwig Drebinger GMBH, 02.–04. June 1992
Stewart, B. Distributed Data Processing Technology Interim Report, Honeywell Systems and Research Center, March 1977.
Northcutt, J. D. Mechanisms for Reliable Distributed Real-Time Operating Systems-The Alpha Kernel Academic Press, 1987.
Maynard, D.P., S.E. Shipman, R.K. Clark, J.D. Northcutt, R.B. Kegley, B.A. Zimmerman, and P.J. Keleher An Example Real-Time Command, Control, and Battle Management Application for Alpha Technical Report TR 88121, Archons Project, Computer Science Department, Carnegie-Mellon University, December 1988.
Northcutt, J.D., R.K. Clark, D.P. Maynard, and J.E. Trull Decentralized Real-Time Scheduling Final Technical Report, Contract F33602–88-D-0027, School of Computer Science, Carnegie-Mellon University, February 1990.
Northcutt, J.D., R.K. Clark, S.E. Shipman, D.P. Maynard, E. D. Jensen, F.D. Reynolds, and B. Dasarathy Threads: A Programming Construct for Reliable Real-Time Distributed Programming Proceedings of the International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing and Systems, International Society for Mini- and Micro-Computers, October 1990.
Vasilatos, N. Partitioned Multiprocessors and the Existence of Heterogeneous Operating Systems Proceedings of the USENIX Winter 1991 Conference, January 1991.
Jensen, E.D. The Archons Project: An Overview, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Synchronization, Control, and Communication Academic Press, 1983.
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1994 Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Braunschweig/Wiesbaden
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jensen, E.D. (1994). Alpha: A Non-Proprietary Realtime Distributed Operating System For Mission Management Applications. In: Rzehak, H. (eds) Echtzeitsysteme und Fuzzy Control. Programm Angewandte Informatik. Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-85506-0_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-85506-0_3
Publisher Name: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-528-05432-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-322-85506-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive