Overview of real-time kernels at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory

The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) will have many subsystems that will require real-time microprocessor control. Actual performance measurements have been conducted on four different kernels, all running on the same hardware platform. Clock resolution, number of iterations and cache conditions were identical for all four kernels. The measurements fall into two categories: throughput measurements covering the non-real-time aspects of the kernel include process creation/termination times, semaphores and shared memory and memory allocation/deallocation; and measurements concentrating on real-time response are context switch times, interrupt latencies and interrupt task response.<>