A load sharing interconnection network for hard real-time systems

Evaluates the tradeoffs involved in the design of next generation hard real-time systems, using fast packet switching technology. The authors propose to use simple local scheduling algorithms and enforce deadline constraints by using a fast load sharing interconnection network that can schedule tasks with communication delays on the order of microseconds. They have evaluated their approach under Poisson and bursty arrivals assumptions. They have simulated the effect of system size, different local scheduling algorithms, burstiness, burst length, thresholds, and of end of slot scheduling. They concluded that load sharing can be used effectively in order to schedule jobs in hard real time systems