Supports for components loading and binding at boot-time for component-based embedded operating systems

This paper presents the process of boot-time components loading and binding for TICK, a component-based embedded operating system targeted at resource-constrained devices. Based on the memory configuration information exported from the hardware abstraction layer, service components are loaded one-by-one through a configurable tunnel between the target and a hosting machine. Since the relocation information is provided in each self-contained component, the binding module in the component run-time establishes required connections among components. Interfacing members of all loaded components are resolved during the boot-time instead of during the link-time, thus different types of bindings between components can be implemented. Evaluation experiments show that the performance impacts induced are acceptable, while the infrastructure enables a flexible configuration of the target system.