Embedded Partitioning Real-time Operating System Based on Microkernel

The embedded partitioning operating system is active in security-related fields such as avionics and automotive embedded software. The temporal and spatial isolation of the partition is the guarantee of system security. In addition, as these areas become more demanding for applications, improving the real-time performance of partitioning operating systems has become a trend. To reach this goal, we propose a solution that leverages the microkernel architecture in the embedded partitioning operating system. The microkernel ensures the determinacy of real-time scheduling policies and system calls by simplifying kernel functionality and preserving the most basic resources. Partitions built on top of the microkernel enable low-cost communication, fast context switching and mixed task scheduling. Based on the microkernel, we developed a complete real-time partitioning operating system. The system supports multi-core processors to take full advantage of the high performance of existing embedded processors. On different hardware platforms, we conducted two types of tests about interrupt response time and latency. The results show that our proposed architecture exhibits high real-time performance.