HARTS: a distributed real-time architecture

The design, implementation, and evaluation of a distributed real-time architecture called HARTS (hexagonal architecture for real-time systems) are discussed, emphasizing its support of time-constrained, fault-tolerant communications and I/O (input/output) requirements. HARTS consists of shared-memory multiprocessor nodes, interconnected by a wrapped hexagonal mesh. This architecture is intended to meet three main requirements of real-time computing: high performance, high reliability, and extensive I/O. The high-level and low-level architecture is described. The evaluation of HARTS, using modeling and simulation with actual parameters derived from its implementation, is reported. Fault-tolerant routing, clock synchronization and the I/O architecture are examined