frazier@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Greg Frazier) (08/22/90)
Hello.
I need some help either confirming or correcting
my impressions, hopefully with some quotable reference
for backup.
Under simple real-time systems, one ensures that
every operation can occur within a bounded time period,
thus guarenteeing to meet external deadlines. For complex
systems, particularly distributed ones, this is not possible.
A probabalistic approach is taken in these situations. For
example, I am currently working on a communications network.
When implementing a realtime system upon it, one would want
to be able to say "at a network throughput of 30%, a packet
will reach its destination in less than 90 time units with
a prabability of 0.9999."
I would appreciate hearing from designers of complex
(hopefully distributed) realtime systems who have or have
not taken this approach, and I really would like references
to conference proceedings or journal articles which discuss
this. Also, I understand that this is called "soft" realtime.
A reference for that (or any) name for this would also be
appreciated. Post or email.
--
"They thought to use and shame me but I win out by nature, because a true
freak cannot be made. A true freak must be born." K. Dunn, _Geek_Love_
Greg Frazier frazier@CS.UCLA.EDU !{ucbvax,rutgers}!ucla-cs!frazier