Modeling distributed real-time systems with MAST 2

Switched networks have an increasingly important role in real-time communications. The IEEE Ethernet standards have defined prioritized traffic (802.1p) and other QoS mechanisms (802.1q). The Avionics FullDuplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) standard defines a hard real-time network based on switched Ethernet. Clock synchronization is also an important service in some real-time distributed systems because it allows a global notion of time for event timing and timing requirements. In the process of defining the new MAST 2 model, clock synchronization modeling capabilities have been added, and the network elements have been enhanced to include switches and routers. This paper introduces the schedulability model that will enable an automatic schedulability analysis of a distributed application using switched networks and clock synchronization mechanisms. 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.