Apparatus and method for synchronizing execution of programs in a distributed real-time computing system

摘要

A distributed computing system including a plurality of computers, wherein the execution of programs by the computers to perform real-time tasks are synchronized with each other. Each of the computers includes a local clock which is synchronized with the local clocks of the other computers and a start time determining apparatus for determining execution time of a program to be executed by the computer. The program to be executed by the computer is executed in synchronism with programs in the other computers under timing constraints. The execution time is determined by the start time determining apparatus by negotiating with the start time determining apparatus of the other computers. Each of the computers further includes scheduling apparatus for scheduling the execution of the program to be executed by the computer based on the execution time negotiated by the start time determining apparatus, and a synchronized sporadic server which is executed periodically and at the same time as the execution of the synchronized sporadic servers on the other computers. The synchronized sporadic server supports the scheduling apparatus to schedule the execution of programs based on the timing constraints imposed by the start time determining apparatus.