September 23, 2009
The prevalence of multicore processors on the computing scene is now a fact of life, and OEMs are experimenting with ways to partition their applications on different processor cores. In the embedded computing world, this can mean hosting multiple, heterogeneous operating systems on the same processor chip at the same time. Thus, virtualization is key. While some Virtual Machine Managers (VMMs) blend only General Purpose Operating Systems (GPOSs), mission-critical virtualization schemes containing both Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOSs) and GPOSs present their own unique challenges. Chris reveals the finer points of virtualization and determinism, presents an example, then explains how legacy applications fit into the scenario.