RTEMS Algorithmic Complexity

RTEMS is composed of multiple software classes and is layered. Each software class has its own execution characteristics. Although every effort was made to ensure that after an instance of an object is created, that as many operations as possible execute in a fixed length of time. In this light, the designers of RTEMS focused on the algorithms used and their algorithmic complexity. Ideally, all algorithms in RTEMS would be O(constant) which is also know as stable. However some algorithms have variations based upon what they are doing (e.g. blocking or non-blocking) or how many instances of an object are in the system. If the algorithm varies in execution time based upon the number of instances of an object, it is said to be O(n) where n is the number of instances.

This page attempts to capture information regarding the algorithmic complexity of the algorithms in RTEMS with a focus on those that are not O(constant). We do not include operations that create or delete objects. We will ignore variations due to a particular call blocking instead of a non-blocking since it is obvious blocking takes longer. We will also ignore variations caused by an interrupt occuring during the execution of a call.

SuperCore?

This section presents the non-constant order algorithms found in the SuperCore?. The SuperCore? is used to implement all supported RTEMS APIs so they inherit these core hahaviors.

Message Queue Handler

Variable Length Messages

Longer messages take longer to copy.

Insertion of Message by Priority

When priority ordering of messages is used, the insertion is into a simple list and is O(n) where n is the number of messages pending.

Pavel Pisa's Sugestion

Posted to the RTEMS ML (​http://www.rtems.com/ml/rtems-users/2006/february/msg00006.html).

19:03, 27 June 2007 (CDT)19:03, 27 June 2007 (CDT)19:03, 27 June 2007 (CDT)19:03, 27 June 2007 (CDT)19:03, 27 June 2007 (CDT)the msg doesn't seem to match this wiki topic

GAVL can solve this

insert    = search O(log(n)),
            max one re-ballance O(1) with max O(log(n)) heights update.

cut first = O(log(n)) find first and O(1) cut, zero re-balances
            O(log(n)) heights update
   First Last Enhanced Speed (FLES) alternative
            O(1) find first and O(1) cut, zero rebalance
            O(log(n)) heights update and next prepare

premature delete = O(1) detach, O(log(n)) heights update
            and max O(log(n)) updates and re-balances,
            may be, it is possible to prove, that count of re-balances
            is lower or can be decreased. It is possible to omit
            re-balances at all, but AVL tree properties would be lost
            => height is not in range from
               log2(n+1)+1 to 1.44*log2(n+2)-0.328+1.
            The +1 one in GAVL is cost  for zero re-balanced
            cut first operation.

More about this code is on my page: ​http://cmp.felk.cvut.cz/~pisa/#ulut

There is no problem with RTEMS compatible license, in the fact uLUt is extensively used in our RTEMS based application for drivers and GUI code.

Code is used in more components from OCERA project ​http://www.ocera.org and proven to be extremely stable. It is used even in ​http://ulan.sourceforge.net/ and SuiTk? sources. GAVL code doesnot need any dynamic memory allocations and it significantly outperforms even heap-tree algorithm with preallocated array for all elements (Heap tree is suggested solution for priority queues in the classic theory texts).

GAVL is result of my personal rethinking of AVL algorithm. My C implementation can even ensure type safety, but macro magic can be too much for you. Base of algorithm can be rewritten from generic code to one purpose one. In the fact "gcc -E" does the work and I have ported this way with some manual simplifications some uLUt code even on 8051 based chips.

Message Broadcast

Broadcasting a message results in every task currently blocking on a particular message queue waiting for a message to receive the same message. The time required to execute this service is O(n) where n is the number of blocked tasks.

Watchdog Timer

Insertion of a Timer

Timers are managed as a delta chain. Insertion is O(n) where n is the number of timers on the chain (e.g. active).

Pavel Pisa's Suggestion

​http://www.rtems.com/ml/rtems-users/2006/february/msg00006.html

See GAVL and Htimer. Based on FLES GAVL variant, same timing.

Linux/Igno? Molnar decided to go through RB-Tree for high resolution timers, but it has not cut-first primitive and I believe, that GAVL can outperform this in all aspects except premature timer delete. AVL height is even lower than RB-tree there.

Heap

The heap is used for variable memory allocation.

Memory Allocation

The list of free blocks is managed as an unsorted listed. Allocating a memory block requires a linear search of all free blocks until one large enough to satisfy the request is located.

Pavel Pisa's Suggestion

Posted as ​http://www.rtems.com/ml/rtems-users/2006/february/msg00006.html

TLSF dynamic storage allocator

​http://rtportal.upv.es/rtmalloc/allocators/tlsf/index.shtml

This is nice approach, O(1) allocate, O(1) delete. Needs to do find first bit set to compute log of size and then two find first bit set instructions and atomic double linked list delete for allocate.

Only log computation and some set bit and list insert for free. Fragmentation is kept on reasonable level

As for license, I know the people and I expect no problems. Even rewrite of the code onto RTEMS primitives from scratch is possible. Idea is so clean, simple but unique that there is no problem to reimplement it.

Classic API

The Classic API inherits the following non-constant time algorithms from the SuperCode?

• Variable length message support
• Message broadcast
• Timer insertion (timer manager, delays, and timeouts)
• Memory Allocation

Region Manager

Freeing Memory

Although freeing memory is O(constant), freeing a large block of memory may result in the outstanding requests of multiple blocked tasks being satisfied.

POSIX API

The POSIX API inherits the following non-constant time algorithms from the SuperCode?

• Variable length message support
• Priority based message insertion
• Timer insertion (timer manager, delays, and timeouts)

Message Queue Manager

mq_open

There is a linear search for the message queue name.= mq_unlink =

There is a linear search for the message queue name.

Semaphore Manager

sem_open

There is a linear search for the semaphore name.= sem_unlink =

There is a linear search for the semaphore name.

Timer Manager

Timer Id Management

There is a linear search of slots in a timer array.

FIX: This is a bad implementation which was originally submitted by a user who did not understand the standard pattern of object management. This pattern requires objects be preallocated at system initialization time and object creation only removes one from an inactive object list. Normally, RTEMS object Id to pointer translation is constant order so, this manager is fixable.

UPDATE: As of 1 Feb 2006, JoelSherrill? is testing a new implementation of POSIX timers which will not have O(n) object Id management.