- Screenshot GUI Overview
SymTA/S Overview
Symtavision's scheduling analysis tool suite SymTA/S is used for budgeting, scheduling verification and optimization for processors, electronic control units (ECUs), communication buses, networks and complete integrated systems.
SymTA/S enables unique end-to-end timing analysis, visualization and optimization for today's and next-generation distributed systems.
In automotive electronics, SymTA/S supports standards such as OSEK, AUTOSAR-OS, CAN, and FlexRay.
- SymTA/S Tool Suite Structure
SymTA/S Modules
SymTA/S is a modular tool-suite for scheduling analysis and optimization for electronic control units (ECUs), buses / networks and complete embedded real-time systems.
The core component is the Scheduling Analysis Engine.
Productivity Plug-Ins enrich the feature set of scheduling analysis by:
Automotive analysis libraries are currently available for:
SymTA/S integrates with other tools and databases through an open XML interface, standard formats such as FIBEX, as well as proprietary formats.
The picture on the right provides a structural overview about the SymTA/S Tool Suite.
- Screenshot End-to-End Gantt Chart
Scheduling Analysis Engine
The SymTA/S Scheduling Analysis Engine is the core component of the SymTA/S tool suite. A graphical editor allows to model the hard- and software architecture of a system as well as the mapping of tasks to processors and communication channels to buses. A variety of scheduling strategies can be selected and a wide range of scheduling parameters can be configured. Dependencies between local and distributed tasks can be specified as well. Different activation mechanisms (time-tables, interrupts, …) can be selected. Local deadlines can be specified as well as end-to-end deadlines for critical paths.
Based on this set of input parameters, SymTA/S calculates
- Local best-case and worst-case response times for tasks and frames
- End-to-end best-case and worst-case response times for critical paths
- Deadline violations
- The utilization of resources
- Load contribution of individual tasks and individual frames
Worst-case schedules are displayed as gantt charts. This unique view enables designers to quickly understand and correct potential timing problems even for very complex systems.
Scheduling analysis libraries for static priority, TDMA and Round-Robin scheduling are already shipped with the analysis engine. For other schedulers, additional libraries are required (see domain-specific product sections).
- Screenshot Sensitivity Analysis Plug-In
Sensitivity Analysis
The Sensitivity Analysis module is an efficient tool to determine the robustness of a system as well as its extensibility for future functions. Sensitivity Analysis profits from the speed of SymTA/S to quickly derive upper and lower bounds for a variety of system parameters, including:
- Execution times of individual tasks or functions
- Processor or bus speed
- Activation periods or interrupt frequency
- Screenshot Exploration Plug-In
Design-Space Exploration
The Design-Space Exploration module is a powerful tool for evaluating alternative system configurations, and for optimizing systems. The designer
- Defines the search space, i.e. selects which parameters can be varied
- Defines (multiple) optimization objectives.
SymTA/S automatically evaluates and presents the most interesting alternatives and highlights the trade-offs. The final decision for a specific configuration remains with the designer.
Exploration profits from the speed of SymTA/S and from powerful search algorithms to quickly identify the most promising system configurations.