Creating Embedded Platforms with MDA: Where’s the Sweet Spot? Tim Trew Research, NXP...

Creating Embedded Platforms with MDA: Where’s the Sweet Spot?

Tim TrewResearch, NXP Semiconductors

Creating Embedded Platforms with MDA: Where’s the Sweet Spot? Tim Trew

2

2000BC

1650 AD

Road Transport


3

Embedded Software Development

1959: Jovial

1966: Coral

1972: C PL/M RTL/2

1979: C++

2009: ? Aspect Oriented Software Development Domain-Specific Languages

Meta-programming Model-Driven Architecture

1998: Components: Koala, tmCom, Fractal, …


4

Alan W. Brown, IBM, 2004

5


Alan W. Brown, IBM, 2004

Where’s the sweet

spot?


6

Contents

Overview of NXP Semiconductors

Selling embedded software components

Styles of MDA and the search for the “sweet spot”

Examples– Feature composition – the bleeding edge of modelling – Raising the abstraction level of programming– Component integration and configuration

How to choose?


7

Markets for Chips+Software


8

TV software stack …

TV HW

AV streaming layer1.5 MLOC

MW layer0.7 MLOC

Application Layer0.3-1 MLOC

OS

0.8M

LO

C

• We only get paid for the IC – SW is free!

• Big sales opportunities

• High risk/high reward business

… and the hardware it runs on …

120M transistors

Pentium: 47M-820M


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… and the hardware it runs on …

2 MIPS, 3 TriMedia VLIWs, 100 DMA channels, 2 memory busses + …

Performance is critical– Concerned with throughput and latency

= CPU cycles + cache misses + (SDRAM + bus) latency

Power is becoming important – It’s critical in a phone or MP3 player– You don’t want a fan in a TV

– Power down everything you don’t need right now– Use voltage/frequency scaling


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Tuned for best performance/power/cost

Different Processor

Architectures for different

jobs

IntrinsicPower

Efficiency


12


TV HW

AV streaming layer

MW layer

Application Layer

RT

OS

OSAL

API


13


TV HW

AV drivers

MW layer

Application Layer

GP OS

API

DirectShowGStreamer

MMF

How to adapt to different HW –

changing dependencies for

power management

How to adapt to different streaming frameworks – all

functions have to be implemented


14


TV HW

GP OS layer

Streaming FrameworkDirectShowGStreamer

MMF

Power & QoS Management

How to optimize behavior when

planned global state is in the OS?


15

Embedded software – it’s not just post-conditions

Intermediate hardware states are immediately visible


16

Embedded software – it’s not just post-conditions

Intermediate hardware states are immediately visible


17

Product lines aren’t the [full] answer

Product lines rule OK!

18Creating Embedded Platforms with MDA: Where’s the Sweet Spot? Tim Trew

Product lines aren’t the [full] answer

Does this still work?

How much effort to adapt?

Version 1 Version 2

ConfiguredAsset

ConfiguredAsset

CoreAsset

CoreAsset

ConfiguredAsset


Styles of MDA

Innovation

Payback

Raising abstractionlevel

Featurecomposition

Componentintegration and

configuration

Capability

Where’s the sweet spot?


Feature composition

Innovation

Payback


Featurecomposition


configuration


21

Introduction to Program InstallationIn France

Preset list


22

Introduction to Program InstallationIn France

Preset list


23

Introduction to Program InstallationNear France

Preset list


24

Introduction to Program InstallationNear France

Preset list


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Introduction to Program InstallationAutomatic Channel Installation

Preset list


Independently-selectable features

• Variation points may be set by NXP or the customer

• It must be possible to apply transformations in any order

• Point at which the grey feature is inserted depends on whether the green feature is present.

Pass1

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding

PropertiesStationFound

StationNot

Found

/Store Data

Pass2

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


Stationnot Found

/Store Data

$beforePass2


Pass1

ACI Installation

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


ACI Installation

StationNot

Found

Store ACI

Pass2

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


Stationnot Found

/Store Data

$beforePass2


region.transition.selectFirst(t|t.target.metaType ==statem::FinalState).source;

Pass1

ACI Installation

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


ACI Installation

StationNot

Found

Store ACI

Pass2

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


Stationnot Found

/Store Data

$beforePass2


What metaclass should this be?

•Exit point?•Junction?•Vertex – abstract!

How do we remove this transition in XWeave?


Pass1

ACI Installation

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


ACI Installation

StationNot

Found

Store ACI

Pass2

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


Stationnot Found

/Store Data

$beforePass2


• Where do we find enough developers who can formulate pointcut expressions?

• Everyone needs to be able to do it



Raising abstraction level

Innovation

Payback


Featurecomposition


configuration


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Raising the abstraction level

Rhapsody (2005):• Code and diagrams are

linked to a common model – changes are reflected immediately

• Model available for verification, simulation & debugging

• Configurable object communication and synchronization

Pass1

ACI Installation

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


ACI Installation

StationNot

Found

Store ACI


ACI Installation

Waiting for ACI

Entry: Start ACI TimerExit: Cancel ACI TimerOn ACI Timeout[++ACI Count < div_AciOverallTimeoutTime]/Start ACI Timer

Searching for ACI

On insEventStopAutoInstallation/defer

Writing ACI DatapgaciN_aciPresetsWriteInDataStarted():

insEventAciDataFound

pgaciN_OnAciInstallationCompleted(TRUE):insEventAciDataStored

ACI Success

ACI Not Completed

pgaciN_OnAciInstallationCompleted(FALSE):insEventAciNotCompleted

ACI Timeout[++ACI Count >= div_AciOverallTimeoutTime]

insEventStopAutoInstallation

Start ACI

Store ACI table

ACI Failed


Waiting for User ACI Selection

pacidsN_OnMultiPackageDisplayedinsEventOnMultiPackageDisplayed

Pass1

ACI Installation

Preparing for Pass

SearchingFinding


ACI Installation

StationNot

Found

Store ACI


ACI Installation

Waiting for ACI

Entry: Start ACI TimerExit: Cancel ACI TimerOn ACI Timeout[++ACI Count < div_AciOverallTimeoutTime]/Start ACI Timer

Searching for ACI


Writing ACI DatapgaciN_aciPresetsWriteInDataStarted():

insEventAciDataFound

pgaciN_OnAciInstallationCompleted(TRUE):insEventAciDataStored

ACI Success

ACI Not Completed


ACI Timeout[++ACI Count >= div_AciOverallTimeoutTime]


Start ACI

Store ACI table

ACI Failed


Waiting for User ACI Selection

pacidsN_OnMultiPackageDisplayedinsEventOnMultiPackageDisplayed





Installation

ACI VPS PDC

Platform

OnPageFound()

«Interface»TXTPageNotifications

StartAci()StoreAciTable()Terminate()

«Interface»AciCtrl

[state!=Idle]opt

ClientAutomatic Installation

StartSfA()

NewFeatureReq()

ACI

[!ACI || Interruptible]

[ACI & !Interruptible]

alt

Terminated

Flushed()

Terminate()

Terminate

Pending

Terminated()

Flushed


Can we generate this protocol from the original integrated state model with sub-machines and deferred events?

Can we generate this protocol from the original integrated state model with sub-machines and deferred events?

Terminate ACI, immediate acknowledgement

Terminate ACI, asynchronous acknowledgement

Does this problem occur often enough to make the investment?

Does this problem occur often enough to make the investment?


Component integration and configuration

Innovation

Payback


Featurecomposition


configuration


40

ZigBee Example

For network(s) of monitoring and controlling devices

Provides:– Wireless operation

range: 5 – 500 m– Low power consumption

battery life: multi-month to years– Low cost per node– Security– Easy implementation – Reliable data-transfer

fully hand-shake protocol


ZigBee Example

IEEE 802.15.4

NXP PHY/HW

MAC Supplier

NWK 2

App Framework 2

Application

NWK 1

App Framework 1

Application 1

NWK 3

App Framework 3

Application 3

e-Metering

Interfaces are logically equivalent, but differ in

detail (component binding, parameter

passing, etc.)

Different component models, build systems, variability mechanisms


Component integration and configuration

► Platform integration uses software components from several internal/external sources

► Design-in teams can’t have in-depth knowledge of them all

MAC Supplier

NXP

Tiny OS

PlatformIntegration

Design In

Design In

Design In

Customer X

e-metering

Customer Z

NWK/AppsA

e-meteringNWK/Apps

NWK/AppsC

…

SSCMSICM

PHY

MAC

NWK

NXP PHY

SpecificMAC

PD PLME

SpecificNWK

MCPS MLME

Glue

NXP PHY

SpecificMAC

PD PLME

SpecificNWK

MCPS MLME

MCPS MLME

Makefile

Source

Library

Makefile

Source

Library

Makefile

Source

Library

Customer ConfigurationNXP Configuration

PD PLME

MCPS MLME

Transformations from models to code


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Roles – who has to know what

Create UML profile/metamodel, e.g. add «notification», «GlueComponent»,«ComponentModel»,etc. stereotypes.

– Preferably an industry standard

Create modelcode transformation per component model, interfacestyle, etc.

Use wizard to create function/parameter mappings per configuration

Use variability management tool to create product


Glue Code Architecture

NWK - tmCOM

Glue

MAC - nesC

MCPS

MCPS

MLME

MLME

tmCOM interfaces

nesC interfaces

tmCOM: Dynamic component creation and

interface binding

nesC: Build-time component creation and

interface binding


Glue


NWK - tmCOM

MAC - nesC

MCPS

MCPS

MLME

MLME

NotificationSubscriptionManagement

tmCOM interfaces

nesC interfaces


Glue


NWK tmCOM

MAC (Meshnetics - nesC)

MCPS

MCPS

MLME

MLME

NotificationSubscriptionManagement

nesC module

nesC configurations

tmCOM interfaces

nesC interfaces

nesC: C files and component netlist


Where else might this land?

Digital Car Radio

ADCs DFEBB inner Receiver

BB outerReceiver

SourceDecoder

Radio Manager

WidebandTuners

• SimuLink to heterogeneous multi-processor

• Multiple receivers/station

• Multiple standards concurrently


Application to Software-Defined Radio

DMA DMA

DMADMA

DMA DMA

• Synchronous Data Flow (SDF) for scheduling and buffer sizing


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AcknowledgementsEindhoven:Octa Cota (TU/e)Yanja DajsurenHerman HartmannJos HeggeAart MatsingerRob Wieringa

Bangalore:Santosh AraballiParamesh BabuNavneet KhullarGiten Kulkarni


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Acknowledgements

IBM Haifa:Ofir BruknerAlan HartmanMila KerenJulia RubinAsaf ShaarTali Yatzkar-Haham


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Conclusions

Selling low-level embedded software components is different :– We have to accommodate the functional requirements of all customers– Software components have to adapt to the hardware– Components increasingly have to fit in customers’ infrastructure choices

MDA offers solutions to these challenges– Generate “custom” code for each customer from models– Change from code with the union of all variation points to composable

models

But– The largest payback requires the largest change from current practice– The tooling is not mature

Have to be really familiar with repetitive development tasks– We have to share experience and feed back to the research

community– What really pays off?


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Conclusions


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Creating Embedded Platforms with MDA: Where’s the Sweet Spot? Tim Trew Research, NXP...

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