Testing embedded software in a simulated environment

Abstract. In this master’s thesis, a simulation environment that can be used to execute embedded software’s unit tests is implemented. The purpose of the simulation is to make the development of the embedded firmware easier, cheaper, and faster. Also, the purpose is to make remote work easier by enabling unit test and integration test execution on a laptop. This topic has been researched a lot before and many different solutions and tools exist for embedded system simulation. Some of these solutions are introduced in this paper. After the introduction, two of the solutions are implemented for one embedded system that uses monolithic firmware. The solutions implemented are emulation based on the Unicorn emulator and a simulation with native execution on a PC. Each solution has advantages and disadvantages. But in this case, the native execution on a PC was better, as the test execution was two times faster than in Unicorn emulator and three times faster than in an embedded device. Native execution was also easier to implement than Unicorn emulator and could use free compilers like GCC and Clang. The biggest disadvantage with native execution was the low fidelity.Sulautetun ohjelmiston testaaminen simuloidussa ympäristössä. Tiivistelmä. Tässä diplomityössä tehdään simulointiympäristö, jolla voidaan ajaa sulautetun järjestelmän yksikkö- ja integraatiotestejä. Simulaation tarkoitus on tehdä sulautetun järjestelmän ohjelmistokehitys helpommaksi, halvemmaksi ja nopeammaksi. Lisäksi simulaatiolla saadaan tehtyä etätyöskentely helpommaksi, kun yksikkö- ja integraatiotestit voidaan ajaa kannettavalla tietokoneella. Sulautetun järjestelmän simulointia on tutkittu paljon ja simulointiin on kehitetty monia eri ratkaisuja ja työkaluja. Osa näistä työkaluista esitellään tässä diplomityössä. Esittelyn jälkeen toteutetaan kaksi eri simulointi ympäristöä yhdelle sulautetulle järjestelmälle. Toteutetut simulaatiot ovat: emulaatio joka tehdään Unicorn emulaattorilla ja simulaatio joka toteutetaan natiiviajona PC:llä. Molemmilla ratkaisuilla on hyvät ja huonot puolet. Mutta kokonaisuutena natiiviajo oli parempi tälle sulautetulle järjestelmälle, koska natiiviajo oli kaksi kertaa nopeampi kuin Unicorn emulaattori ja kolme kertaa nopeampi kuin sulautettu järjestelmä. Lisäksi natiiviajo oli helpompi toteuttaa kuin Unicorn emulaattori ja natiiviajossa voitiin käytettään ilmaisia kääntäjiä kuten GCC ja Clang. Huonoin puoli natiiviajossa oli se, että natiiviajon tarkkuus ei ollut kovin hyvä, eikä sillä näin ollen pystynyt testaamaan kaikkia asioita koodista

Exploiting Parallelization in Spatial Statistics: an Applied Survey using R.

Computing tasks may be parallelized top-down by splitting into per-node chunks when the tasks permit this kind of division, and particularly when there is little or no need for communication between the nodes. Another approach is to parallelize bottom-up, by the substitution of multi-threaded low-level functions for single-threaded ones in otherwise unchanged user-level functions. This survey examines the timings of typical spatial data analysis tasks across a range of data sizes and hardware under different combinations of these two approaches. Conclusions are drawn concerning choices of alternatives for parallelization, and attention is drawn to factors conditioning those choices.Statistical software; Parallelization; Optimized linear algebra subroutines; Multicore processors; Spatial statistics.

Spinodal decomposition of off-critical quenches with a viscous phase using dissipative particle dynamics in two and three spatial dimensions

We investigate the domain growth and phase separation of hydrodynamically-correct binary immiscible fluids of differing viscosity as a function of minority phase concentration in both two and three spatial dimensions using dissipative particle dynamics. We also examine the behavior of equal-viscosity fluids and compare our results to similar lattice-gas simulations in two dimensions.Comment: 34 pages (11 figures); accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Robot graphic simulation testbed

The objective of this research was twofold. First, the basic capabilities of ROBOSIM (graphical simulation system) were improved and extended by taking advantage of advanced graphic workstation technology and artificial intelligence programming techniques. Second, the scope of the graphic simulation testbed was extended to include general problems of Space Station automation. Hardware support for 3-D graphics and high processing performance make high resolution solid modeling, collision detection, and simulation of structural dynamics computationally feasible. The Space Station is a complex system with many interacting subsystems. Design and testing of automation concepts demand modeling of the affected processes, their interactions, and that of the proposed control systems. The automation testbed was designed to facilitate studies in Space Station automation concepts