DistributedDistributed HardwareThese architectures are defined by the fact that the underlying hardware is geographically dispersed. Typically the use case is such that sophisticated software is not viable; hardware is too simplistic, the application does not require it, and the power budget is too limited. These are typically Embedded Systems. As such, this architecture focuses on being low-level and light-weight. Network communication and interacting with hardware devices is extremely important. Given the restricted nature, some features such as real-time guarantees and verification are possible. Two common applications are sensor networks and robotic swarms. Be fore-warned: the "Internet of Things" is sometimes mentioned in work in this field. I did a presentation on several systems that follow this architecture: Attach:EmbeddedRTS.pdf. ExamplesTinyOS ASEBA Contiki EMERALDS all fall into this category (although the line between system and OS is blurred here). |