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WS 2020/2021

Real-Time Operating Systems Design and Implementation (RTOS)

Due to the current situation (COVID-19), this course will be taught pureley virtually. All material will be provided via the Moodle platform (Not ready yet), so that joining this work space is mandatory.

Lecture Sessions: Thursday 10:15-13:00
Exercise Sessions: Together with the lecture
Associated Persons: Dr-Ing. Kuan-Hsun Chen (Lecturer)
Start of Course: 04.11.2020
Finals: Oral Exam
Credits: 6 (requires successfull participation in labs and finals)
Moodle: https://moodle.tu-dortmund.de/course/view.php?id=21768

Due to Covid-19 we decided to teach this course virtually. Please register in the moodle-course (hyperlink above). There you can find teaching material, login data for the virtual course room (lectures and exercises) and further in­for­mation. If any issues arise, please contact Dr.-Ing. Kuan-Hsun Chen.

Course Information

Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) are very important to maintain the timeliness of the response in embedded systems. This course will discuss the kernel of real-time operating systems and how to design timing predictable systems for safety-critical and robust applications, such as robotic and automotive systems. The lectures will introduce the theoretical basis of RTOSes, and emphasize hands-on design and implementation of an RTOS.
In this course, we mainly focus on FreeRTOS, which is supported by Amazon Web Services as a specific solution for Internet of Things currently.

Prerequisites

  • Embedded Systems / Cyber-Physical System Fundemental is required
  • Basic knowledge of Operating Systems and C Programming are required
  • System Programing and operating Linux expereicne are desired

Reference books/materials:

  • Richard Barry, “Using the FreeRTOS Real Time Kernel - a Practical Guide,” Real Time Engineers Ltd, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-4467-6274-5
  • Giorgio C. Buttazzo, “Hard Real-Time Computing Systems: Predictable Scheduling Algorithms and Applications”, Springer, Third Edition, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-4614-0675-4
  • Alex Hoffman, "FreeRTOS Emulator with SDL2 Based Graphics and Input Library", https://alxhoff.github.io/FreeRTOS-Emulator/index.html New! 

Location & approach

The campus of TU Dort­mund University is located close to interstate junction Dort­mund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dort­mund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dort­mund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dort­mund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the uni­ver­si­ty are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dort­mund.

To get from Campus Nord to Campus Süd by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus Nord and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

TU Dort­mund University has its own train station ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dort­mund main station ("Dort­mund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The uni­ver­si­ty is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dort­mund city to the uni­ver­si­ty: From Dort­mund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dort­mund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dort­mund main station to the stop "Dort­mund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dort­mund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S".

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dort­mund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the uni­ver­si­ty directly with the city of Dort­mund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.

The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".

Site Map of TU Dort­mund University (Second Page in English).