Abstract-Measurement-based probabilistic timing analysis (MBPTA) computes trustworthy upper bounds to the execution time of software programs. MBPTA has the connotation, typical of measurement-based techniques, that the bounds computed with it only relate to what is observed in actual program traversals, which may not include the effective worst-case phenomena. To overcome this limitation, we propose Extended Path Coverage (EPC), a novel technique that allows extending the representativeness of the bounds computed by MBPTA. We make the observation data probabilistically path-independent by modifying the probability distribution of the observed timing behaviour so as to negatively compensate for any benefits that a basic block may draw from a path leading to it. This enables the derivation of trustworthy upper bounds to the probabilistic execution time of all paths in the program, even when the user-provided input vectors do not exercise the worst-case path. Our results confirm that using MBPTA with EPC produces fully trustworthy upper bounds with competitively small overestimation in comparison to state-of-the-art MBPTA techniques.

In the last couple of decades we have witnessed a steady growth in the complexity and widespread of real-time systems. In order to master the rising complexity in the timing behaviour of those systems, rightful attention has been given to the development of time-predictable computer architectures. The Patmos time-predictable microprocessor used in the T-CREST project employs performance-enhancing hardware while keeping the system analyzable. Time composability, at both hardware and software level, is a considerable aid to reducing the integration costs of complex applications. A time-composable operating system, on top of a time-composable processor, facilitates incremental development, which is highly desirable for industry. This paper makes a twofold contribution. First, we present enhancements to the Patmos processor to allow achieving time composability at the operating system level. Second, we extend an existing time-composable operating system, TiCOS, to make best use of advanced Patmos hardware features in the pursuit of time composability.

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