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This paper addresses the important subject of estimating the worst-case execution time (WCET) of hard real-time programs essentially needed for further evaluation of realtime systems. Purely structure oriented methods, analysing the controlJow of the program without taking into account functional dependencies, tend to overestimate the execution time. An exact solution of this NP-complete problem is impossible for larger applications. In this papel; we propose a new heuristic offinding an estimate on the WCET. Itprovides a reasonable trade-off between analysis results and analysis efforts: the results will still be better than purely structure oriented methods without spending too much time on finding an exact solution. For this purpose our approach does not need any user annotations except for maximum loop counts and maximum recursion depths. The actual algorithm combines pruned path enumeration with the concept of symbolic execution.

Traditional timing analysis, such as worst-case execution time analysis, is normally applied only in the late stages of embedded system software development, when the hardware is available and the code is compiled and linked. However, preliminary timing estimates are often needed in early stages of system development as an essential prerequisite for the configuration of the hardware setup and dimensioning of the system. During this phase the hardware is often not available, and the code might not be ready to link. This article describes an approach to predict the execution time of software through an early, source-level timing analysis. A timing model for source code is automatically derived from a given combination of hardware architecture and compiler. The model is identified from measured execution times for a set of synthetic training programs, compiled for the hardware platform in question. It can be used to estimate the execution time for code running on the platform: the estimation is then done directly from the source code, without compiling and running it. Our experiments show that, using this model, we can predict the execution times of the final, compiled B Peter Altenbernd 123 Real-Time Syst code surprisingly well. For instance, we achieve an average deviation of 8 % for a set of benchmark programs for the ARM7 architecture.

Abstract.A Worst-Case Execution Time (WCET) analysis finds upper bounds for the execution time of programs. Reliable WCET estimates are essential in the development of safety-critical embedded systems, where failures to meet timing deadlines can have catastrophic consequences.Traditionally, WCET analysis is applied only in the late stages of embedded system software development. This is problematic, since WCET estimates are often needed already in early stages of system development, for example as inputs to various kinds of high-level embedded system engineering tools such as modelling and component frameworks, scheduling analyses, timed automata, etc. Early WCET estimates are also useful for selecting a suitable processor configuration (CPU, memory, peripherals, etc.) for the embedded system.If early WCET estimates are missing, many of these early design decisions have to be made using experience and "gut feeling". If the final executable violates the timing bounds assumed in earlier system development stages, it may result in costly system re-design. This paper presents a novel method to derive approximate WCET estimates at early stages of the software development process. The method is currently being implemented and evaluated. The method should be applicable to a large variety of software engineering tools and hardware platforms used in embedded system development, leading to shorter development times and more reliable embedded software.