A rule-based quasi-static scheduling approach for static islands in dynamic dataflow graphs

In this article, an efficient rule-based clustering algorithm for static dataflow subgraphs in a dynamic dataflow graph is presented. The clustered static dataflow actors are quasi-statically scheduled, in such a way that the global performance in terms of latency and throughput is improved compared to a dynamically scheduled execution, while avoiding the introduction of deadlocks as generated by naive static scheduling approaches. The presented clustering algorithm outperforms previously published approaches by a faster computation and more compact representation of the derived quasi-static schedule. This is achieved by a rule-based approach, which avoids an explicit enumeration of the state space. A formal proof of the correctness of the presented clustering approach is given. Experimental results show significant improvements in both, performance and code size, compared to a state-of-the-art clustering algorithm.