A Web-based Simulator for Learning Multiprocessor Real-time Scheduling (Abstract Only)

CPU scheduling is one of the most important topics discussed in Operating Systems (OS) courses. In recent years, CPU scheduling for multiprocessor and real-time systems has become more and more essential as those systems can be found everywhere. While these topics should be introduced in OS courses, they are much harder to understand than simple uniprocessor scheduling algorithms due to the complexity involved. Particularly in introductory OS courses, only a couple of lectures can be used to cover these topics. To help students understand these complex topics more easily, we introduce a web-based simulator for learning multiprocessor real-time scheduling that is easy-to-use and self-explanatory. With this simulator, students can get visualized step-by-step instructions of how the algorithms work. They can also run the simulators interactively, and explore the algorithms in an empirical setting. The initial feedback from our students indicates that the tool is very useful in learning these complex algorithms. A demo will be shown in the poster session.