The DREAM library support for PCD and RTO.k programming in C++

In order to realize real-time computing in the form of a generalization of non-real-time computing and yet allowing system engineers to confidently produce certifiable RTCS's for safety-critical applications, we have established a real-time object-oriented (OO) structuring approach called the RTO.k object structuring scheme in recent years. Also, a model of an operating system kernel which can support both conventional real-time processes and RTO.k objects with guaranteed timely services, has been formulated. The model has been named the DREAM kernel. The DREAM kernel supports three powerful building blocks of process-structured real-time distributed programs: real-time process, concurrent-read-&-exclusive-write (CREW) shared data structure monitor for intra-node inter-process communication, and data field channels (DFC's) which are real-time logical multicast channels for inter-node and intra-node inter-process-group communication. Programs composed of these components are called PCD programs. A DREAM library that consists of a collection of specific C++ classes provides a user-friendly interface to DREAM kernel services for real-time application programs. An implemented prototype of the DREAM kernel encapsulated by the DREAM library supports not only well-structured PCD programming but also efficient programming of RTO.k objects in C++. The essence of PCD and RTO.k object programming in C++ with the aid of the DREAM library is discussed.