Question

Survey about the different software architectures in embedded systems from internet/books/magazines/library or any other resources. Give comprehensive and detailed survey results. By adopting any of the architectures, what issues can be faced by the programmer/user in execution of the built code/program based on that particular architecture

Answer 1

Different types of software architecture in embedded systems:

·Von Neumann Architecture: This is one of the most popular software architecture in the embedded systems. In this particular architecture, one data path and the bus exists for the data as well as the instruction. Here in this architecture, the CPU does one operation at a time and it either fetches the instruction from the memory or may perform read write operation on the data.

·Harvard architecture: The Harvard architecture provides separate storage and the signal buses for the instruction as well as for the data. The data storages totally present inside the CPU and there is no access to the instruction storage. Computers have different memory areas for the program instruction and data using the internal data buses.

Issues faced by programmers in program execution in Von Neumann Architecture:

·This architecture uses programs and data are held in the memory where the processor and the memory are separate and the data moves between the memory and processor. So, latency cannot be avoided and programmer may face slowness while executing their codes.

Issues faced by programmers in program execution in Harvard architecture:

·The implementation of the Harvard architecture is very difficult and moreover, the free data memory cannot be used by the programmers for running their codes.