CPU-to-CPU Communications in Multicore Designs

Overview

In this webinar, we will discuss the background to multicore design, with a focus on symmetrical multi-processing (SMP) compared with asymmetrical multi-processing [AMP] and the software implications, such as the use of multiple operating systems. We will also discuss the specific challenge associated with communication between cores, processes, and threads.

An emerging standard from the Multicore Association, the Multicore Communications API (MCAPI), promises to provide a rational way for software developers to implement such communication, even between multiple disparate operating systems. We will demonstrate how to implement MCAPI within the framework of Mentor Graphic's Nucleus operating system and Linux.

Embedded designs incorporating several CPUs - either multiple cores on a chip, multiple chips on a board, or a combination of the two - are becoming increasingly common. It's no secret that software development for multicore systems has its challenges, but fortunately, the industry is working towards sorting out the key issues. 

What You Will Learn

• The basics of multicore designs
• The key issues and benefits of SMP and AMP
• Why and how multiple operating systems may be usefully deployed
• The basics of inter-core communication and MCAPI