Real-Time Scheduling with Task Splitting on Multiprocessors

This paper presents a real-time scheduling algorithm with high schedulability and few preemptions for multiprocessor systems. The algorithm is based on an unorthodox method called portioned scheduling that assigns each task to a particular processor like partitioned scheduling but can split a task into two processors if there is not enough capacity remaining on a processor. We describe an algorithm for assigning tasks to processors as well as an algorithm for scheduling the assigned tasks on per-processor. The schedulability analysis provides a formula to calculate the upper bound of the schedulable per-processor utilization for the algorithm. We then prove that the least upper bound of the whole system utilization is 50%. In addition, we propose heuristic procedures to improve schedulability. The simulation results show that the algorithm can often successfully schedule a task set with system utilization much higher than 50%, though the least upper bound is 50%. We also show that the algorithm achieves higher schedulability with fewer preemptions compared to the existing algorithms.