A simulation study of soft real-time scheduling and handling schemes for multimedia support

Under the control of a soft real-time framework for multimedia support, processes are scheduled by soft real-time scheduling algorithms and the timing overflows are handled by soft real-time handling methods. The paper conducts a simulation study to show the effects of the related schemes. Based on an abstract model for continuous media communications and applications, a simulator with versatile parameterization possibilities is constructed to simulate soft real-time effects concerning necessity of soft real-time, pros and cons for timing monitoring and enforcing, effects of soft real-time handling of timing-overflow, etc. Simulations driven by theoretical distributions are validated against trace-oriented simulations and the results are found to agree with each other well.