ITPEC IP April 2021 Question 89
Among the characteristics required for an embedded system, which of the following is the most appropriate terminology used when a certain process must be completed within a given period of time?
Explanation
Real-time ability — the property of completing a process within a given time.
Embedded systems control devices such as airbags, brakes or industrial machines, where a result that arrives too late is as bad as a wrong one. Real-time ability means the system guarantees that each process finishes within its deadline, which is why embedded systems often run a real-time OS.
Answer (c)
Why not others:
- •(a) — availability is the proportion of time the system can be used when needed
- •(b) — reliability is how long the system keeps working without failure, measured by MTBF
- •(d) — serviceability is how easily and quickly the system can be maintained and repaired, measured by MTTR
Key rule: Availability, reliability and serviceability (the RAS properties) describe keeping a system running; meeting a deadline is a separate property, real-time ability.
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