Realtime System Technology Desk Object Management Group Inc. Framingham Corporate Center 492 Old Connecticut Path Framingham, MA 01701-4568
February 14, 1997
This letter is the Hewlett-Packard Company’s response to the OMG Real-Time Technologies RFI, OMG document ORBOS/96-09-02. The point of contact at the Hewlett-Packard Company (“HP”) for this RFI and responses to it, and for subsequent real-time technology RFP’s, is the undersigned.
HP subscribes to the timeliness framework and terminology created by E. Douglas Jensen -- a version of which is found on his web site at http://www.realtime-os.com/rtmanifesto/rtmani_ 0.html, and a subset of which appears as Appendix A in the current revision of the OMG Realtime PSIG White Paper Realtime/96-08-01. Without using a framework of at least that expressiveness, it is difficult or
impossible to describe the timeliness characteristics of most non-trivial real-time applications and their execution environments. Thus, that framework is presumed in this response.
HP has extensive current and future requirements for distributed object systems which must operate in
real-time -- i.e., exhibit acceptable (application- and situation-specific) end-to-end timeliness quality of service (QoS) in terms of predictability. Usually some amount of explicit (offline or online) real-time resource management is necessary to achieve that. In many cases, the possible degree of real-time resource management is limited by certain resources (in the nodes or internode network) not being entirely subject to appropriate real-time resource management. Then acceptable timeliness QoS is attained by adjusting the system requirements and design, and constraining its operating regime. Special cases, not the general case, mandate high degrees of real-time resource management in the nodes (e.g., “real-time” operating systems) and the internode network (e.g., “real-time” networks) in order to achieve acceptable end-to-end timeliness QoS in distributed real-time systems; HP’s requirements include both the general, and these special, cases.
HP requires real-time distributed object technologies both for internal use in many of its own test,
measurement, control, chemical analysis, and medical products, and for external use by customers building applications with its computer system products. These HP products and customer application systems range across the entire real-time distributed systems spectrum: from small, simple, static, sampled-data systems in one box; to large, complex, dynamic, adaptive systems spanning a continent. Information about HP’s current products is found on HP’s public web site http://www.hp.com, and in its sales materials.
HP desires that OMG initially address real-time distributed object technologies for the least complex
and dynamic end of this spectrum; for the more complex and dynamic range, there is still insufficient practice (not to mention theory) on which to base standards.
HP elects not to respond further to the RFI regarding real-time distributed object requirements,
technologies, and products. Sincerely, E. Douglas Jensen Program Manager, Real-Time Systems jensen@apollo.hp.com 300 Apollo Drive, Chelmsford, MA 01770 Voice 508-436-5771, Fax 508-436-6409