Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computer Systems Design [Paperback]

Wayne Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2000

The vast majority of existing computers are embedded in the myriad of intelligent devices and applications-not in desktop machines. We are witnessing the emergence of a new discipline with its own principles, constraints, and design processes. Computers as Components is the first book to teach this new discipline. It unravels the complexity of these systems and the tools and methods necessary for designing them. Researchers, students, and savvy professionals, schooled in hardware or software, will value the integrated engineering design approach to this fast emerging field. It demonstrates concepts and techniques using two powerful real-world processors as case studies throughout the book: the ARM processor and the SHARC DSP (digital signal processor). It illustrates the major concepts of each chapter with real-world design examples such as software modems, telephone answering machines, and video accelerators. It teaches the basics of UML (Unified Modeling Language) and applies it throughout the text to help you visualize stages in the design process. It illustrates real-time operating systems using the POSIX real-time extensions and Linux. It describes performance analysis and optimization of embedded software, including the effects of caches.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book will prove invaluable as a means for acquiring knowledge in this important and newly emerging field. It will also serve as a reference in actual design practice and be a trusted companion in the design adventures ahead." -From the foreword by Lynn Conway, Professor Emerita, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, USA "This book is the first to bring embedded systems technology and techniques together under a single cover. The author provides a practical overview of the many interrelated issues that must be addressed during the complete design cycle of an embedded computer system." -Randolph E. Harr, Director of Research, Advanced Technology Group (ATG), Synopsys, Inc., USA

From the Back Cover

"This book will prove invaluable as a means for acquiring knowledge in this important and newly emerging field. It will also serve as a reference in actual design practice and be a trusted companion in the design adventures ahead."

- From the foreword by Lynn Conway, Professor Emerita,
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan

"This book is the first to bring embedded systems technology and techniques together under a single cover. The author provides a practical overview of the many interrelated issues that must be addressed during the complete design cycle of an embedded computer system."

- Randolph E. Harr, Director of Research, Advanced Technology Group (ATG),
Synopsys, Inc.

The vast majority of existing computers are embedded in the myriad of intelligent devices and applications-not in desktop machines. We are witnessing the emergence of a new discipline with its own principles, constraints, and design processes.

Computers as Components is the first book to teach this new discipline. It unravels the complexity of these systems and the tools and methods necessary for designing them. Researchers, students, and savvy professionals, schooled in hardware or software, will value the integrated engineering design approach to this fast emerging field.

• Demonstrates concepts and techniques using two powerful real-world processors as case studies throughout the book: the ARM processor and the SHARC DSP (digital signal processor).
  
• Illustrates the major concepts of each chapter with real-world design examples such as software modems, telephone answering machines, and video accelerators.
  
• Teaches the basics of UML (Unified Modeling Language) and applies it throughout the text to help you visualize stages in the design process.
  
• Illustrates real-time operating systems using the POSIX real-time extensions and Linux.
  
• Describes performance analysis and optimization of embedded software, including the effects of caches.
  
• Includes two CD-ROMs with evaluation software: One contains the ARM Developer Suite; the other contains VisualDSP for the SHARC DSP family of processors.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers; 1st edition (December 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558606939
• ISBN-13: 978-1558606937
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,028,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good attempt at describing the embedded process, December 9, 2001

By 

Owais Ahmad (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computing Systems Design (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design) (Hardcover)

This book was used as a text book at a graduate level class in embedded design at University of St Thomas, Minnesota. I am also a professional embedded engineer (both hardware and software). What this book does the best is to provide a framework for embedded design. There are various examples in the text on the embedded design process via the requirements/specifications/hardware architecture/software architecture/component design/test process.
This has definitely impacted both my understand on a theoretical level as well as my design process at work.
Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Broad topic, shallow coverage, July 27, 2004

By 

J. Friedrich (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computer Systems Design (Paperback)

I have tried to teach a course on embedded systems using this book. While the effort of the author has to be honoured to cover such a wide range of topics, practically all topics are treated in a rather shallow way, and some information, for instance on UML notation, is wrong. To get an overview, the book is too big; to get into any of the topics in a serious fashion the book is not big enough.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Introductory Undergraduate Text, June 17, 2001

By 

Rajesh S. Raghavan (Baltimore, MD 21234) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computing Systems Design (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design) (Hardcover)

In a field (Embedded Systems Programming) where there are few, if any, good textbooks from which to learn the art, Computers as Components from Wayne Wolf is a good start. However, I do not feel it goes far enough.

This textbook is useful in an undergraduate class, with plenty of accompanying hands-on exercises. Reading the book alone is not enough. The book covers the basic architecture of embedded systems and uses UML throughout for design purposes.

Chapter 2 covers the basic instruction sets of the ARM and SHARC processors. Chapter 3 discusses CPUs. Chapter 4 describes the hardware platform.

Chapter 5 covers Program Design, and Chapter 6 covers Processes and Operating Systems. Although Chapter 5 covers compilation techniques, I, as a practicing professional felt that there was insufficient material to guide the reader in writing code that would be compiled in the most efficient manner. Chapter 5 also covers Performance, Power Consumption, and Testing issues in a rather introductory fashion.

Chapter 6, dealing with Operating Systems, covers Processes, Priorities, Multitasking, and Scheduling, but the coverage is primarily theoretical in nature. Once again, the material is suitable for classroom instruction, with accompanying lab exercises, but is not a useful reference.

In closing, I give the book 3 stars, for I, as a professional, was looking for a suitable reference text to help me on the job.

However, I can see the book getting a 4 star rating for classroom use in an introductory undergraduate course in embedded systems. This book is best used in conjunction with lab exercises in designing and programming embedded systems. I would not recommend this text as a reference for professionals already in the field.