Evaluation of a Dual-Core SMP and AMP Architecture based on an Embedded Case Study

Typical telecom applications apply a planar architecture pattern based on the processing requirements of each subsystem. In a symmetric multiprocessing environment all applications share the same hardware resources. However, currently embedded hardware platforms are being designed with asymmetric multiprocessor architectures to improve separation and increase performance of noninterfering tasks. These asymmetric multiprocessor architectures allow different planes to be separated and assign dedicated hardware for each responsibility. While planes are logically separated, some hardware is still shared and creates cross-plane influence effects which will impact the performance of the system. The aim of this report is to evaluate, in an embedded environment, the performance of a typical symmetric multiprocessing architecture compared to its asymmetric multiprocessing variant, applied on a telecom application.