Improving the Precision of Approximations in WCET Analysis for Multi-Core Processors

The worst-case execution time (WCET) analysis for multicore processors is a challenge. An explicit consideration of all possible interference effects caused by the shared resources is in many cases combinatorially infeasible. Therefore, approximations are used to reduce this complexity. Current approaches to WCET analysis for multi-core processors are specific to particular ways of approximating the underlying system. Furthermore they are only applicable to rather restricted classes of processors. We identified a common methodology behind existing approaches and formalized it in a unified meta approach. Our meta approach is not restricted to a particular way of approximation. It allows to improve the precision of the obtained WCET bounds by incorporating properties of the system under consideration.