This text focuses on hard real-time systems, which are computing systems that must meet their temporal specification in all anticipated load and fault scenarios.

The book stresses the system aspects of distributed real-time applications, treating the issues of real-time, distribution and fault-tolerance from an integral point of view. A cross-fertilization of ideas and concepts between the academic and industrial worlds has led to the inclusion of many insightful examples from industry to explain the fundamental scientific concepts in a real-world setting. Thus, this book can serve as a text for advanced level courses on real-time systems. It can also serve as a reference for professionals in industry.

The book explains the relevance of recent scientific insights to the solution of everyday problems in the design and implementation of distributed and embedded real-time systems. Thus, as a reference source the book presents real-time technology in a concise and understandable manner. Because the cost-effectiveness of a particular method is of major concern in an industrial setting, design decisions are examined from an economic viewpoint. The recent appearance of cost-effective powerful system chips has tremendous influence on the architecture and economics of future distributed system solutions. The composability of an architecture, that is, the capability to build dependable large systems out of pre-tested components with minimal integration effort, is one of the great challenges for designers of the next generation of real-time systems. The topic of composability is thus a recurring theme throughout the book.