A Survey of Optimal Hardware and Software Mapping for Distributed Integrated Modular Avionics Systems

With an increasing number of aircraft systems, a fully manual developmental approach is impractical for finding optimal hardware and software mapping from overwhelming configurations for Distributed Integrated Modular Avionics (DIMA) systems. The automation of finding such optimized mapping should be available and thoroughly understood. This paper is an investigation on the foundations of optimal hardware and software mapping for DIMA. We begin by reviewing the DIMA system architecture. Following that, we present the problem statement of hardware and software mapping and its ensuring mathematical optimization models. A set of primary architectural quality metrics (e.g., reliability and scalability) and aircraft constraints (e.g., segregation and resource constraints) are identified, which can be used to compose an objective function or compare and trade alternatives. Based on the quality metrics and aircraft constraints, we synthesize an encompassing formulation by means of multi-objective optimization. Various optimization approaches for hardware and software mapping are then reviewed and compared. Case studies of DIMA optimization are presented for avionics systems, in which running time is reported for different optimization problems with different objectives and constraints. In addition, we present and discuss open issues and future trends, from which future developments may draw upon.