Partitioning: The duality of software
and hardware
•
•
The hardware and software in an embedded system work together to solve
a problem ( algorithm )
The decision about how to partition the software components and the
hardware components is usually dictated by speed and cost
- Dedicated hardware is fast, inflexible and expensive
- Reconfigurable hardware is fast, flexible and more expensive
- Software is slower, more flexible and cheaper
ERROR
HANDLING
DATA
FORMATTING
ALGORITHM
LASER PRINTER ENGINE
DATA TO BE PRINTED
MECHANICAL
CONTROL
CARBON TONER ON PAPER
LASER CONTROL
Hardware Computer Organization for the Software Professional
Arnold S. Berger
1