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Projects
Eclipse Pullpiri
Eclipse Timpani
Creation Review
Creation Review
Type
Creation
State
Successful
End Date of the Review Period
Reviews run for a minimum of one week. The outcome of the review is decided on this date. This is the last day to make comments or ask questions about this review.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - 12:00
Project
Eclipse Timpani
Proposal
Eclipse Timpani
Friday, March 13, 2026 - 06:46
by
Seokhee Han
Basics
This proposal is in the Project Proposal Phase (as defined in the
Eclipse Development Process
) and is written to declare its intent and scope. We solicit additional participation and input from the community. Please login and add your feedback in the comments section.
Project
Eclipse Timpani
Parent Project
Eclipse Pullpiri
Proposal State
Created
Background
The automotive industry is rapidly transitioning from
Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV)
to
AI-Defined Vehicles (AiDV)
. During this transition, in-vehicle workloads are broadly categorized into two types:
Best-effort workloads
: Cloud-native services like infotainment and OTA updates with relaxed timing constraints
Real-time workloads
: Safety-critical tasks such as ADAS sensor fusion, motion control, and vehicle dynamics that must meet strict timing constraints
Eclipse Pullpiri
serves as a vehicle workload orchestrator responsible for service lifecycle management and policy-based deployment. However, Pullpiri alone cannot guarantee
deterministic execution
for safety-critical workloads.
LG Electronics has been developing the
Timpani Framework
since 2025 to address the timing guarantee requirements for Pullpiri orchestrator's real-time workloads. We propose this project to the Eclipse Foundation to share this technology with the open source community and enable its adoption across the SDV/AiDV ecosystem.
Scope
Eclipse Timpani
provides a
real-time scheduling submodule
for the Eclipse Pullpiri workload orchestrator, providing a framework that guarantees deterministic execution of safety-critical workloads.
In-Scope:
Time-Triggered Scheduling
: Periodic task execution based on static schedule tables (Signal-driven dispatch)
Distributed Architecture
: Timpani-O (orchestration bridge) and Timpani-N (node executor) components
eBPF-based Monitoring
: Non-intrusive scheduler observability (wakeup latency, execution time tracking)
Deadline Miss Detection and Reporting
: Detection and notification of real-time task deadline violations
Pullpiri Integration
: Integration with Pullpiri orchestrator via gRPC-based communication
RT Linux Support
: Real-time scheduling on PREEMPT_RT patched kernel environments
Declarative Configuration
: YAML-based task and schedule table configuration
Out-of-Scope:
General-purpose RTOS development (focus on Linux kernel-based solutions)
High-level workload orchestration (Pullpiri domain)
Hardware-specific driver development
Functional Safety Certification itself
Description
Eclipse Timpani
is a real-time scheduling framework designed for AI-Defined Vehicle (AiDV) applications. As a submodule of the Eclipse Pullpiri orchestrator, Timpani focuses on ensuring
deterministic execution
of real-time workloads where timing predictability is critical.
Timpani implements
Time-Triggered Scheduling
based on
Time-Triggered Architecture (TTA) principles
, proven approaches used in avionics and automotive safety-critical systems, executing tasks based on static schedule tables at predetermined periods with strict timing guarantees. The framework leverages
Linux real-time scheduling policies (SCHED_FIFO, SCHED_RR)
for priority-based task management, while providing
eBPF-based observability
for non-intrusive monitoring of scheduler behavior including wakeup latency and execution statistics.
The distributed architecture separates orchestration (Timpani-O) and execution (Timpani-N) components, enabling Pullpiri to manage real-time workloads across multiple nodes through declarative YAML-based configuration.
Key Features:
Time-Triggered Execution
: Deterministic periodic task dispatching
Distributed Architecture
: Separation of global scheduler (O) and node executor (N)
eBPF Observability
: Runtime visibility into scheduling behavior with minimal overhead
Pullpiri Integration
: Seamless orchestrator integration via gRPC services
Mixed-Criticality Support (Planned)
: Coexistence of workloads with varying safety levels
Licenses
Apache Software License 2.0
Legal Issues
"The existing codebase for the initial contribution contains a mix of code licensed under the Apache Software License 2.0 and The MIT License.
Furthermore, please note that the project includes an eBPF program (timpani-n/src/schedstat.bpf.c) which is dual-licensed under
MIT OR GPL-2.0-only
. The
Dual MIT/GPL
(or
GPL
) license string currently embedded in the eBPF source code is strictly a technical requirement to pass the strict Linux kernel's eBPF verifier. The Eclipse Foundation can seamlessly consume and distribute this specific component under the terms of the highly permissive MIT License alongside the rest of the project."
Trademark
The name "Timpani" is not currently registered as a software-related trademark by LG Electronics.
The name is derived from the orchestral percussion instrument (timpani), signifying that Timpani provides the timing foundation for Pullpiri just as timpani drums provide the rhythmic foundation for an orchestra.
We do not anticipate issues with trademark transfer to the Eclipse Foundation.
License Compatibility
All third-party dependencies use EPL-2.0 compatible licenses:
gRPC: Apache 2.0
Protocol Buffers: BSD-3-Clause
libbpf: GPL-2.1 or BSD-2-Clause (dual license)
systemd/libsystemd: LGPL-2.1+
There are no problematic license combinations.
Cryptography
The current codebase does not contain cryptographic software.
Secure communication via gRPC/TLS may be added in the future, and relevant regulations will be followed if so.
Patents
There are no known patent issues.
LG Electronics will provide necessary patent licenses for the initial contribution.
Why Here?
Value brought to the Eclipse SDV Community:
Pullpiri Ecosystem Completion
: Eclipse Timpani serves as an essential submodule for the Eclipse Pullpiri orchestrator, adding deterministic execution capabilities for real-time workloads that Pullpiri alone cannot achieve.
Filling the Open Source RT Gap
: Currently, there is no "Open Source + Safety-grade Real-time" combination solution in the SDV space. Commercial solutions (Apex.OS, TTTech) are expensive, and ROS2 lacks safety guarantees. Timpani fills this gap.
SDV/AiDV Standardization Contribution
: Provides a real-time scheduling reference implementation aligned with the Eclipse SDV Working Group's vision.
Vendor-Neutral Collaboration
: Under Eclipse Foundation's vendor neutrality, multiple OEMs and Tier-1s can jointly evolve the project.
Value expected from hosting here:
Community Contributions
: Technology advancement through adoption and contributions from academic research and industry R&D
Ecosystem Integration
: Seamless integration with Pullpiri and other Eclipse SDV projects
Safety Certification Support
: Improved quality of functional safety reference implementation through community review and feedback
SOAFEE Alignment
: Alignment with automotive standardization groups through Eclipse SDV
Future Work
Planned functionality for the next 12-18 months:
Phase 1 (Q1-Q2 2026): Foundation Building
Rust migration of existing C/C++ codebase (enhanced memory safety)
Communication infrastructure transition from D-Bus to gRPC
Common Protocol Buffer definition standardization with Eclipse Pullpiri
Phase 2 (Q3 2026): Feature Expansion
4-layer hierarchical scheduling design (L1: RT Critical ~ L4: Best Effort)
Mixed-Criticality workload support
Enhanced temporal isolation mechanisms
Phase 3 (Q4 2026 ~ 2027): Platform Extension
QNX RTOS porting (leveraging POSIX compatibility layer)
NPU/GPU AI workload scheduling support
Predictable execution guarantees for AI inference workloads
Community Growth Activities:
Presentations at Eclipse SDV Community Day events
Regular community meetings and technical workshops
Research collaboration with academic institutions
Documentation and tutorial improvements
Project Scheduling
Our primary scheduling objective is to establish the open-source infrastructure, complete the initial IP review smoothly, and quickly align with the parent project (Eclipse Pullpiri) ecosystem.
May 2026: Project Provisioning & Initial Contribution
Complete Eclipse project creation and establish working infrastructure (GitHub repositories, mailing lists, CI/CD pipelines).
Submit the initial C/C++ codebase (Timpani-O, Timpani-N, libtrpc) to the Eclipse IP team for clearance (CQ).
Push the initial codebase to the official repository upon IP approval.
July 2026: First Milestone Build & Technology Transition
Publish the first automated public build (v0.1.0 Milestone 1) based on the initial contribution.
Kick-off the Rust migration (for memory safety) and transition from D-Bus to gRPC.
October 2026: First Official Release & Integration (v0.5.0)
Release v0.5.0 featuring the new gRPC interfaces and standardized Protocol Buffers.
Demonstrate and document seamless integration with the parent Eclipse Pullpiri orchestrator.
Early 2027: Advanced Features & v1.0 Baseline
Implement the 4-layer hierarchical scheduling and mixed-criticality workload support.
Release Timpani v1.0.0 targeting production-level stability and broad community adoption, followed by platform extensions (e.g., QNX, AI workloads).
People
Project Leads
Seokhee Han
Chulhee Lee
Daeyoung Jeong
Chan Jeong
Committers
Seokhee Han
Chulhee Lee
Daeyoung Jeong
Changyun Jeong
Jaehyun Kim
Basheer udeen Ahmed
KarumuriH
jayakrishnan.b
Akshay Garg
Ganesh Ettigadda
Source Code
Initial Contribution
Code Description:
The initial contribution consists of core components of the Timpani Framework developed by LG Electronics:
Timpani-O (Global Scheduler/Orchestration Bridge)
C++17 implementation, approximately 5,000 LoC
gRPC server interface with Pullpiri
Schedule table generation & distribution to Timpani-N nodes
Deadline miss fault aggregation and reporting
D-Bus/libtrpc based inter-node communication
Timpani-N (Node Executor / time-trigger)
C implementation, approximately 3,000 LoC
Time-triggered task dispatching
eBPF-based scheduler monitoring (sigwait, schedstat)
Deadline miss detection and reporting to Timpani-O
RT Linux scheduling policy support
libtrpc (RPC Library)
C implementation, approximately 1,000 LoC
D-Bus based peer-to-peer communication
Serialization/deserialization utilities
Copyright:
"All code is copyrighted by LG Electronics and will be contributed under the
Apache Software License 2.0
upon transfer to the Eclipse Foundation."
Community:
The code has been developed internally at LG Electronics. We plan to actively encourage external contributor participation after Eclipse Project creation.
Third-Party Libraries:
gRPC
(version 1.50+, Apache 2.0 license): Used for RPC communication with Pullpiri.
Protocol Buffers
(version 3.x, BSD-3-Clause license): Used for message serialization.
libbpf
(version 1.0+, LGPL-2.1 OR BSD-2-Clause dual license): Used for eBPF program loading.
libsystemd
(LGPL-2.1+ license): Used for D-Bus communication.
CMake
(version 3.5+, BSD-3-Clause license): Used as the build system.
Source Repository Type
GitHub
Source Repositories
to post comments
Eclipse Timpani
is a real-time scheduling framework designed for AI-Defined Vehicle (AiDV) applications. As a submodule of the Eclipse Pullpiri orchestrator, Timpani focuses on ensuring
deterministic execution
of real-time workloads where timing predictability is critical.
Timpani implements
Time-Triggered Scheduling
based on
Time-Triggered Architecture (TTA) principles
, proven approaches used in avionics and automotive safety-critical systems, executing tasks based on static schedule tables at predetermined periods with strict timing guarantees. The framework leverages
Linux real-time scheduling policies (SCHED_FIFO, SCHED_RR)
for priority-based task management, while providing
eBPF-based observability
for non-intrusive monitoring of scheduler behavior including wakeup latency and execution statistics.
The distributed architecture separates orchestration (Timpani-O) and execution (Timpani-N) components, enabling Pullpiri to manage real-time workloads across multiple nodes through declarative YAML-based configuration.
Key Features:
Time-Triggered Execution
: Deterministic periodic task dispatching
Distributed Architecture
: Separation of global scheduler (O) and node executor (N)
eBPF Observability
: Runtime visibility into scheduling behavior with minimal overhead
Pullpiri Integration
: Seamless orchestrator integration via gRPC services
Mixed-Criticality Support (Planned)
: Coexistence of workloads with varying safety levels
to post comments
Project Links
Website
Proposal
Related Projects
Project Hierarchy:
Eclipse Automotive
Eclipse Pullpiri
Eclipse Timpani
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