## 2 Related Work  
Real-time control systems integrate at large specialized and custom-build components and less open-source and general-purpose ones [9; 10; 11]. Due to hardware specialization and undisclosed software systems, many critical sectors, such as health care and industry, have to rely heavily on custom-built hardware/software, even from untrusted third parties, with undesirable delays and extra costs [12]. The use of standardized or general-purpose and commercially available off-the-shelf components and devices speed up the development, operation, and maintenance of such systems [13; 14; 15]. The cases of system applications, particularly in mobile devices, IoT, and cloud computing applications show a considerable increase, due to their immediate availability, low-energy consumption, and low-cost [16]. As the amount of commercially available off-the-shelf equipment in a system increases, it becomes easier and cheaper to modify the system, supporting greater adaptability to change and to adopt new features and capabilities. However, despite their continuous increase in utilization, their reliable performance in safety-critical systems still remains under further research. Issues remain with the reliability and security of distributed systems based on commercially available off-the-shelf components. e.g., the Internet of Things is such a massive network of primarily low-cost commercially off-the-shelf nodes components. The increase in their deployment creates further security risks and increases system vulnerability [17; 18; 19]. For critical systems, e.g., in military and industry, the architectures of the development frameworks are based primarily on specialized and custom-built components [20]. However, there is a tendency towards more versatile, flexible, and low-cost general-purpose hardware/software components [21; 22]. The latest research reconfirms this, showing that real-time emerging applications need to be built upon more adaptive, immediately available, and reconfigurable/reprogrammable hardware/software components [23; 24; 25; 26]. VIDAF focuses on the advancement of this research topic, through the demonstration of reliable methods and approaches that define the architectural framework for building reliable and cost-efficient real-time control systems and applications based on general-purpose hardware/software components, minimizing the use of custom-built solutions and products. Solutions have been proposed to support the development of similar architectural frameworks, particularly for embedded systems, but apart from a few [27; 28; 29], the majority is based on specialized mixed hardware and software components and approaches [30; 31]. In the work of [PERSON] et al. [27] a low-cost, reusable, reconfigurable platform is proposed that enables integrated design and implementation of embedded control systems, but in simulation only (S Scilab). The work of [PERSON] [28] proposes a modular approach for the design, implementation, and application of microcomputer-based embedded systems using open-source hardware and software platforms, but in small-scale applications. In the work of [PERSON] et al. [29], a theoretical only concept is presented of optimizing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) selection process using a prototype framework approach. On the contrary, VIDAF aims at reliable development and operation of real-time control systems, and to deliver a novel open architectural framework for real-time control systems deployed in Industrial IoT (IIoT) and embedded systems. The outcomes of this research are expected to be worthy and have a positive impact on emerging areas such as IoT and embedded control systems, particularly in industry. Some of the novel outcomes include:  
* Open system architectural framework that uses general-purpose hardware/software components in building reliable real-time and cost-efficient control systems. * System infrastructure, working scenarios, and solutions for reliable control systems in real-time embedded applications in manufacturing.