basic concepts

POLITECNICO DI MILANO

Reconfiguration: basic Reconfiguration: basic conceptsconcepts

Marco D. Santambrogio: marco.santambrogio@polimi.it

3DDRESD 3DDRESD 3rd Edition, Goglio 20083rd Edition, Goglio 2008

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OutlineOutline

Reconfiguration, does stranger

Reconfigurable computingDefinitions5WReconfiguration in everyday lifeReconfigurable Architectures Characterizationbrain to bit

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What’s nextWhat’s next

Reconfiguration, does stranger

Reconfigurable computingDefinitions5WReconfiguration in everyday lifeReconfigurable Architectures Characterizationbrain to bit

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Reconfiguration, does Reconfiguration, does strangerstranger

Recovery

Recovery

from a

from a

damagedamage

Structural Structural modificationmodification

Behavioral Behavioral evolutionevolution

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What’s nextWhat’s next

Reconfiguration, does stranger

Reconfigurable computingDefinitions5WReconfiguration in everyday lifeReconfigurable Architectures Characterizationbrain to bit

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Reconfigurable ComputingReconfigurable Computing

“Reconfigurable computing is intended to fill the gap between hardware and software, achieving potentially

much higher performance than software, while maintaining a higher level of flexibility than hardware”

(K. Compton and S. Hauck, Reconfigurable Computing: a Survey of Systems and Software, 2002)

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Some DefinitionsSome Definitions

Object CodeObject Code: the executable active physical (either HW or SW) implementation of a given functionality

Reconfigurable ComputingReconfigurable Computing: the ability of altering a concrete architecture (microarchitecture), once it has been deployed, to meet at the best the execution mode of object code

Reconfiguration ControllerReconfiguration Controller: the element that is responsible for the physical implementation of a reconfiguration process i.e., in Xilinx FPGA the ICAP controller

Reconfiguration ManagerReconfiguration Manager: the element that is responsible for the management of a reconfiguration process i.e., in ATMEL the AVR microcontroller, in Xilinx the PPC405

RelocationRelocation: the ability of moving an object code from a location to a new one

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5 W5 W

whowho controls the reconfiguration

wherewhere the reconfiguration cotroller is located

whenwhen the configurations are generated

whichwhich is the granularity of the reconfiguration

in whatwhat dimension the reconfiguration operates

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Reconfiguration in everyday Reconfiguration in everyday lifelife

Soccer

Hockey

Football(Complete – Static)

(Partial – Dynamic)

(Partial – Static)

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Reconfigurable Architectures Reconfigurable Architectures CharacterizationCharacterization

SoC (System on Chip)Embedded Vs ExternalComplete Vs PartialDynamic VS Static

SoMC (System on Multipe-Chip)

Embedded Vs External Complete Vs PartialDynamic VS Static

static

Partial CompleteEmbedded

Complete/PartialWho

(a) (b) (c) (d)

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brain to bitbrain to bit

High Level

(brain)

Low Level (bit)

Requirements

System Models

Design SpaceExploration

ImplementationAnd

Optimization

Validation and Verification

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More DefinitionsMore Definitions

CoreCore: a specific representation of a functionality. It is possible, for example, to have a core described in VHDL, in C or in an intermediate representation (e.g. a DFG)

IP-CoreIP-Core: a core described using a HD Language combined with its communication infrastructure (i.e. the bus interface)

Reconfigurable Functional UnitReconfigurable Functional Unit: an IP-Core that can be plugged and/or unplugged at runtime in an already working architecture

Reconfigurable RegionReconfigurable Region: a portion of the device area used to implement a reconfigurable core

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Our scenarioOur scenario

Low Level (bit)

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QuestionsQuestions