A SYSTEMC language extension for high-level reconfiguration modelling

Abstract

The ongoing trend towards development of parallel software and the increased flexibility of state-of-the-art programmable logic devices are currently converging in the field of reconfigurable hardware. On the other hand there is the traditional hardware market, with its increasingly short development cycles, which is mainly driven by high-level prototyping of products. This paper presents a library for modelling reconfiguration in the leading high-level system description language SYSTEMC combining IP reuse and high-level modelling with reconfiguration. Details on the underlying simulation engine are given, which allows safe disabling and re-enabling of all process types without altering the kernel. Novel control statements and internal techniques that allow safe usage of process controlling in conjunction with standard SYSTEMC language constructs are presented. A real world case study using the presented library proves its applicability.

ReSim: A reusable library for RTL simulation of dynamic partial reconfiguration

“…ReChannel [7] is a SystemC-based, open source library to model DPR that was later extended in [3]. The original work extends SystemC with new classes such as rc_reconfigurable to encapsulate reconfiguration operations such as module swapping.…”

“…It typically includes a reconfiguration controller that transfers bitstreams from storage devices to the configuration port [11], or reads back configuration data for saving and restoring RM states [12]. This layer also includes reconfiguration add-ons, such as an RM wrapper that handshakes with the controller to properly pause the ongoing computation BEFORE reconfiguration [7]. • Physical Layer: The physical layer (black blocks) contains the FPGA resources such as the configuration port and the configuration memory.…”

A Service-Oriented Component-Based Framework for Dynamic Reconfiguration Modeling Targeting SystemC/TLM

“…ReChannel library [36] extends SystemC with advanced language constructs for high-level reconfiguration modeling. Portals are introduced to connect a channel of the static design part to ports of reconfigurable modules.…”