Dynamically reconfigurable embedded systems offer potential for higher performance as well as adaptability to changing system requirements at low cost. Such systems employ run-time reconfigurable hardware components such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs). In this paper, we address the problem of hardware/ software co-synthesis of dynamically reconfigurable embedded systems. Our co-synthesis system, CRUSADE, takes as an input embedded system specifications in terms periodic acyclic task graphs with rate constraints and generates dynamically reconfigurable heterogeneous distributed hardware and software architecture meeting real-time constraints while minimizing the system hardware cost. We identify the group of tasks for dynamic reconfiguration of programmable devices and synthesize an efficient programming interface for reconfiguring reprogrammable devices. Real-time systems require that the execution time for tasks mapped to reprogrammable devices are managed effectively such that real-time deadlines are not exceeded. To address this, we propose a technique to effectively manage delay in reconfigurable devices. Our approach guarantees that the real-time task deadlines are always met. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first co-synthesis algorithm which targets dynamically reconfigurable embedded systems. We also show how our co-synthesis algorithm can be easily extended to consider fault-detection and fault-tolerance. Application of CRUSADE and its fault tolerance extension, CRUSADE-FT to several real-life large examples (up to 7400 tasks) from mobile communication network base station, video distribution router, a multi-media system, and synchronous optical network (SONET) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) based telecom systems shows that up to 56% system cost savings can be realized.

Embedded systems employed in critical applications demand high reliability and availability in addition to high performance. Hardware-software co-synthesis of an embedded system is the process of partitioning, mapping, and scheduling its specification into hardware and software modules to meet performance, cost, reliability, and availability goals. In this paper, we address the problem of hardware-software co-synthesis of fault-tolerant real-time heterogeneous distributed embedded systems. Fault detection capability is imparted to the embedded system by adding assertion and duplicate-and-compare tasks to the task graph specification prior to co-synthesis. The dependability (reliability and availability) of the architecture is evaluated during co-synthesis. Our algorithm, called COFTA (Co-synthesis Of Fault-Tolerant Architectures), allows the user to specify multiple types of assertions for each task. It uses the assertion or combination of assertions which achieves the required fault coverage without incurring too much overhead. We propose new methods to: 1) Perform fault tolerance based task clustering, which determines the best placement of assertion and duplicate-and-compare tasks, 2) Derive the best error recovery topology using a small number of extra processing elements, 3) Exploit multidimensional assertions, and 4) Share assertions to reduce the fault tolerance overhead. Our algorithm can tackle multirate systems commonly found in multimedia applications. Application of the proposed algorithm to a large number of real-life telecom transport system examples (the largest example consisting of 2,172 tasks) shows its efficacy. For fault secure architectures, which just have fault detection capabilities, COFTA is able to achieve up to 48.8 percent and 25.6 percent savings in embedded system cost over architectures employing duplication and task-based fault tolerance techniques, respectively. The average cost overhead of COFTA fault-secure architectures over simplex architectures is only 7.3 percent. In case of fault-tolerant architectures, which cannot only detect but also tolerate faults, COFTA is able to achieve up to 63.1 percent and 23.8 percent savings in embedded system cost over architectures employing triple-modular redundancy, and task-based fault tolerance techniques, respectively. The average cost overhead of COFTA fault-tolerant architectures over simplex architectures is only 55.4 percent.

Hardware-software co-synthesis starts with an embedded-system specification and results in an architecture consisting of hardware and software modules to meet performance, power, and cost goals. Embedded systems are generally specified in terms of a set of acyclic task graphs. In this paper, we present a co-synthesis algorithm COSYN, which starts with periodic task graphs with real-time constraints and produces a low-cost heterogeneous distributed embedded-system architecture meeting these constraints. It supports both concurrent and sequential modes of communication and computation. It employs a combination of preemptive and nonpreemptive static scheduling. It allows task graphs in which different tasks have different deadlines. It introduces the concept of an association array to tackle the problem of multirate systems. It uses a new task-clustering technique, which takes the changing nature of the critical path in the task graph into account. It supports pipelining of task graphs and a mix of various technologies to meet embedded-system constraints and minimize power dissipation. In general, embedded-system tasks are reused across multiple functions. COSYN uses the concept of architectural hints and reuse to exploit this fact. Finally, if desired, it also optimizes the architecture for power consumption. COSYN produces optimal results for the examples from the literature while providing several orders of magnitude advantage in central processing unit time over an existing optimal algorithm. The efficacy of COSYN and its low-power extension COSYN-LP is also established through their application to very large task graphs (with over 1000 tasks).

Hardware-software co-synthesis of an embedded system requires mapping of its specifications into hardware and software modules such that its real-time and other constraints are met. Embedded system specifications are generally represented by acyclic task graphs. Many embedded system applications are characterized by aperiodic as well as periodic task graphs. Aperiodic task graphs can arrive for execution at any time and their resource requirements vary depending on how their constituent tasks and edges are allocated. Traditional approaches based on a fixed architecture coupled with slack stealing and/or on-line determination of how to serve aperiodic task graphs are not suitable for embedded systems with hard real-time constraints, since they cannot guarantee that such constraints would always be met. In this paper, we address the problem of concurrent co-synthesis of aperiodic and periodic specifications of embedded systems. We estimate the resource requirements of aperiodic task graphs and allocate execution slots on processing elements and communication links for executing them. Our approach guarantees that the deadlines of both aperiodic and periodic task graphs are always met. We have observed that simultaneous consideration of aperiodic task graphs while performing co-synthesis of periodic task graphs is vital for achieving superior results compared to the traditional slack stealing and dynamic scheduling approaches. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first co-synthesis algorithm which provides simultaneous support of periodic and aperiodic task graphs with hard real-time constraints. Application of the proposed algorithm to several examples from real-life telecom transport systems shows that up to 28% and 34% system cost savings are possible over co-synthesis algorithms which employ slack stealing and rate-monotonic scheduling, respectively.

Hardware-software cosynthesis of an embedded system architecture entails partitioning of its specification into hardware and software modules such that its real-time and other constraints are met. Embedded systems are generally specified in terms of a set of acyclic task graphs. For medium- to large-scale embedded systems, the task graphs are usually hierarchical in nature. The embedded system architecture, which is the output of the cosynthesis system, may itself be nonhierarchical or hierarchical. Traditional nonhierarchical architectures create communication and processing bottlenecks and are impractical for large embedded systems. Such systems require a large number of processing elements and communication links connected in a hierarchical manner, thus forming a hierarchical distributed architecture, to meet performance and cost objectives. In this paper, we address the problem of hardware-software cosynthesis of hierarchical heterogeneous distributed embedded system architectures from hierarchical or nonhierarchical task graphs. Our cosynthesis algorithm has the following features: 1) it supports periodic task graphs with real-time constraints, 2) it supports pipelining of task graphs, 3) it supports a heterogeneous set of processing elements and communication links, 4) it allows both sequential and concurrent modes of communication and computation, 5) it employs a combination of preemptive and nonpreemptive static scheduling, 6) it employs a new task-clustering technique suitable for hierarchical task graphs, and 7) it uses the concept of association arrays to tackle the problem of multirate tasks encountered in multimedia systems. We show how our cosynthesis algorithm can be easily extended to consider fault tolerance or low-power objectives or both. Although hierarchical architectures have been proposed before, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the notion of hierarchical task graphs and hierarchical architectures has been supported in a cosynthesis algorithm.

Hardware-software co-synthesis is the process ofpartitioning an embedded system specification into hardware andsoftware modules to meet performance, power and cost goals. Inthis paper, we present a co-synthesis algorithm which starts withperiodic task graphs with real-time constraints and produces a low-costheterogeneous distributed embedded system architecturemeeting the constraints. The algorithm has the following features:1) it allows the use of multiple types of processing elements (PEs)and inter-PE communication links, where the links can take variousforms (point-to-point, bus, local area network (LAN), etc.), 2) itsupports both concurrent and sequential modes of communicationand computation, 3) it allows both preemptive and non-preemptivescheduling, 4) it employs the concept of an association array totackle the problem of multi-rate systems (which are commonlyfound in multimedia applications), 5) it uses a scheduler based ondynamic deadline-based priority levels for accurate performanceestimation of a co-synthesis solution, 6) it uses a new taskclustering technique which takes the dynamic nature of the criticalpath, and the existence of multiple critical paths in the task graphinto account, and 7) if desired, it also optimizes the architecture forpower consumption (we are not aware of any other co-synthesisalgorithm that optimizes power). Application of the proposedalgorithm to examples from the literature and real-life telecomtransport systems shows its efficacy.