A Message-Passing Hardware/Software Co-simulation Environment to Aid in Reconfigurable Computing Design Using TMD-MPI

Saldaña, Manuel; Ramalho, E.; Chow, Paul

doi:10.1109/reconfig.2008.10

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In this paper we extend previous work on TMD-MPI [8,9], which implements a subset of the MPI standard targeting multiple computing elements (hardware engines and embedded processors) inside FPGAs to include X86 processors enabling a uniform and portable MPI-based communication mechanism for HPRCs. To do this, we developed the Message-passing Simulation Framework (MSF) that allows multiple X86 processes, running at full speed, to exchange messages with computing elements inside the FPGAs being simulated.…”

Section: International Journal Of Reconfigurable Computingmentioning

confidence: 95%

A Message‐Passing Hardware/Software CosimulationEnvironment for Reconfigurable Computing Systems

Saldaña¹,

Ramalho

Chow

2009

International Journal of Reconfigurable Computing

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High-performance reconfigurable computers (HPRCs) provide a mix of standard processors and FPGAs to collectively accelerate applications. This introduces new design challenges, such as the need for portable programming models across HPRCs and system-level verification tools. To address the need for cosimulating a complete heterogeneous application using both software and hardware in an HPRC, we have created a tool called the Message-passing Simulation Framework (MSF). We have used it to simulate and develop an interface enabling an MPI-based approach to exchange data between X86 processors and hardware engines inside FPGAs. The MSF can also be used as an application development tool that enables multiple FPGAs in simulation to exchange messages amongst themselves and with X86 processors. As an example, we simulate a LINPACK benchmark hardware core using an Intel-FSB-Xilinx-FPGA platform to quickly prototype the hardware, to test the communications. and to verify the benchmark results.

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Section: International Journal Of Reconfigurable Computingmentioning

confidence: 95%

A Message‐Passing Hardware/Software CosimulationEnvironment for Reconfigurable Computing Systems

Saldaña¹,

Ramalho

Chow

2009

International Journal of Reconfigurable Computing

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“…A simulation of a LIN-PACK benchmark core example interacting with X86s and more details on this project can be found in the work presented by Saldaña et al [2008]. Additionally, the performance test application presented in Section 9, was developed using the design flow as described in Section 3 and simulated using the MSF before its actual implementation on the real FPGAs.…”

Section: Message Passing Simulation Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

MPI as a Programming Model for High-Performance Reconfigurable Computers

Saldaña¹,

Patel²,

Madill

et al. 2010

ACM Trans. Reconfigurable Technol. Syst.

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High-Performance Reconfigurable Computers (HPRCs) consist of one or more standard microprocessors tightly-coupled with one or more reconfigurable FPGAs. HPRCs have been shown to provide good speedups and good cost/performance ratios, but not necessarily ease of use, leading to a slow acceptance of this technology. HPRCs introduce new design challenges, such as the lack of portability across platforms, incompatibilities with legacy code, users reluctant to change their code base, a prolonged learning curve, and the need for a system-level Hardware/Software co-design development flow. This article presents the evolution and current work on TMD-MPI, which started as an MPI-based programming model for Multiprocessor Systems-on-Chip implemented in FPGAs, and has now evolved to include multiple X86 processors. TMD-MPI is shown to address current design challenges in HPRC usage, suggesting that the MPI standard has enough syntax and semantics to program these new types of parallel architectures. Also presented is the TMD-MPI Ecosystem, which consists of research projects and tools that are developed around TMD-MPI to further improve HPRC usability. Finally, we present preliminary communication performance measurements.We acknowledge the CMC/SOCRN, NSERC and Xilinx for the hardware, tools and funding provided for this project.

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“…These techniques are based on a system-level view of the application, and focuses on the interaction between hardware and software simultaneously, rather than designing two independent entities that will not coordinate efficiently. For this reason, the Message-passing Simulation Framework (MSF) [36] was created, which allows X86 software processes (R0 and R1 in Figure 10) to exchange MPI messages with the computing elements implemented in the FPGA (R2 and R3), which is being emulated by a simulator.…”

Section: B Message Passing Simulation Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

MPI as an abstraction for software-hardware interaction for HPRCs

Saldaña¹,

Patel²,

Madill

et al. 2008

2008 Second International Workshop on High-Performance Reconfigurable Computing Technology and Applications

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Abstract-High Performance Reconfigurable Computers (HPRCs) consist of one or more standard microprocessors tightly coupled with one or more reconfigurable FPGAs. HPRCs have been shown to provide good speedups and good cost/performance ratios, but not necessarily ease of use, leading to a slow acceptance of this technology. HPRCs introduce new design challenges, such as the lack of portability across platforms, incompatibilities with legacy code, users reluctant to change their code base, a prolonged learning curve, and the need for a system-level Hardware/Software co-design development flow. This paper presents the evolution and current work on TMD-MPI, which started as an MPI-based programming model for Multiprocessor Systems-on-Chip implemented in FPGAs, and has now evolved to include multiple X86 processors. TMD-MPI is shown to address current design challenges in HPRC usage, suggesting that the MPI standard has enough syntax and semantics to program these new types of parallel architectures. Also presented is the TMD-MPI Ecosystem, which consists of research projects and tools that are developed around TMD-MPI to further improve HPRC usability.

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A Message-Passing Hardware/Software Co-simulation Environment to Aid in Reconfigurable Computing Design Using TMD-MPI

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 7 publications

References 5 publications

A Message‐Passing Hardware/Software CosimulationEnvironment for Reconfigurable Computing Systems

A Message‐Passing Hardware/Software CosimulationEnvironment for Reconfigurable Computing Systems

MPI as a Programming Model for High-Performance Reconfigurable Computers

MPI as an abstraction for software-hardware interaction for HPRCs

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