Backup Configuration Image Storage for Programmable Hardware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Programmable hardware devices face issues with configuration image corruption due to power failures or interruptions, leading to system-wide failures, and existing solutions complicate the design and performance by adding additional hardware or components.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that provide a backup configuration image using a non-volatile memory device with separate sections for the primary and backup configuration files, where the programmable hardware device loads either image based on a valid synchronization key, and error detection and rewrite modules ensure data integrity and functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional hardware is connected to ports to prevent configuration corruption, then reliability is improved, but signal loading increases and performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The memory device is divided into separate sections: a first section for storing the primary configuration image and a second section for storing the backup configuration image. This segmentation allows the system to maintain both primary and backup configurations without requiring additional external hardware, thereby preventing signal loading while ensuring configuration integrity through the backup section.
2Reliability
If additional controllers or components are added to prevent configuration failure, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backup configuration storage function is merged into the existing memory device structure by creating a second section within the same memory device. This eliminates the need for separate backup hardware or additional controllers, maintaining reliability through redundancy while avoiding increased device complexity. The memory device itself handles both storage functions without requiring external backup components.
3Reliability
If a backup configuration system is implemented using separate hardware, then reliability is improved, but the system becomes more complicated and performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding backup functionality through external hardware dimensions, the solution utilizes the internal memory address space dimension by allocating a second section within the existing memory device. This approach provides redundancy and failure prevention by storing backup configuration images in a different memory section, achieving reliability without increasing system complexity or requiring additional hardware components.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for providing a backup configuration image to a programmable hardware device. A receiving module receives a configuration file for the programmable hardware device. The configuration file comprises a synchronization key and a configuration image. An image write module writes the configuration image to a first section of a memory device. The memory device comprises the first section and a second section that stores a synchronization key and a backup configuration image. A key write module writes at least a portion of the synchronization key to the first section of the memory device in response to the image write module completing the write of the configuration image to the first section of the memory device. During a loading cycle, the programmable hardware device searches the memory device for a valid synchronization key, and loads the configuration image that corresponds to the valid synchronization key.