Support for Runtime Execution in Reconfigurable Hardware

Lauri A. Smith King
Department of Computer Science & Mathematics
Holy Cross College

March 30, 2001
11 a.m. - 12 noon
Fuller Labs (FL320)

Abstract

Tools that support the runtime execution of applications that mix software running on networks of workstations and reconfigurable hardware will be presented. JHDL is used to describe the reconfigurable hardware, and JavaPorts to handle the communications between nodes in the network. The heterogeneous resources are handled by interposing a communication layer between the application and the hardware. The communication layer provides (i) the ability to modify the target hardware without modifying the application, (ii) co-design of the application and hardware, (iii) simulation of the entire system before the hardware design is complete, and remote execution so the application can reside on a different host from the hardware. The feasibility of this approach with a Java-based system which has a communication layer called the Packet Exchange Platform (PEP> will be explained. I will present the system, describe the PEP and its implementation, and show how this approach can be applied to an image processing application.

Host

Professor Micha Hofri

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: Sep 27, 2006, 16:05 EDT