Method for generating redundant configuration in FPGAs

A method for generating a redundant configuration in an FPGA device, the FPGA device being connected to a power supply that provides required supply voltages for proper operation of the FPGA device, the FPGA device comprising a design and a Configuration Access Port (CAP), the method being operated by a replication controller, the method comprising the steps of:

• identifying sets of programmed and empty configuration memory frames of the FPGA device pertaining to the design,
• configuring the FPGA device with configuration data for implementing a functionality of the design,
• measuring a first power consumption of the configured FPGA device,
• writing a copy of the configuration data from at least some subsets of the set of programmed frames into at least some subsets of the set of empty frames,
• (a) verifying whether the copy is correct by comparing the configuration data read back from the at least some subsets of the set of empty frames against the configuration data read from the at least some subsets of the set of programmed frames,
• (b) running a functional test on the design in order to verify if the functionality of the FPGA device is still correct after the step of writing the copy,
• (c) measuring a second power consumption of the FPGA device after the step of writing the copy, and verifying whether a variation between the first power consumption and the second power consumption of the FPGA device complies with predefined criteria, and
• restarting the method from the beginning choosing other subsets of the set of empty frames of the configuration memory of the FPGA device for hosting the configuration data from the at least some subsets of the set of programmed frames if any of the following conditions is met:
• the copy, verified at step a), is not correct;
• or,
• the functionality of the design, verified at step b), is not correct;
• or,
• the variation of the power consumption, verified at step c), does not comply with the predefined criteria.