Processing device with self-scrubbing logic
AssigneeNational Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
InventorChristopher K. Wojahn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a processing unit including a configuration memory and self-scrubber logic coupled to read the configuration memory to detect compromised data stored in the configuration memory. The apparatus also includes a watchdog unit external to the processing unit and coupled to the self-scrubber logic to detect a failure in the self-scrubber logic. The watchdog unit is coupled to the processing unit to selectively reset the processing unit in response to detecting the failure in the self-scrubber logic. The apparatus also includes an external memory external to the processing unit and coupled to send configuration data to the configuration memory in response to a data feed signal outputted by the self-scrubber logic.
Claims14
A processing device including:
- self-scrubber logic coupled to send a heartbeat signal to a watchdog unit that is external to the processing device, the processing device coupled to be selectively reset by the watchdog unit that is external to the processing device;
- and
- configuration memory coupled to be loaded with configuration data from an external memory that is external to the processing device, wherein the self-scrubber logic is coupled to read the configuration memory to detect compromised data stored in the configuration memory and correct the compromised data, and wherein the self-scrubber logic is also coupled to output a data feed signal to the external memory in response to the compromised data including a threshold level of flipped bits, the data feed signal outputted by the self-scrubber logic to facilitate loading the configuration data into the configuration memory.
A method comprising:
- detecting an inconsistency between a frame of configuration data and a golden frame, wherein a processing device includes a configuration memory including the configuration data;
- and
- correcting the inconsistency between the frame and the golden frame based on a threshold level of flipped bits in the frame, wherein said correcting the inconsistency includes loading a bitfile from an external memory into the configuration memory when the inconsistency between the frame and the golden frame reaches the threshold level of flipped bits, and wherein said correcting the inconsistency includes correcting the frame of configuration data when the inconsistency between the frame and the golden frame is below the threshold level of flipped bits, said detecting the inconsistency and said correcting the inconsistency initiated by self-scrubber logic disposed within the processing device.
A non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processing device, will cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:
- detecting an inconsistency between a frame of configuration data and a golden frame, wherein the processing device includes the configuration data;
- and
- correcting the inconsistency between the frame and the golden frame based on a threshold level of flipped bits in the frame, wherein correcting the inconsistency includes loading a bitfile from an external memory into the configuration memory when the inconsistency between the frame and the golden frame reaches the threshold level of flipped bits, and wherein correcting the inconsistency includes correcting the frame of configuration data when the inconsistency between the frame and the golden frame is below the threshold level of flipped bits, said detecting the inconsistency and said correcting the inconsistency performed by self-scrubber logic disposed within the processing device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.