Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform

Embedded virtualization is a promising solution for several big challenges in embedded systems, such as ECU consolidation, real-time industrial control, software complexity, safety, security and robustness. However, existing virtualization techniques for embedded systems only consider CP...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pham, Dang Khoa
Other Authors: Douglas Leslie Maskell
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/55366
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author Pham, Dang Khoa
author2 Douglas Leslie Maskell
author_facet Douglas Leslie Maskell
Pham, Dang Khoa
author_sort Pham, Dang Khoa
collection NTU
description Embedded virtualization is a promising solution for several big challenges in embedded systems, such as ECU consolidation, real-time industrial control, software complexity, safety, security and robustness. However, existing virtualization techniques for embedded systems only consider CPU-based processing solutions. With the trend towards hybrid computing platforms, virtualizing the conventional general purpose microprocessor (the software part) without considering the FPGA (the hardware part) only addresses part of the problem. This thesis aims to propose a new approach to embedded virtualization by applying the microkernel-based hypervisor to a hybrid ARM – FPGA platform in order to virtualize both software and hardware tasks. This work involves firstly porting a traditional microkernel-based hypervisor (in this case CODEZERO) to an ARM-based dual core processor on a hybrid computing platform (the Xilinx Zynq 7000). We then examine the necessary modifications to the hypervisor’s driver and APIs in order to support the FPGA hardware of the hybrid platform. An integrated hardware accelerator running on the FPGA under hypervisor control is developed as a prototype to evaluate the ability and functionality of the modified hypervisor. In order to compare the performance and hardware utilization of the hypervisor to Embedded Linux, the context switch overhead and the idle time of the hardware module are examined. Experimental results are presented that show CODEZERO is able to switch hardware contexts two to three orders of magnitude faster than that of Embedded Linux.
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spelling ntu-10356/553662023-03-04T00:41:57Z Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform Pham, Dang Khoa Douglas Leslie Maskell School of Computer Engineering TUMCREATE Centre for High Performance Embedded Systems Suhaib A Fahmy DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Hardware Embedded virtualization is a promising solution for several big challenges in embedded systems, such as ECU consolidation, real-time industrial control, software complexity, safety, security and robustness. However, existing virtualization techniques for embedded systems only consider CPU-based processing solutions. With the trend towards hybrid computing platforms, virtualizing the conventional general purpose microprocessor (the software part) without considering the FPGA (the hardware part) only addresses part of the problem. This thesis aims to propose a new approach to embedded virtualization by applying the microkernel-based hypervisor to a hybrid ARM – FPGA platform in order to virtualize both software and hardware tasks. This work involves firstly porting a traditional microkernel-based hypervisor (in this case CODEZERO) to an ARM-based dual core processor on a hybrid computing platform (the Xilinx Zynq 7000). We then examine the necessary modifications to the hypervisor’s driver and APIs in order to support the FPGA hardware of the hybrid platform. An integrated hardware accelerator running on the FPGA under hypervisor control is developed as a prototype to evaluate the ability and functionality of the modified hypervisor. In order to compare the performance and hardware utilization of the hypervisor to Embedded Linux, the context switch overhead and the idle time of the hardware module are examined. Experimental results are presented that show CODEZERO is able to switch hardware contexts two to three orders of magnitude faster than that of Embedded Linux. MASTER OF ENGINEERING (SCE) 2014-02-18T06:40:50Z 2014-02-18T06:40:50Z 2014 2014 Thesis Pham, D. K. (2014). Embedded virtualization of a hybrid arm - FPGA computing platform. Master's thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Pham, D. K. (2014). Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform. Master’s thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/55366 10.32657/10356/55366 en 98 p. application/pdf
spellingShingle DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Hardware
Pham, Dang Khoa
Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform
title Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform
title_full Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform
title_fullStr Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform
title_full_unstemmed Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform
title_short Embedded virtualization of a hybrid ARM - FPGA computing platform
title_sort embedded virtualization of a hybrid arm fpga computing platform
topic DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Hardware
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/55366
work_keys_str_mv AT phamdangkhoa embeddedvirtualizationofahybridarmfpgacomputingplatform