Debugging FPGA-based packet processing systems through transaction-level communication-centric monitoring

McKechnie, P.E., Blott, M. and Vanderbauwhede, W.A. (2009) Debugging FPGA-based packet processing systems through transaction-level communication-centric monitoring. In: Proceedings of the 2009 ACM SIGPLAN/SIGBED Conference on Languages, Compilers and Tools for Embedded Systems: 19-20 June 2009, Dublin, Ireland. Association for Computing Machinery: New York, USA, pp. 129-136. ISBN 9781605583563 (doi: 10.1145/1542452.1542470)

Abstract

The fine-grained parallelism inherent in FPGAs has encouraged their use in packet processing systems. Debugging and performance evaluation of such complex designs can be significantly improved through debug information that provides a system-level perspective and hides the complexity of signal-level debugging. In this paper we present a debugging system that permits transaction-based communication-centric monitoring of packet processing systems. We demonstrate, using two different examples, how this system can improve the debugging information and abstract lower level detail. Furthermore, we demonstrate that transaction monitoring systems require fewer resources than conventional RTL debugging systems and can provide a system-level perspective not permitted by traditional tools.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Vanderbauwhede, Professor Wim
• Authors: McKechnie, P.E., Blott, M., and Vanderbauwhede, W.A.
• Subjects: Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
• Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery
• ISBN: 9781605583563