Closeness metrics for system-level functional partitioning
Frank Vahid, Daniel D. Gajski · 1995
An important system design task is the partitioning of system functionality for implementation among multiple system components, including partitions among hardware and software components. We present a set of closeness metrics to aid such partitioning. These metrics can be used by a designer or by automated algorithms, to cluster together functional objects that should be implemented on the same component. We summarize experiments for determining the best combination of metrics for particular uses, and we demonstrate the advantages of clustering with the closeness metrics before applying hardware or hardware/software partitioning. 1 Introduction A system's functionality must be implemented on system components, such as standard or custom processors, memories, and buses. For example, consider the design of an ATM switching system, whose functionality is that of capturing incoming packets of data, and transmitting that data to other destinations. Such a system may consist of multiple ...