Self-adaptive hardware, software reconfigurable networks: concepts, methods, and implementation.
Thilo Streichert · OPUS FAU (Kooperativer Bibliotheksverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV), on behalf of the Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg) · 2008
Embedded networks are systems that consist of communicating nodes specialized for certain purposes. Typically, these systems underly constraints such as fault-tolerance, availability but also flexibility. This thesis presents a novel framework for increasing fault-tolerance and flexibility by separating functionality from structure. Based on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) in combination with a CPU, the presented methodology allows that tasks implemented in hardware or software can migrate from one node to another in case of a node defect. If not enough hardware/software resources are available the online methodology allows that functionality can change its implementation style at runtime, i.e. a task can either run in hardware or software respectively.