KR101478648B1 - Method for reconfiguring hardware and hardware reconfigurable system using it - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for managing a configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware in which hardware configuration is reconfigured according to hardware configuration information and is capable of storing hardware configuration information based on the status of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory Determines at least one slot, and stores hardware configuration information stored in an external memory in a slot determined to be able to store hardware configuration information.

Reconfigurable hardware, configuration memory

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING CONFIGURATION MEMORY OF RECONFIGURABLE HARDWARE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for dynamically managing configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware.

A non-memory semiconductor chip designed for use in a specific electronic or information communication product is called an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a programmable logic component called a logic block, The semiconductors they contain are called field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Logic blocks are programmed to perform complex functions such as decoders in addition to basic logic gates such as AND and XOR. In the case of an FPGA, it may be fabricated to verify the final hardware operation and performance just before manufacturing the already designed hardware into the semiconductor. In a semiconductor such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), it is possible to program the connection between logic elements whenever necessary, since it is possible to program the connection between the logic elements. Going one step further, we recently programmed a partial circuit to perform different operations in real time.

In the past, reconfigurable systems using field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or coarse grained arrays (CGAs) were 10 times slower than normal circuits and wasted area because there were many unneeded elements that were not connected. So it was used to program and verify the operation of the circuit for emulation before the prototype was developed, or to use it for a limited time to develop a small amount of product in a short time. However, in recent years, with the development of technology, such hardware has become competitive in terms of speed and area. In addition, system validation becomes increasingly important, and as product specifications change rapidly, the scope of reconfigurable systems is increasing.

A hardware reconfigurable system is a system that can reconfigure hardware internally using programming. Programming is performed using hardware configuration information stored in a memory called configuration memory. Accordingly, if a plurality of pieces of hardware configuration information capable of configuring hardware performing different functions are stored in the configuration memory, the hardware reconfigurable system performs various functions using necessary hardware configuration information. These hardware reconfigurable systems have both the performance advantages of hardware and the flexibility of software advantages, satisfying the requirements of today's applications.

A configuration memory, a memory that stores hardware configuration information that can reconfigure hardware included in a hardware reconfigurable system, and refers to a memory that can be accessed the closest to the reconfigurable hardware. After storing the new hardware configuration information in the configuration memory, the hardware reconfigurable system reconfigures the hardware using the configuration information of the new hardware stored in the configuration memory. In general, M represents the number of storage areas constituting the constituent memory. When each storage area is referred to as a slot, the total size of the constituent memory is denoted by M x (slot size). By configuring the configuration memory with M slots, a hardware reconfigurable system including configuration memory supports multi-context.

In the multiple context, a plurality of pieces of hardware configuration information used when reconfiguring the hardware are stored in a memory, and the reconfigurable hardware is replaced with another piece of hardware configuration information, And then reconstructing the image using the image. A hardware reconfigurable system using multiple contexts reconfigures hardware quickly by switching between hardware configuration information in the configuration memory when reconfiguring the actual hardware.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling a storage area of a storage device, Size and the like of the reconfigurable hardware, or a configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware that can optimize the storage location of the configuration memory when multiple programs use the configuration memory at the same time. The present invention also provides a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described method is recorded.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a configuration memory of a reconfigurable hardware, the method comprising: storing at least one slot capable of storing the hardware configuration information based on a state of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory Determining; And storing hardware configuration information stored in an external memory in a slot determined to be able to store the hardware configuration information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for managing configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware according to the present invention, comprising at least one slot capable of storing the hardware configuration information based on a status of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory A memory management unit for storing hardware configuration information stored in the external memory in the determined slot; And a storage unit for storing a state of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method of reconfiguring the hardware.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems may be present. This can be understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a diagram for explaining a static allocation technique among methods of managing configuration memories of reconfigurable hardware.

First, let's look at the process of reconfiguring the hardware. When a program for performing a predetermined purpose is compiled by reconstructing hardware, a code for performing a predetermined purpose is stored in a code memory (not shown) for storing a code generated as a result of program compilation, Hardware is reconfigured by controlling configuration information.

The static allocation technique refers to a technique for determining the position of a slot on a configuration memory for storing hardware configuration information for reconfiguring hardware at the time of program compilation, and does not use an external memory. Referring to FIG. 1, a hardware reconfigurable system includes a configuration memory 100 configured from Slots 1 through M, a multiplexer 110, and reconfigurable hardware 120.

The hardware configuration information input to the reconfigurable hardware 120 through the multiplexer 110 is stored in predetermined slots constituting the configuration memory 100. The hardware configuration information stored in each slot is data for changing the configuration of the reconfigurable hardware. When the static allocation technology, which is one of the memory management methods of the hardware reconfigurable system, is used, the location of the slot to be mapped with all of the hardware configuration information already used for the hardware reconfiguration at the time of program compilation is determined. However, . Therefore, since there is already a slot in which all the hardware configuration information is to be stored at the time of memory management, there is no overhead, which is a phenomenon in which a slot to be stored in the configuration memory 100 is insufficient, while a hardware reconfigurable system The hardware function is affected by the maximum size of the configuration memory 100 and is limited.

2 is a diagram for explaining a memory overlay technique among methods of managing configuration memories of reconfigurable hardware. Referring to FIG. 2, a hardware reconfigurable system includes a configuration memory 200 configured from Slots 1 through M, a multiplexer 210, and reconfigurable hardware 220. The external memory consists of N (N is a natural number) storage area.

In the memory overlay technology, hardware configuration information that performs different functions is stored in the external memory 230, the hardware configuration information stored in the external memory 230 is mapped to a slot of the configuration memory 200, By using the hardware configuration information for hardware reconfiguration, more hardware configuration information is used for hardware reconfiguration than when using static allocation technology.

Referring to FIG. 2, the memory overlay technology stores hardware configuration information from the external memory 230 storing hardware configuration information to the configuration memory 200 whenever necessary. In this case, the hardware function performed by the hardware reconfigurable system is affected by the storage size of the external memory 230, unlike the static allocation technique, which is influenced by the storage size of the configuration memory 200. Since the hardware configuration information stored in the storage area 2 and the storage area 5 of the external memory 230 can be mapped to the slot 2 of the configuration memory 200, the size for storing the hardware configuration information is larger than when the static allocation technology is used .

Thus, using the memory overlay technology, the hardware functions performed by the hardware reconfigurable system are extended by the size of the external memory 230. [ However, there is no difference from the static allocation technique in that the position of the slot on the configuration memory 200 for storing the hardware configuration information is determined at the time of compiling the program for reconfiguring the hardware. Determining all of the positions of the slots on the configuration memory 200 means that the codes resulting from the program compilation include information on which slots of the configuration memory 200 to map the hardware configuration information stored in the storage areas of the external memory 230 . In the above example, the hardware configuration information stored in the storage area 2 and the storage area 5 of the external memory 230 is mapped to the slot 2 of the configuration memory 200, and such mapping information is already determined at compile time. Therefore, the static allocation technique and the memory overlay technique are suitable when a user writes a program having a simple structure in which the mapping between the storage area and the slot can be determined in advance, but the mapping between the storage area and the slot is dependent on the type and size of the data If several programs use storage areas and slots at the same time, the external memory and the configuration memory can not be used optimally.

3 is a diagram for explaining a dynamic allocation memory management method according to the present invention among methods of managing configuration memories of reconfigurable hardware. Referring to FIG. 3, a hardware reconfigurable system is comprised of configuration memory 300, a multiplexer 310, and reconfigurable hardware 320. The configuration memory 300 is configured with a plurality of slots (slot 1 to slot M, M being natural numbers) capable of storing hardware configuration information. The external memory 330 is composed of N (N is a natural number) storage area.

A hardware reconfigurable system using a dynamic allocation memory management method stores hardware configuration information for each storage area of the external memory 330 and maps each hardware configuration information to a slot of the configuration memory 300 The result of compiling the hardware reconfigurable program is to run the code in real time. In the memory overlay technology, when a program for reconfiguring a hardware is compiled, the hardware allocation information already stored in the external memory is determined to which slot of the configuration memory, but the dynamic allocation memory management method according to the present invention is implemented by hardware And decides which slot of the configuration memory 300 the hardware information stored in the external memory 330 is to be mapped in real time while executing the code that is the result of compiling the program. Hereinafter, a hardware reconfigurable system using the dynamic allocation memory management method will be described in detail.

Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware reconfigurable system.

4, a hardware reconfigurable system includes a configuration memory 410, a memory manager 420, an external memory table 430, a configuration memory table 440, a multiplexer 450, and reconfigurable hardware 460 ).

The external memory 400 is a storage device that stores hardware configuration information and is a memory external to the hardware reconfigurable system. The external memory 400 is divided into a plurality of storage areas, and hardware configuration information for reconfiguring the hardware requires at least one storage area.

The configuration memory 410 is a memory for storing hardware configuration information received from the external memory 400. The configuration memory 410 is composed of a plurality of slots, and hardware configuration information is stored in each of the slots. A slot means storage areas on the configuration memory 410 for storing hardware configuration information.

The external memory table 430 is a table showing information on the storage state of the external memory 400. [ The information on the storage state of the external memory 400 includes information on the state of each of the plurality of storage areas constituting the external memory 400, index information on the slot of the configuration memory 410 to which the storage area is mapped, And the size of the hardware configuration information to be stored. The external memory table 430 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

 The configuration memory table 440 is a table that shows information on the storage status of the configuration memory 410. The information on the storage state of the configuration memory 410 includes the status information of each of the plurality of slots constituting the configuration memory 410 and the index information of the storage area of the external memory 400 to which the slot is mapped.

The memory management unit 420 is a device that manages a command execution signal for the external memory 400 or the configuration memory 410 according to the contents of a command when the command execution signal is received from a code memory (not shown) in which codes are stored. When codes generated as a result of compiling a program for reconfiguring the hardware are executed, the codes manage the external memory 400 and the configuration memory 410 using the instructions stored in the memory management unit 420. For example, when the code is executed, a predetermined command in the codes is called to the memory management unit 420, and the memory management unit 420 responds to the call and actually sends a predetermined command to the external memory 400 or the configuration To the memory 410. The memory management unit 420 uses the information stored in the external memory table 430 and the configuration memory table 440 to execute the command called by the codes. Hereinafter, an embodiment of instructions executed by the memory management unit 420 will be described.

The memory management unit 420 stores the hardware configuration information stored in the storage area of the external memory 400 in a slot of the configuration memory 410 when receiving a prefetch command word from the codes as a result of executing the code . According to the present invention, in order to store the hardware configuration information in the slot of the configuration memory 410 according to the prefetch command, the index value of the storage area of the external memory 400 and the index value of the slot of the configuration memory 410 are required .

The memory management unit 420 outputs the hardware configuration information stored in the slots of the configuration memory 410 to the multiplexer 450 when the memory management unit 420 is called with respect to the execution command from the codes as a result of executing the code.

When the memory management unit 420 receives an invalidation command from the codes as a result of executing the code, the memory management unit 420 updates the state information of the target storage area or slot of the invalidation instruction in the external memory table 430 and the configuration memory table 440 To an invalid state. The invalid state means that the slot of the configuration memory 410 and the storage area of the external memory 400 are not mapped. The fact that there is no mapping between the slot and the storage area indicates that the hardware configuration information stored in the slot can not be used to reconstruct the hardware. That is, when the state information of the slot becomes invalid, the memory management unit 420 does not use the hardware configuration information stored in the invalid state slot to reconstruct the hardware configuration information even if the hardware configuration information is stored in the slot. New hardware configuration information may be stored in a slot in an invalid state and it is not necessarily necessary to delete hardware configuration information stored in a slot in an invalid state. The memory management unit 420 makes the state information of the storage area of the external memory table 430 the same as the state information of the slot of the configuration memory table 440 mapped with the storage area. Therefore, the state information of the storage area of the external memory table 430 does not indicate the state information of the storage area, but represents the state information of the slot of the configuration memory 410 for convenience of memory management.

When the memory management unit 420 is called from the codes as a result of executing the code, the first storage area of the external memory 400 is stored in the first storage area The state of the storage area of the external memory table 430 and the state of the slot of the configuration memory table 440 are changed to an exclusive state or an exclusive loading state in which the first slot of the configuration memory 410 mapped with the area is exclusively used . When the state information of the storage area and the slot is valid when the memory management part 420 is called a lock instruction, the state information of the storage area and the slot is changed in a proprietary state. If the storage area and the state information of the slot are loaded, And changes the state information of the storage area and the slot in the exclusive loading state. Setting the first storage area to use the first slot exclusively means that the second storage area other than the first storage area can not be mapped to the first slot. The invalid state, the loading state, the valid state, the exclusive loading state, and the exclusive valid state will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As a result of executing the code, the memory management unit 420 receives the unlock command for the first storage area and the first slot from the codes, and stores the state information of the first storage area and the first slot in the external memory Reads from the table 430 and the configuration memory table 440, changes to a valid state if the state information is exclusively valid, and changes to a loaded state if the state information is exclusively loaded. The state information of the storage area and the slot will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The multiplexer 450 outputs one piece of hardware configuration information to the reconfigurable hardware 460 under the control of the memory management unit 420 among at least one hardware configuration information received from the configuration memory 410.

Reconfigurable hardware 460 refers to a device that can recombine hardware components, such as a fine grain array (FGA) or a coarse grained array (CGA).

5 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for managing configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware according to the present embodiment includes a memory management unit 510 and a storage unit 520.

The memory management unit 510 determines at least one slot among the slots in consideration of the state of slots constituting the configuration memory 540 when the hardware configuration information is transmitted from the external memory 530 to the configuration memory 540. [ A method for determining at least one slot is as follows.

The memory management unit 510 preferentially selects and determines the invalid slot among the slots constituting the configuration memory 540. [ The invalid state means that the slot of the configuration memory 410 and the storage area of the external memory 400 are not mapped. However, if there is no invalid slot or the size of the hardware configuration information is larger than the slot size in the invalid state, the slot including the valid slot is further selected. The valid state means that a slot of the configuration memory 410 is mapped to a storage area of the external memory 400. [

The memory management unit 510 executes the commands received from the codes as a result of executing the code. The commands executed by the memory management unit 510 will be described with reference to FIG.

The storage unit 520 stores information on a storage area constituting the external memory 530 and information on a slot constituting the configuration memory 540. The information on the storage area includes the status information of the slot mapped to the storage area, the index information of the mapped slot, and the size of the hardware configuration information. The information on the slot includes the status information of the slot, And the information on the storage area and the information on the slot are created in a table. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The configuration memory 540 receives and stores hardware configuration information stored in the external memory 530. The configuration memory includes a plurality of slots, and each of the slots represents a storage area of the configuration memory 540. Each of the slots is also mapped to a storage area of the external memory 530. [

The hardware reconfiguration unit 550 reconfigures the hardware using the hardware configuration information received from the configuration memory 540 of the device managing the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware according to the present embodiment. The hardware reconfiguration unit 560 may be an FPGA or a CGA.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an external memory table and a configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520 shown in FIG. The external memory table and the configuration memory table will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 6 (a) shows an external memory table, and Fig. 6 (b) shows a configuration memory table.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the external memory table includes a storage area number, state information, index information of a slot, and size of hardware configuration information.

The number of the storage area is allocated to each storage area to distinguish the plurality of storage areas constituting the external memory.

The state information indicates the state of the slot of the configuration memory 540 corresponding to the storage area of the external memory 530. The state of the slot in the configuration memory 540 is divided into invalid, loading, valid, exclusive loading (Ex_loading), and exclusive (Exclusive).

When the slot is in an invalid state, the hardware configuration information stored in the slot is not valid hardware configuration information, and the slot is not mapped between the slot of the configuration memory 410 and the storage area of the external memory 400 to be. And indicates that the hardware configuration information stored in the storage area of the external memory 530 is being transferred to the slot of the configuration memory 540 when the slot is in a loading state. If the slot is in the valid state, it is mapped between the slot of the configuration memory 410 and the storage area of the external memory 400, and hardware can be reconfigured using the hardware configuration information stored in the slot .

When the state of the slot is exclusively loaded (Ex_loading), it indicates that the hardware configuration information in the storage area of the external memory 530 is being transferred to the slot of the configuration memory 540. In particular, It is not mapped to a storage area other than the storage area in which the data is stored. In a case where the state of the slot is exclusively valid, a slot in the exclusively valid state is not mapped to a slot other than the storage area to which the slot of the configuration memory 540 in the exclusively valid state is mapped, Indicates that the hardware configuration information capable of reconfiguring the hardware is stored in the slot in the exclusively valid state.

The index information of the slot is an index indicating a slot of the configuration memory 540 mapped to the number of the storage area of the external memory 510.

The size indicates the size of the hardware configuration information stored in the storage area of the external memory 510. The size of the hardware configuration information indicates the number of storage areas of the external memory in which the hardware configuration information is stored.

Referring to FIG. 6 (b), the configuration memory table includes slot number, status information, and index information of the storage area for each slot.

The number of the slots is allocated for each slot to distinguish a plurality of slots, which are a plurality of storage areas constituting the configuration memory.

The state information indicates the state of the slot in the configuration memory 540. The state of the storage area is divided into invalid, loading, valid, exclusive loading (Ex_loading), and exclusive (Exclusive). Has the same value as the corresponding status information of the external memory table, and the meaning is the same as the status information of the external memory table.

The index information of the storage area is an index indicating a storage area of the external memory 530 to which a slot of the configuration memory 540 is mapped.

7 is a diagram illustrating a transition between embodiments of state information of a storage area or a slot and states. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, a transition method between states using an instruction will be described.

The invalid state, the loaded state, the valid state, the exclusive loading state, and the exclusive valid state shown in FIG. 7 are changed by the memory management unit in the state of the external memory table and the constituent memory table shown in FIG. 6, Do. The initial state of the storage area or slot is in an invalid state and changes to a different state depending on the command to be executed.

When the prefetch command is executed in a state where the slot status is invalid, the device managing the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware changes the status information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the corresponding slot and storage area to the loading state , And transmits the hardware configuration information in the storage area of the external memory 530 to the slot of the configuration memory 540.

When the prefetch command is completed while the slot is in the loaded state, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware sets the status information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the slot and the storage area to the valid state Change.

When a device that manages the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware performs a lock command in the valid state of the slot, the state information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the corresponding slot and the storage area is exclusively used , And when a lock command is executed while the slot is in the loaded state, the status information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the corresponding slot and storage area is changed to the exclusive loading state (Ex_loading).

When a prefetch command is completed in a state in which the state of the slot is exclusively loaded (Ex_loading), the apparatus for managing the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware updates the state information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table To an exclusive state (Exclusive).

The apparatus for managing the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware is configured to validate the state information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the corresponding slot and the storage area when the slot state is in the exclusive valid state, And changes the status information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the corresponding slot and the storage area to the loading state when the unlock command is executed in the exclusive loading state (Ex_loading).

A device that manages the configuration memory of the reconfigurable hardware is capable of executing an instruction in a valid state or an exclusive state of a slot and can invalidate the state of the slot in the valid state or the exclusive valid state When the instruction is executed, the status information of the external memory table and the configuration memory table of the corresponding slot and storage area is changed to the invalid state.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory of a reconfigurable hardware using a prefetch command according to the present invention. 5 and 8, a method of managing a configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware using a prefetch command will be described.

The apparatus for managing the configuration memory allocates at least one slot in the invalid memory of the configuration memory 540 to the hardware configuration information stored in at least one or more storage areas of the external memory 530. [

In step 810, the device managing the configuration memory proceeds to step 860 if the slot in the invalid state is allocated, and proceeds to step 820 if the slot in the invalid state is not allocated.

In step 820, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory allocates at least one slot in consideration of both the slot in the invalid state and the slot in the valid state. In allocating a slot, a slot in an invalid state is preferentially allocated. In a case where there is no invalid slot or the size of the hardware configuration information is larger than a slot in an invalid state, a slot in a valid state is allocated. When a slot in the valid state is allocated, it can be allocated according to a predetermined criterion. For example, the predetermined criterion may preferentially select a slot having the smallest number of times of use of the hardware configuration information stored in the slot, or may randomly select the slot.

If the allocation of slots is completed, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory in step 830 proceeds to step 840, and if the allocation of slots is not completed, the apparatus proceeds to step 880 and returns an error value.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 840 changes the slot of the valid state among the slots allocated in step 820 to the invalid state. If there is no valid slot, step 840 is not performed.

The apparatus for managing the configuration memory in step 850 stores the mapping information between the storage area of the external memory 530 and the slot allocated in step 820 in the storage unit 520. Referring to FIG. 6, the mapping information refers to the index information of the slot of the external memory table and the index information of the storage area of the configuration memory table. It is possible to determine from which storage area the slot received the hardware configuration information is received, And information on which slot the configuration information has been transmitted.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 860 transfers the hardware configuration information stored in the storage area of the external memory 530 to the slot of the configuration memory 540 allocated in step 820. [

In step 870, the device managing the configuration memory changes the state of the storage area and the slot stored in the storage unit 520 to the loading state.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory when a prefetch command according to the present invention is completed. A method of managing the configuration memory when the prefetch command execution is completed will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 9. FIG.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 900 determines whether the transfer of the hardware configuration information from the storage area of the external memory 530 to the slot of the configuration memory 540 is completed and waits until the transfer of the hardware configuration information is completed.

If it is determined in step 900 that the transmission of the hardware configuration information is completed, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory in step 910 changes the status information of the storage area and the slot stored in the storage unit 520 to the valid state.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory using Execute instructions according to the present invention. A method of managing a configuration memory using an execution command will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 10. FIG.

In operation 1000, the apparatus managing the configuration memory determines whether the state of the slot is invalid from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520. If the state of the slot is invalid, the apparatus proceeds to operation 1010 And if the state of the slot is not invalid, the process proceeds to step 1020.

In operation 1010, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory executes a prefetch command. When a hardware reconfigurable system performs a prefetch command, the slot state is changed from invalid to either a loading state, a valid state, a proprietary loading state, or a proprietary valid state.

In step 1020, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory determines whether the state of the slot to be the execution target of the external memory table stored in the storage unit 520 and the configuration memory table corresponds to the valid state or the exclusive valid state If the state of the slot corresponds to either the valid state or the exclusive valid state, the process proceeds to step 1060. If the slot state does not correspond to the valid state or the exclusive valid state, the process proceeds to step 1030 .

In step 1030, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the state of the slot, which is the target of the execution command, is in the loading state or the exclusive loading state from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520 If it is determined that the state of the slot corresponds to either the loading state or the exclusive loading state, the process proceeds to step 1040. If the state of the slot does not correspond to either the loading state or the exclusive loading state, the process proceeds to step 1070 .

In step 1040, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the transfer of the hardware configuration information from the storage area of the external memory 530 to the slot of the configuration memory 540 is completed, and waits until the transfer of the hardware configuration information is completed .

If the state of the slot of the configuration memory 540 is the loading state, the apparatus managing the configuration memory in step 1050 determines that the state of the slot is valid, as a result of the determination from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520 State, and changes the state of the slot to the exclusive valid state in the exclusive loading state.

In step 1060, the hardware reconfigurable system reconfigures the hardware of the reconfigurable system using the hardware configuration information stored in the slot when the slot of the execution command is changed to the valid state or the exclusive valid state.

11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for managing a configuration memory using an invalidate instruction according to the present invention. A method of managing the configuration memory using the invalidate command will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 11. FIG.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1100 changes the state of the slot in the configuration memory 540, which is the object of the invalidation command, to the invalid state. By changing the state of the slot to the invalid state by using the invalidation command, the hardware configuration information stored in the corresponding slot becomes a state that is not valid hardware configuration information, and the state is not mapped between the slot and the storage area. The device managing the configuration memory may prefer to input hardware configuration information in a slot in an invalid state prior to a slot not in use.

12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory using a lock command according to the present invention. A method of managing a configuration memory using a lock command will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 12. FIG.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1200 determines whether the state of the slot of the configuration memory 540 that is the object of the lock instruction is loaded from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520, If the result of the slot is not the loading state, the process proceeds to step 1210. If the slot state is the loading state, the process proceeds to step 1230. [

In step 1210, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the state of the slot to be a lock instruction target is valid from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520. As a result, The process proceeds to step 1220. If the state of the slot is not valid, the process proceeds to step 1240. [

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1220 changes the state of the slot stored in the storage unit 520 to the exclusive valid state.

In step 1230, the device managing the configuration memory changes the state of the slot stored in the storage unit 520 to the exclusive loading state.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1240 returns an error value.

13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory using a unlock command according to the present invention. A method of managing the configuration memory using the unlock command will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG.

The apparatus for managing the configuration memory in step 1300 determines whether the state of the slot of the configuration memory 540 to be a target of the release instruction from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520 is the exclusive loading state, As a result, if the state of the slot is not exclusive, the process proceeds to step 1310. If the state of the slot is the exclusive state, the process proceeds to step 1330. [

In step 1310, the apparatus managing the configuration memory determines whether the state of the slot to be the target of the release instruction is exclusively valid from the external memory table and the configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520, If the state of the slot is not exclusively valid, the process proceeds to step 1340. Otherwise,

In step 1320, the device managing the configuration memory changes the state of the slot stored in the storage unit 520 to the valid state.

In step 1330, the device managing the configuration memory changes the state of the slot stored in the storage unit 520 to the loading state.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1340 returns an error value.

Another embodiment using the hardware reconfigurable system as described above will be described. In another embodiment of the present invention, when there are a plurality of tasks which are one independent functional unit including at least one hardware configuration information capable of changing the configuration of the reconfigurable hardware, So that the reconfigurable system can be used to effectively manage the configuration memory. Hereinafter, the case where two tasks, task A and task B, are performed using the reconfigurable hardware will be described by way of example, but the case where two or more tasks are included may be similarly considered.

The task A includes at least one or more hardware configuration information a1, a2, .... aN (N is a natural number), and the task B includes at least one hardware configuration information b1, b2, . ≪ / RTI > Task A and task B may be tasks that are independent of each other, or they may be dependent tasks that exchange input and output with each other. However, when the hardware configuration information of each of the task A and the task B is used for reconfiguring the hardware using the configuration memory, it is necessary to distribute the usage time of the configuration memory corresponding to the task A and the task B, respectively, . If task A and task B are independent tasks, when scheduling the use time of the reconfigurable hardware 460 or the configuration memory 410 corresponding to each task, The times may be determined equally or may be determined differently. On the other hand, if task A and task B depend on each other, that is, if the output corresponding to task A is used as an input to perform task B, the time corresponding to each task May be determined.

14A and 14B show a flowchart when task A and task B are performed according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, a process in which two tasks A and B are performed according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In step 1405, the device managing the configuration memory accesses the hardware configuration information a1, a2, .... aN included in the task A from the external memory 400 to the configuration memory 410 by the method shown in Figures 8 to 13 .

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1410 reconfigures the reconfigurable hardware 460 using the hardware configuration information stored in the configuration memory 410. [

In step 1415, the device managing the configuration memory sets a time for performing the task A. [

In step 1420, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the time set in the task A has elapsed. If it is determined that the time set in the task A has not elapsed, the process waits until the elapsed time. If the time set in the task A has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 1425.

In step 1425, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the execution of the task B is terminated. The termination of the task execution means that the reconfigurable hardware 460 is not used to realize the task. If the execution of the task B is not terminated, the process proceeds to step 1430 to perform the task B. On the other hand, if the execution of the task B is terminated, the process proceeds to step 1460 and it is determined whether the execution of the task A is terminated.

In step 1430, the device managing the configuration memory stores the hardware configuration information b1, b2, ..... bM of the task B existing in the external memory 400 in the configuration memory 410. [ In order to store the hardware configuration information of the task B in the configuration memory 410, the status information of the slot constituting the configuration memory 440 is changed to the invalid state. The hardware configuration information of the task A already stored in the slot can be prevented from being used any more by changing the state information of the slot constituting the configuration memory 440 to the invalid state and the invalidation of the hardware configuration information of the task B And the slot of the state is secured. On the other hand, if some of the hardware configuration information of the task A is the same as some of the hardware configuration information of the task B, only the difference between the hardware configuration information of the task A and the task B can be newly stored.

The device managing the configuration memory in step 1435 uses the hardware configuration information of task B stored in the configuration memory 410 to reconstruct the reconfigurable hardware 460. [

In step 1440, the device managing the configuration memory sets a time for performing the task B. [

In step 1445, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the time set in the task B has elapsed. If it is determined that the time set in the task B has not elapsed, the process waits until the elapsed time. If the time set in the task B has elapsed, the process proceeds to step 1450.

In step 1450, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory determines whether the execution of the task A and the task B is completed. If it is determined that the task A and the task B are no longer needed, the process is terminated. If neither the task A nor the task B is terminated, the process proceeds to step 1455.

In step 1455, the device managing the configuration memory determines whether the execution of the task A is terminated. If it is determined that the execution of the task A has not ended, the process proceeds to step 1405 and the task A is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the execution of the task A is completed, it is determined that the execution of the task B is not terminated. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 1440 to set the time to perform the task B, At this time, since the reconfigurable hardware 460 is already configured to perform the task B, a separate hardware reconfiguration procedure is unnecessary.

If it is determined in step 1425 that the execution of the task B is terminated in step 1425, the apparatus for managing the configuration memory determines whether the execution of the task A is terminated. As a result of the determination, if the execution of task A is not terminated, the process proceeds to step 1415 to set a time for performing task A, and then task A is performed. At this time, since the reconfigurable hardware 460 is already configured to perform the task A, a separate hardware reconfiguration procedure is unnecessary.

In the apparatus for managing the configuration memory according to an embodiment of the present invention, after the set time for realizing the task A with the reconfigurable hardware 460, the reconfigurable hardware 460 is reconfigured to the task B, . Similarly, after the set time for realizing the task B with the reconfigurable hardware 460, the task A is reconfigured to the task A and the task A is realized. Even when the number of tasks is three or more, time sharing is performed for each task, so that one reconfigurable hardware 460 can be shared when a plurality of tasks exist.

As a result, when there are a plurality of tasks composed of a plurality of pieces of hardware configuration information, each task can efficiently use the memory by sharing the reconfigurable hardware 460 with the configuration memory 410, It is possible to increase the memory utilization rate even in a dynamic environment such as a high-application or multi-task application. In addition, when a slot of a configuration memory to be loaded with hardware configuration information is determined dynamically during execution, if the slot decision is dependent on the type and size of data, or when a plurality of programs use the configuration memory at the same time, There is an effect that can be done. According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a configuration memory through a user application programming interface (API) by providing an instruction word indicating a state of a slot in a configuration memory and an instruction for changing a state of a slot .

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in a general-purpose digital computer that can be embodied as a program that can be executed by a computer and operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium. In addition, the structure of the data used in the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium through various means. The computer readable recording medium may be a magnetic storage medium such as a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, etc., an optical reading medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD and a carrier wave such as the Internet Lt; / RTI > transmission).

The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

1 is a diagram for explaining a static allocation technique among methods of managing configuration memories of reconfigurable hardware.

2 is a diagram for explaining a memory overlay technique among methods of managing configuration memories of reconfigurable hardware.

3 is a diagram for explaining a dynamic allocation memory management method according to the present invention among methods of managing configuration memories of reconfigurable hardware.

Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware reconfigurable system.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for managing configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an external memory table and a configuration memory table stored in the storage unit 520 shown in FIG.

7 is a diagram illustrating a transition between embodiments of state information of a storage area or a slot and states.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory of a reconfigurable hardware using a prefetch command according to the present invention.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory when a prefetch command according to the present invention is completed.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory using Execute instructions according to the present invention.

11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for managing a configuration memory using an invalidate instruction according to the present invention.

12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory using a lock command according to the present invention.

13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a configuration memory using a unlock command according to the present invention.

14A and 14B show a flowchart when task A and task B are performed according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (18)

A method for managing configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware in which configuration of hardware is reconfigured according to hardware configuration information, Determining at least one slot capable of storing the hardware configuration information based on a state of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory; And Storing hardware configuration information stored in an external memory in a slot determined to be capable of storing the hardware configuration information, The status of each of the plurality of slots may include: An invalid state in which a slot in the configuration memory is not mapped between a slot in the external memory and a storage area in the external memory, a valid state in which a slot in the configuration memory is mapped between a slot in the external memory and a storage area in the external memory, A hardware configuration information in a loading state in which the hardware configuration information is being transferred to a slot of the configuration memory; a monopoly valid state in which the mapping is not mapped to a storage area other than the storage area to which the slot is mapped in the valid state; And an exclusive loading state in which the storage area is not mapped to a storage area other than the mapped storage area. And changing a state of the third slot to an exclusive loading state or an exclusive valid state when a lock command for a third slot among the plurality of slots is received. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the step of determining the slot includes checking whether a state of each of the slots is an invalid state that is not mapped to each of the storage areas of the external memory and storing the hardware configuration information in a slot ≪ / RTI > 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the step of determining the slot is to set at least one slot in a valid state as a slot in an invalid state when it is determined that the invalidated state is not satisfied and all the hardware configuration information can not be stored in the identified invalidated slot ≪ / RTI > The method according to claim 1, Further comprising changing a state of the first slot from the external memory to a loading state in which the hardware configuration information is received when a prefetch command for the first one of the slots is received. 5. The method of claim 4, Further comprising changing the state of the first slot to a valid state upon completion of the prefetch command for the first slot. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising changing a state of the second slot to an invalid state when an invalidation instruction for a second slot of the slots is received. delete The method according to claim 1, Further comprising changing a state of the fourth slot to a loading state or a valid state when a release instruction for the fourth slot among the slots is received. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising storing information on a storage area constituting the external memory and information on a slot constituting the configuration memory, Wherein determining the at least one slot comprises determining at least one slot using the stored information. 10. The method of claim 9, The information on the storage area includes the status information of the slot mapped to the storage area, the index information of the mapped slot, and the size of the configuration information, Wherein the information on the slot includes status information of a slot and index information of a mapped storage area. The method according to claim 1, When there are a plurality of tasks configured by at least one hardware configuration information, Wherein storing the hardware configuration information comprises storing first hardware configuration information of a first task in the configuration memory, After the time corresponding to the first task has elapsed, the second hardware configuration information of the second task is stored in at least one slot that can store the second hardware configuration information based on the status of each of the plurality of slots of the configuration memory Determining; And Further comprising storing second hardware configuration information in a slot determined to be capable of storing the second hardware configuration information. 12. The method of claim 11, Wherein the step of determining at least one slot capable of storing the second hardware configuration information is to check whether each state of the slots is in an invalid state not mapped to each of the storage areas of the external memory, And determine a slot in which to store the second hardware configuration information based on the result. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the step of determining a slot capable of storing the second hardware configuration information comprises the steps of: determining whether the slot is in an invalid state, Is set to a slot in an invalid state. 1. An apparatus for managing a configuration memory of reconfigurable hardware in which a configuration of a hardware is reconfigured according to hardware configuration information, A memory management unit for determining at least one slot capable of storing the hardware configuration information based on a state of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory and storing hardware configuration information stored in the external memory in the determined slot; And And a storage unit for storing a state of each of a plurality of slots of the configuration memory, The status of each of the plurality of slots may include: An invalid state in which a slot in the configuration memory is not mapped between a slot in the external memory and a storage area in the external memory, a valid state in which a slot in the configuration memory is mapped between a slot in the external memory and a storage area in the external memory, A hardware configuration information in a loading state in which the hardware configuration information is being transferred to a slot of the configuration memory; a monopoly valid state in which the mapping is not mapped to a storage area other than the storage area to which the slot is mapped in the valid state; And an exclusive loading state in which the storage area is not mapped to a storage area other than the mapped storage area. Wherein the memory management unit changes the state of the first slot to the exclusive loading state or the exclusive valid state when receiving the lock command for the first slot among the plurality of slots. 15. The method of claim 14, The memory management unit searches and confirms whether or not each state of the slots is in an invalid state that is not mapped to each of the storage areas of the external memory and stores the hardware configuration information based on the confirmation result Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI > 16. The method of claim 15, Wherein the memory management unit sets at least one slot in a valid state as a slot in an invalid state when the memory management unit fails to store all of the hardware configuration information in the validated slot as a result of searching the storage unit. . 15. The method of claim 14, When there are a plurality of tasks configured by at least one hardware configuration information, Wherein the memory management unit stores the first hardware configuration information of the first task in the configuration memory and after the time corresponding to the first task elapses the second hardware configuration information of the second task is stored in a plurality of slots And the second hardware configuration information is stored in a slot determined to be able to store the second hardware configuration information, wherein the second hardware configuration information is stored in a slot determined to be able to store the second hardware configuration information Device. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 8 to 13.

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