Skip to main content

A Watchdog Processor Architecture with Minimal Performance Overhead

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Computer Safety, Reliability and Security (SAFECOMP 2002)

Abstract

Control flow monitoring using a watchdog processor is a well- known technique to increase the dependability of a microprocessor system. Most approaches embed reference signatures for the watchdog processor into the processor instruction stream creating noticeable memory and performance overheads. A novel watchdog processor architecture using embedded signatures is presented that minimizes the memory overhead and nullifies performance penalty on the main processor without sacrificing error detection coverage or latency. This scheme is called Interleaved Signature Instruction Stream (ISIS) in order to reflect the fact that signatures and main instructions are two independent streams that co-exist in the system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Avizienis, A.: Building Dependable Systems: How to Keep Up with Complexity. Proc. of the 25th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-25), 4–14, Pasadena, California, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Gunneflo, U., Karlsson, J., Torin, J.: Evaluation of Error Detection Schemes Using Fault Injection by Heavy-ion Radiation. Proc. of the 19th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-19), 340–347, Chicago, Illinois, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Czeck, E.W., Siewieorek, D.P.: Effects of Transient Gate-Level Faults on Program Behavior. Proc. of the 20th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-20), 236–243, NewCastle Upon Tyne, U.K., 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Gaisler, J.: Evaluation of a 32-bit Microprocessor with Built-in Concurrent Error Detection. Proc. of the 27th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-25), 42–46, Seattle, Washington, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ohlsson, J., Rimén, M., Gunneflo, U.: A Study of the Effects of Transient Fault Injection into a 32-bit RISC with Built-in Watchdog. Proc. of the 22th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-22), 316–325, Boston, Massachusetts, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Siewiorek, D.P.: Niche Sucesses to Ubiquitous Invisibility: Fault-Tolerant Computing Past, Present, and Future. Proc. of the 25th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-25), 26–33, Pasadena, California, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Oh, N., Shirvani, P.P., McCluskey, E. J.: Control Flow Checking by Software Signatures. IEEE Transactions on Reliability — Special Section on Fault Tolerant VLSI Systems, March, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Galla, T.M., Sprachmann, M., Steininger, A., Temple, C.: Control Flow Monitoring for a Time-Triggered Communication Controller. Proceedings of the 10th European Workshop on Dependable Computing (EWDC-10), 43–48, Vienna, Austria, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gaisler, J.: Concurrent Error-Detection and Modular Fault-Tolerance in an 32-bit Processing Core for Embedded Space Flight Applications. Proc. of the 27th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-24), 128–130, Austin, Texas, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kim, S., Somani, A.K.: On-Line Integrity Monitoring of Microprocessor Control Logic. Proc. Intl. Conference on Computer Design: VLSI in Computers and Processors (ICCD-01), 314–319, Austin, Texas, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Nickel, J.B., Somani, A.K.: REESE: A Method of Soft Error Detection in Microprocessors. Proc. of the 2001 Intl. Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN-2001), 401–410, Goteborg, Sweden, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Rotenberg, E.: AR-SMT: A Microarchitectural Approach to Fault Tolerance in Microprocessors. Proc. of the 29th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-29), 84–91, Madison, Wisconsin, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Weaver, C., Austin, T.: A Fault Tolerant Approach to Microprocessor Design. Proc. of the 2001 Intl. Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN-2001), 411–420, Goteborg, Sweden, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mendelson, A., Suri, N.: Designing High-Performance & Reliable Superscalar Architectures. The Out of Order Reliable Superscalar (O3RS) Approach. Proc. of the 2000 Intl. Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN-2000), 473–481, New York, USA, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Rashid, F., Saluja, K.K., Ramanathan, P.: Fault Tolerance Through Re-execution in Multiscalar Architecture. Proc. of the 2000 Intl. Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN-2000), 482–491, New York, USA, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  16. IEEE Std. 1076-1993: VHDL Language Reference Manual. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., New York, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  17. MIPS32 Architecture for Programmers, volume I: Introduction to the MIPS32 Architecture. MIPS Technologies, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Wildner, U.: Experimental Evaluation of Assigned Signature Checking With Return Address Hashing on Different Platforms. Proc. of the 6th Intl. Working Conference on Dependable Computing for Critical Applications, 1–16, Germany, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hennessy, J. L., Patterson, D.A.: Computer Architecture. A Quantitative Approach, 2nd edition, Morgan-Kauffmann Pub., Inc., 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Ohlsson, J., Rimén, M.: Implicit Signature Checking. Proc. of the 25th Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium (FTCS-25), 218–227, Pasadena, California, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Shirvani, P.P., McCluskey, E. J.: Fault-Tolerant Systems in a Space Environment: The CRC ARGOS Project. Center for Reliable Computing, Technical Report CRC-98-2, Standford, California, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Rodríguez, F., Campelo, J.C., Serrano, J.J. (2002). A Watchdog Processor Architecture with Minimal Performance Overhead. In: Anderson, S., Felici, M., Bologna, S. (eds) Computer Safety, Reliability and Security. SAFECOMP 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2434. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45732-1_26

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45732-1_26

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44157-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45732-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics