Programmable hardware event reporting

• US 8,271,911 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2007
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donlin, Adam P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/901,100
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 716106-108, 716116-117, 716/100, 716136-138
• US Class Current: 716/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/34 for reconfigurable circuits, e.g. field programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]

Abstract

Approaches for reporting hardware events from circuitry implemented in an integrated circuit (IC). The IC is configured with a circuit to be analyzed and an event monitor circuit. A process invokes an application programming interface (API) function that references an operating system managed object. The API function includes a parameter value that references the object. The process is operated in a first manner when the object is in a first state. An interrupt signal is generated by the event monitor circuit to the processor in response to an input signal from the circuit under analysis, which initiates execution of an interrupt handler. The object is placed in a second state by the interrupt handler. The process is operated in a second manner different from the first manner in response to the object transitioning to the second state.

Claims

1. A method for reporting hardware events from circuitry implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), the method comprising:

configuring the IC with a circuit under analysis and a first event monitor circuit coupled to the circuit under analysis;

invoking, by a programmed processor and a first process executing thereon, an application programming interface (API) function that references a first object managed by an operating system (OS) executing on a processor, wherein the invoking of the API function includes a first parameter value that references one of a plurality of OS-managed objects;

operating the first process in a first manner in response to the invoking of the API function and the first object being in a first state;

generating a first interrupt signal by the first event monitor circuit to the processor in response to a first input signal from the circuit under analysis;

executing a first interrupt handler on the processor in response to the first interrupt signal;

accessing the first object by the first interrupt handler, wherein the first object is placed in a second state by the first interrupt handler; and

operating the first process in a second manner different from the first manner in response to the first object transitioning to the second state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first object comprises one of an OS-provided software signal and an OS-provided file system object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the operating the first process in the first manner includes suspending execution of the first process by the OS; and

the operating the first process in the second manner includes resuming execution of the first process by the OS.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the operating the first process in the first manner includes returning control to the first process by the OS and the first process performing a first set of operations; and

the operating the first process in the second manner includes returning control to the first process by the OS and the first process performing a second set of operations that is different from the first set.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first object comprises an OS-provided software signal;

the invoking of the API function includes registering by the first process to have a callback function of the first process called by the OS in response to assertion of the OS-provided software signal; and

the accessing includes indicating by the first interrupt handler to the OS assertion of the OS-provided software signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first object comprises a named pipe;

the API function requests reading of data from the named pipe by the first process, and the operating the first process in the first manner includes suspending execution of the first process in response to the named pipe being empty; and

the accessing includes writing data to the named pipe by the first interrupt handler, and the second state is presence of data in the named pipe.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first object comprises a socket;

the API function requests listening for a connection request on the socket, and the operating the first process in the first manner includes suspending execution of the first process until a connection request is received;

the accessing includes requesting a connection on the socket by the first interrupt handler; and

the second state is presence of the connection request for the socket.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the IC with a second event monitor circuit coupled to the circuit under analysis;

invoking, by a second process, the API function with a second parameter value that references a second object managed by the OS;

operating the second process in a third manner in response to invoking the API function and the second object being in a third state;

generating a second interrupt signal by the second event monitor circuit to the processor in response to a second input signal from the circuit under analysis;

executing a second interrupt handler on the processor in response to the second interrupt signal;

accessing the second object by the second interrupt handler, wherein the second object is placed in a fourth state by the second interrupt handler; and

operating the second process in a fourth manner different from the third manner in response to the second object transitioning to the fourth state.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the IC with a second event monitor circuit coupled to the configuration memory of the IC;

invoking, by a second process, the API function with a second parameter value that references a second object managed by the OS;

operating the second process in a third manner in response to invoking the API function and the second object being in a third state;

reading back configuration data from the configuration memory by the second event monitor circuit;

generating a second interrupt signal by the second event monitor circuit in response to a state of the configuration data;

executing a second interrupt handler on the processor in response to the second interrupt signal;

accessing the second object by the second interrupt handler, wherein the second object is placed in a fourth state by the second interrupt handler; and

operating the second process in a fourth manner in response to the second object transitioning to the fourth state.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the first interrupt signal a second time by the first event monitor circuit to the processor in response to a second assertion of the first input signal from the circuit under analysis;

executing the first interrupt handler a second time on the processor in response to each generation of the first interrupt signal;

wherein the accessing of the first object includes adding to a queue an indication of the occurrence of each event; and

processing each indication in the queue by the first process after resuming execution.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor and the circuitry are disposed on one integrated circuit die.

12. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a processor-readable storage medium configured with executable program code for reporting hardware events from circuitry implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), the program code when executed by one or more computer processors causing the one or more processors to perform operations including;

configuring the IC with a circuit under analysis and an event monitor circuit coupled to the circuit under analysis;

invoking, by a process, an application programming interface (API) function that references an object managed by an operating system (OS) executing on a processor, wherein the invoking of the API function includes a parameter value that references one of a plurality of OS-managed objects;

operating the process in a first manner in response to the invoking of the API function and the object being in a first state;

wherein the event monitor circuit is configured to generate an interrupt signal to the one or more processors in response to an input signal from the circuit under analysis;

executing an interrupt handler in response to the interrupt signal;

accessing the object by the interrupt handler, wherein the object is placed in a second state by the interrupt handler; and

operating the process in a second manner different from the first manner in response to the object transitioning to the second state.

13. An electronic system comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) configured with a circuit under analysis and an event monitor circuit coupled to the circuit under analysis, wherein the event monitor circuit is configured to generate an interrupt signal in response to an input signal from the circuit under analysis;

an interrupt controller coupled to the event monitor circuit, wherein the interrupt controller is configured to activate an interrupt handler in response to the interrupt signal; and

a processor coupled to the interrupt controller, wherein;

the processor is configured to execute the interrupt handler, an operating system (OS), and a process;

the process invokes an application programming interface (API) function that references an object managed by the OS;

the invoking of the API function includes a parameter value that references one of a plurality of OS-managed objects;

the process is configured to operate in a first manner in response to the invoking of the API function and the object being in a first state;

the interrupt handler is configured to access and place the object in a second state; and

the process is further configured to operate in a second manner different from the first manner in response to the object transitioning to the second state.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the object comprises one of an OS-provided software signal and an OS-provided file system object.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the process operated in the first manner suspends execution; and

the process operated in the second manner resumes execution.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the process operated in the first manner has control returned thereto by the OS and performs a first set of operations; and

the process operated in the second manner has control returned thereto by the OS and performs a second set of operations that is different from the first set.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the object comprises an OS-provided software signal;

the process is further configured to register, in the invocation of the API function, with the OS to have a callback function of the process called by the OS in response to assertion of the OS-provided software signal; and

the interrupt handler is further configured to, in the access to the object, indicate to the OS assertion of the OS-provided software signal.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the object comprises a named pipe;

the API function requests reading of data from the named pipe by the process, and the process is suspended in response to the named pipe being empty; and

the interrupt handler is configured to write data to the named pipe during the access to the object, and the second state is presence of data in the named pipe.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the object comprises a socket;

the API function requests listening for a connection request on the socket, and the process is suspended until a connection request is received;

the interrupt handler is configured to request a connection on the socket during the access to the object; and

the second state is presence of a connection request for the socket.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the IC and the processor are disposed on one integrated circuit die.