7.3 System Monitoring of Checking Process: A Syndrome
In the last section, we discussed software-based tests. If the hardware itself has
built-in self-diagnosis capabilities, a mechanism is needed to inform the software
about detected faults. For this, we have mentioned earlier a scheme to present a
snapshot of a system for purposes of reconfiguration, diagnostics, performance or
energy saving, etc., we have introduced the syndrome.
Taking into account the conceptual importance of a syndrome, it is worth to
elaborate conceptual importance and its possible implementations.
As it was already mentioned in [10], a system flexibility assumes the presence of
hardware flexibility and system software flexibility.
System flexibility can be considered as several connected properties and supporting features, as described in [10–13]. We list the following system requirements
that need to be reflected and handled by a syndrome:
• flexibility (of hardware and system software);
• resilience;
• scalability (task-wise, frequency-wise, technology-wise);
• performance-wise functioning;
• reliability-wise functioning;
• energy-smart functioning.
We aggregate these properties by the name of PRE-smart systems (performance-,
reliability-, energy-). We argue that all mentioned properties are required and
should be implemented within a computer system. Good point that it is possible: all
of them are based at some level on system reconfigurability.
System reconfigurability must be introduced at the design level and pursued
along at other levels, including maintenance, especially for critical applications.
System reconfigurability should also be considered, throughout the entire life cycle.
Therefore, system reconfigurability becomes not only a feature or property of a
system, but a process. This process serves the need of introduction and maintenance of reconfigurability, including ways of changing configurations and ability to
reconfigure.
Therefore, efficient design and implementation of reconfigurability becomes a
task of utmost importance for the next generation of computer systems.
For example, during critical missions, reconfigurability should be executed
within real-time constraints, invisible for applications.
In turn, during regular operation, system reconfigurability should be used to
adapt the system to different requirements in terms of efficient performance, reliability, and power consumption. We call this PRE-smart functioning as defined in
[11].
Reconfigurability for reliability should be implemented with supports the ability
of system to recover with minimum time overheads. Here it is worth to mention that
reconfiguration might have internal and external reasons. For instance, the system
might exclude or isolate some hardware elements from the configuration due to a
88
7 Testing, Checking, and Hardware Syndrome
In the last section, we discussed software-based tests. If the hardware itself has
built-in self-diagnosis capabilities, a mechanism is needed to inform the software
about detected faults. For this, we have mentioned earlier a scheme to present a
snapshot of a system for purposes of reconfiguration, diagnostics, performance or
energy saving, etc., we have introduced the syndrome.
Taking into account the conceptual importance of a syndrome, it is worth to
elaborate conceptual importance and its possible implementations.
As it was already mentioned in [10], a system flexibility assumes the presence of
hardware flexibility and system software flexibility.
System flexibility can be considered as several connected properties and supporting features, as described in [10–13]. We list the following system requirements
that need to be reflected and handled by a syndrome:
• flexibility (of hardware and system software);
• resilience;
• scalability (task-wise, frequency-wise, technology-wise);
• performance-wise functioning;
• reliability-wise functioning;
• energy-smart functioning.
We aggregate these properties by the name of PRE-smart systems (performance-,
reliability-, energy-). We argue that all mentioned properties are required and
should be implemented within a computer system. Good point that it is possible: all
of them are based at some level on system reconfigurability.
System reconfigurability must be introduced at the design level and pursued
along at other levels, including maintenance, especially for critical applications.
System reconfigurability should also be considered, throughout the entire life cycle.
Therefore, system reconfigurability becomes not only a feature or property of a
system, but a process. This process serves the need of introduction and maintenance of reconfigurability, including ways of changing configurations and ability to
reconfigure.
Therefore, efficient design and implementation of reconfigurability becomes a
task of utmost importance for the next generation of computer systems.
For example, during critical missions, reconfigurability should be executed
within real-time constraints, invisible for applications.
In turn, during regular operation, system reconfigurability should be used to
adapt the system to different requirements in terms of efficient performance, reliability, and power consumption. We call this PRE-smart functioning as defined in
[11].
Reconfigurability for reliability should be implemented with supports the ability
of system to recover with minimum time overheads. Here it is worth to mention that
reconfiguration might have internal and external reasons. For instance, the system
might exclude or isolate some hardware elements from the configuration due to a
88
7 Testing, Checking, and Hardware Syndrome