FIRMWARE SOCKET MODULE FOR FPGA-BASED PIPELINE PROCESSING

摘要

A firmware socket module is deployed on a reconfigurable logic device, whereinthe firmware socket module has a communication path between itself and anentry point into a data processing pipeline, wherein the firmware socketmodule is configured to provide both commands and target data to the entrypoint in the data processing pipeline via the same communication path, whereineach command defines a data processing operation that is to be performed bythe data processing pipeline, and wherein the target data corresponds to thedata upon which the data processing pipeline performs its commanded dataprocessing operation. Preferably, the firmware socket module is configured toprovide the commands and target data in a predetermined order that ismaintained throughout the data processing pipeline. Also, the firmware socketmodule may be configured to (1) access an external input descriptor poolbuffer that defines the order in which commands and target data are to beprovided to the data processing pipeline, and (2) transfer the commands andtarget data from an external memory to the data processing pipeline inaccordance with the identified defined order. Results of the processing by thedata processing pipeline are also returned to external memory by the firmwaresocket module, whereupon those results can be subsequently used by softwareexecuting on a computer system.