OTERA: Online Test Strategies for Reliable Reconfigurable Architectures

Abstract—FPGA-based reconfigurable systems allow the on-line adaptation to dynamically changing runtime requirements. However, the reliability of FPGAs, which are manufactured in latest technologies, is threatened not only by soft errors, but also by aging effects and latent defects. To ensure reliable reconfiguration, it is mandatory to guarantee the correct operation of the underlying reconfigurable fabric. This can be achieved by periodic or on-demand online testing. The OTERA project develops and evaluates components and strategies for reconfigurable systems that feature reliable re-configuration. The research focus ranges from structural online tests for the FPGA infrastructure and functional online tests for the configured functionality up to the resource management and test scheduling. This paper gives an overview of the project tasks and presents first results. I