ASICs having programmable bypass of design faults
A relatively small amount of programmable or reprogrammable logic (pro-Logic) is included in a mostly-ASIC device so that such re/programmable logic can be used as a substitute for, or for bypassing a fault-infected ASIC block (if any) either permanently or at times when the fault-infected ASIC block is about to perform a fault-infected operation (bug-infected operation): The substitution or bypass does not have to be a permanent one that is in effect at all times for the entirety of the fault-infected ASIC block. Instead affected outputs of the faulty ASIC block can be disabled from working just at the time they would otherwise initiate or propagate an error. Such fault-infected operations of the temporarily deactivated ASIC block(s) may be substituted for by appropriately programmed pro-Logic at the appropriate times.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a non-programmable circuit; and
a programmable circuit coupled to the non-programmable circuit, wherein the programmable circuit is configured, during operation of the non-programmable circuit, to:
detect a state associated with a fault of the non-programmable circuit; and
based, at least in part, on the detected state, alter an operation of at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit and perform a corrective action.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to perform the corrective action by asserting control over a bus.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to insert a replacement signal into the bus in connection with the corrective action.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to alter the operation of the non-programmable circuit by deactivating the at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to reactivate the at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit after having performed the corrective action.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to transmit a report including the fault to a remote location via a communications network.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to receive at least one instruction that, upon execution, reconfigures the programmable circuit to perform a different corrective action in response to a subsequent detection of the state.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the programmable circuit is further configured to receive an encrypted key signal that enables its reconfiguration.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuit is configured to detect the state associated with the fault of the non-programmable circuit before the fault occurs.
10. A method comprising:
during operation of a non-programmable circuit:
detecting, by a programmable circuit coupled to the non-programmable circuit, a state associated with a fault of the non-programmable circuit;
altering an operation of at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit based, at least in part, on the detected state; and
performing a corrective action based, at least in part, on the detected state.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said performing a corrective action further comprises asserting control over a bus.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising inserting a replacement signal into the bus in connection with the corrective action.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein said altering an operation comprises deactivating the at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising reactivating the at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit after said performing a corrective action.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising transmitting a report including the fault to a remote location via a communications network.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving at least one instruction that, upon execution, reconfigures the programmable circuit to perform a different corrective action in response to a subsequent detection of the fault condition.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving an encrypted key signal that enables reconfiguration of the programmable circuit.
18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
transmitting, to a particular location remote from the programmable circuit and the non-programmable circuit, information indicating that the corrective action has been performed; and
reconfiguring, based at least in part on information received from the particular location, the programmable circuit to perform a different corrective action in response to a subsequent detection of the state associated with the fault of the non-programmable circuit.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising receiving an encrypted key signal that enables said reconfiguring the programmable circuit.
20. The method of claim 10 , wherein said detecting a state associated with a fault of the non-programmable circuit occurs before the fault of the non-programmable circuit occurs.
21. A method comprising:
programming a programmable circuit coupled to a non-programmable circuit within an integrated circuit, wherein the programmed circuit is configured, during operation of the non-programmable circuit, to:
detect a state associated with a fault of the non-programmable circuit; and
based, at least in part, on the detected state, alter an operation of at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit and perform a corrective action.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to perform the corrective action by asserting control over a bus.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to insert a replacement signal into the bus in connection with the corrective action.
24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to alter the operation of the non-programmable circuit by deactivating the at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to reactivate the at least a portion of the non-programmable circuit after having performed the corrective action.
26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to transmit a report including the fault to a remote location via a communications network.
27. The method of claim 21 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to receive at least one instruction that, upon execution, reconfigures the programmed circuit to perform a different corrective action in response to a subsequent detection of the state.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the programmed circuit is further configured to receive an encrypted key signal that enables its reconfiguration.
29. The method of claim 21 , wherein the programmable circuit is configured to detect the state associated with the fault of the non-programmable circuit before the fault occurs.