Debug architecture

1. A method of powering down a portion of an integrated circuit chip, the portion of the integrated circuit chip comprising a plurality of peripheral circuits, each peripheral circuit being connected to a respective debug unit, the method comprising:

prior to power down, extracting from each debug unit configuration information of that debug unit;

storing the configuration information of the debug units in a memory on the integrated circuit chip during power down of the portion of the integrated circuit chip; and

on power up, restoring the configuration information of each debug unit to that debug unit prior to resuming operation of that debug unit and the peripheral circuit connected to that debug unit;

wherein the peripheral circuits and debug units form part of a hierarchical debug architecture on the integrated circuit chip, at least one layer of the hierarchical debug architecture comprising at least one shared hub directly accessible by at least one structure on another layer of the hierarchical debug architecture, the method further comprising:

prior to power down, at each shared hub, determining the number of structures accessible by that shared hub in higher layers of the hierarchical debug architecture that have configuration information to be extracted prior to power down;

adding the number of structures at that shared hub to the determined number to form an accumulated number; and

routing the accumulated number to a shared hub on a lower layer of the hierarchical debug architecture.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein for each debug unit, the configuration information is sent from that debug unit in an extraction message set comprising one or more messages and is restored to that debug unit in a restoration message set comprising one or more messages, the extraction message set matching the restoration message set.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the configuration information in the extraction message set is ordered such that on receipt of the restoration message set, the debug unit is restored to the configuration it had prior to power down.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising prior to extracting from each debug unit configuration information of that debug unit, sending a power down handshake message from a power controller to each debug unit.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising, on receipt of the power down handshake message at a debug unit, sending a message to initialise the memory from that debug unit to the memory.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising prior to restoring the configuration information of each debug unit, sending a power up handshake message from a power controller to each debug unit.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first shared hub is directly accessible by a first debug unit and a second debug unit, and a second shared hub is directly accessible by the first shared hub, wherein the memory on the integrated circuit chip is located in the second shared hub, comprising:

routing to the first shared hub, extracted configuration information from the first debug unit and extracted configuration information from the second debug unit;

routing to the second shared hub, extracted configuration information from the first shared hub and the extracted configuration information from the first debug unit and the extracted configuration information from the second debug unit; and

storing in the memory located in the second shared hub, the extracted configuration information from the first shared hub, the extracted configuration information from the first debug unit and the extracted configuration information from the second debug unit.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , the method further comprising:

prior to power down, at each shared hub, determining the size of configuration data of structures accessible by that shared hub in higher layers of the hierarchical debug architecture that is to be extracted prior to power down;

adding the size of configuration data of that shared hub to the determined size to form an accumulated size, and

routing that accumulated size to a shared hub on a lower layer of the hierarchical debug architecture.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein power down occurs whilst the integrated circuit chip is being debugged.

10. An integrated circuit chip comprising:

a portion of the integrated circuit chip comprising a plurality of peripheral circuits, each peripheral circuit connected to a respective debug unit; and

a memory for storing configuration information of the debug units;

wherein each debug unit is configured to send its configuration information to the memory prior to powering down the portion of the integrated circuit chip;

wherein the memory is configured to store the configuration information of the debug units during power down of the portion of the integrated circuit chip; and

wherein the integrated circuit chip is configured to restore the configuration information of that debug unit to that debug unit on power up prior to resuming operation of that debug unit and the peripheral circuit connected to that debug unit;

wherein the peripheral circuits and debug units form part of a hierarchical debug architecture on the integrated circuit chip, at least one layer of the hierarchical debug architecture comprising at least one shared hub directly accessible by at least one structure on another layer of the hierarchical debug architecture, wherein:

each shared hub is configured to, prior to power down:

(i) determine the number of structures accessible by that shared hub in higher layers of the hierarchical debug architecture that have configuration information to be extracted prior to power down;

(ii) add the number of structures at that shared hub to the determined number to form an accumulated number; and

(iii) route the accumulated number to a shared hub on a lower layer of the hierarchical debug architecture.

11. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each debug unit is configured to:

send configuration information in an extraction message set comprising one or more messages; and

receive the configuration information in a restoration message set comprising one or more messages;

wherein the extraction message set matches the restoration message set.

12. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the memory is at a location on the integrated circuit chip such that during power down of the portion of the integrated circuit chip the memory is powered up.

13. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the memory is integrated in a shared hub, the shared hub being accessible by the debug units.

14. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a power controller configured to send a power down handshake message to each debug unit prior to the extraction of configuration information from each debug unit.

15. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a power controller configured to send a power up handshake message from a power controller to each debug unit prior to restoring the configuration information of each debug unit.

16. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , wherein a first shared hub is directly accessible by a first debug unit and a second debug unit, and a second shared hub is directly accessible by the first shared hub, wherein:

the first debug unit is configured to route extracted configuration information from that first debug unit to the first shared hub;

the second debug unit is configured to route extracted configuration information from that second debug unit to the first shared hub;

the first shared hub is configured to route to the second shared hub, extracted configuration information from the first shared hub and the extracted configuration information from the first debug unit and the extracted configuration information from the second debug unit; and

the memory on the integrated circuit chip is located in the second shared hub and is configured to store the extracted configuration information from the first shared hub, the extracted configuration information from the first debug unit and the extracted configuration information from the second debug unit.

17. An integrated circuit chip as claimed in claim 10 , wherein:

each shared hub is configured to, prior to power down:

(i) determine the size of configuration data of structures accessible by that shared hub in higher layers of the hierarchical debug architecture that is to be extracted prior to power down;

(ii) add the size of configuration data of that shared hub to the determined size to form an accumulated size, and

(iii) route that accumulated size to a shared hub on a lower layer of the hierarchical debug architecture.