Split Boot -- True Network-Based Booting on Heterogeneous MPSoCs
Marvin Fuchs, Luis E. Ardila-Perez, Torben Mehner, Oliver Sander

TL;DR
This paper introduces 'split boot,' a network-based booting method for heterogeneous MPSoCs like Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ devices, enabling universal firmware deployment by offloading application-specific info to network storage.
Contribution
The paper presents a novel split boot approach that separates application-specific data from the boot process, facilitating scalable firmware management for large heterogeneous MPSoC systems.
Findings
Enables universal firmware deployment across many devices.
Integrates seamlessly with existing Xilinx tools.
Reduces complexity in firmware updates and maintenance.
Abstract
In the context of the High-Luminosity (HL) upgrade of the LHC, many custom ATCA electronics boards are being designed containing heterogeneous System-on-Chip (SoC) devices, more specifically the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ (ZUS+) family. While the application varies greatly, these devices are regularly used for performing board management tasks, making them a fundamental element in the correct operation of the board. The large number of hundreds of SoC devices creates significant challenges in their firmware deployment, maintenance, and accessibility. Even though U-Boot on ZUS+ devices supports network boot through the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE), the standard ZUS+ boot process contains application-specific information at earlier boot steps, particularly within the First Stage Bootloader (FSBL). This prevents the initialization of several devices from a universal image. Inspired by…
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Taxonomy
TopicsParticle Detector Development and Performance · Distributed and Parallel Computing Systems · Interconnection Networks and Systems
