Ethernet based in-service reconfiguration of SoCs in telecommunication networks

Abstract:
The development of next-generation telecommunication infrastructure meets a number of demanding challenges. Complex functionality, highest bandwidth demands, short development cycles and dynamic market requirements are combined with emerging technologies where standardization is not complete or subject to change. This involves a high risk of errors and non-conformances. Once the equipment is deployed, the update of chips is expensive and time-consuming, requiring re-spins of the devices and field exchange of circuit packs. Reconfigurable Systems-on-Chip will facilitate to accommodate changes subsequent to the deployment and thus significantly reduce failure costs. In this paper we present a new reconfiguration technology for Systems-on-Chip in a telecommunication network: design parts of deployed devices are updated based on information distributed to the Systems-on-Chip with in-band Ethernet packet streams while the network equipment stays in service.