On-Line reconfigurable hardware implementations for FEC and cryptography: A primitive-based domain approach

This paper describes a novel approach for the design and implementation of dedicated on-line reconfigurable hardware systems where the reconfigurability spans a range of application domains defined by the data primitives shared by these domains. We refer to this approach as a primitive-based domain approach in which the domain is defined by the data primitive operators. This is in contrast to the common approach of domain implementations where reconfigurability spans only a single application domain. The proposed primitive-based domain approach enables reconfigurable hardware performance for classes of application domains that share the same primitives to be implemented on the same optimised software controlled hardware. In this paper we present details of a case study in the domains of cryptography and FEC where this approach has been applied. Issues pertinent to evolving the approach to a design for flexibility methodology are also discussed briefly.