DiRAC: dynamic reconfiguration animation and control

This paper describes the developments with DiRAC (dynamic reconfiguration animation and control), a software tool for dynamic visualization and control of reconfigurable modular systems and their simulation. The tool is built on an extension of standard Verilog interfaces. Alternative options of module functionality can be implemented either in (1) Verilog, (2) a logic hardware emulation on an FPGA PCI extension board or (3) as an executable program with standardized interfaces that is compiled from an arbitrary high-level language. For each module interface in the system reconfiguration between alternative module realizations in two modes: (i) as (static) user-interactive reconfiguration or (ii) as (dynamic) run-time reconfiguration were allowed. The tool allows the simulation and animation of the dynamic system behavior in each reconfiguration mode and the user is allowed to choose the level of detail in the visualization interactively. By these means the specification, development and simulation of dynamically reconfigurable systems were supported and assist in the improved understanding of their operation. The user-interactive reconfiguration mode additionally supports the incremental modular development of digital systems allowing for partial prototyping, integration and co-design of hardware and software functionality in hybrid descriptions