Nios® V Processor: Lockstep Implementation

ID 833274
Date 10/07/2024
Public
Document Table of Contents

6.7.1. UC_01: Standard Fail Safe or No Availability

You can adopt this standard failure control scenario when the comparator detects a fault. This use case does not provide availability, which refers to the whole processor system being halted.

This use case involves the following steps:

  1. The comparator flags a mismatch due to a fault in one of the two CPUs.
  2. fRSmartComp categorizes the fault as ERROR.
  3. fRSmartComp sets the primary OKNOK output to NOT_OK.
  4. The System Supervisor uses the NOT_OK status to keep the system in a safe state (safe state may be automatically activated by optional hardware or software according to the system implementation that you defined.)
  5. The system enters a permanent safe state mode.
The following flow diagram shows the use case with a fault occurring inside the processor after the boot phase when the application is up and running on both CPUs and the comparator’s blind window has expired. There are neither transient/permanent distinction nor availability concepts—after the fault is detected, the system is always put in a safe state by the System Supervisor.
Figure 25. Standard Fail Safe Flowchart Diagram