An Open-Source Hardware/Software Architecture for Remote Control of SoC-FPGA Based Systems

We present an open hardware/software architecture for remote control of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based Systems on Chip (SoC). These systems, which integrate embedded processors, FPGA fabric, memory blocks and other resources, usually need to be controlled from a computer. The proposed architecture comprises a set of commands, instructions for data movement, and standardized data packets. A minimal set of specifications and design guidelines will effectively separate hardware and software developments granting compatibility to the different subsystems. A simple architectural approach ensures compatibility of computer resident software, embedded processor software, and FPGA designs. The implicit structured design methodology associated with the proposed architecture facilitates remote control as well as maintenance, debugging, and portability among SoC-FPGA vendors. We describe a concrete implementation in order to show how data and instructions can be moved across the whole system.