Multi-core processor: Stepping inside the box
Abstract
The last decade has seen the emergence of multi-core and many-core processors replacing historical uni-processors in most of the applicative domains. There is no doubt that the next generation of aircraft will rely on these technologies raising major issues especially with regard to safety assessment. Indeed, currently, a processor is considered as a black-box component where any single internal failure leads to the loss of all executed software. Due to the numerous resources provided by such platform, position papers like the CAST-32A promote a finer analysis of the safety impact of internal component failures. Hence there is a necessity to open the box and see such a processor as a subsystem. We introduce a formal modeling framework capturing the main characteristics of software/hardware failure propagation. This framework is applied on a simplified UAV control use-case.
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