UNDERWARE-A Layer for Homogeneous Access to Heterogeneous Multi-Core Processors

103 Abstract— This paper proposes a new way to tackle the problem of using the existing resources of multi-core proce ssors with different types of cores, like PowerPC, Intel, ARM, DSP s, FPGA areas, etc. Applications for these heterogeneous mul ti-cores are difficult to write, as most programmers and programm ing tools target one platform only and in many cases single-c ores only. The way to accomplish this is by creating a new layer , which is located between the operating system and the underly ing heterogeneous hardware. In analogy to the middleware between applications and the OS it is called “underware”. Th e underware layer itself consists of two sublayers: The lower “ad apter layer” builds a uniform interface for any underlying processor-core-configuration; above it lies the “sc heduling layer”, which automatically distributes applications to the corresponding core or cores (if parallel execution is possible) or even to several different idle cores if the applica tion is available in different platform executables. Research on the appr oach described in this paper is yet in an early stage; t he corresponding project “UNDERWARE” just started. Therefore no prelimina ry results can be given. However the concept is sound a it can therefore be expected to get a first prototype soon .