DrSEUs: A dynamic robust single-event upset simulator

Abstract

This paper presents DrSEUs (Dynamic robust Single-Event Upset simulator), a novel fault injector that uses the Simics full-system simulator. Fault-injection testing enables the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors in space, which are susceptible to radiation-induced faults but are desirable due to the lower cost and higher performance of COTS devices. The de facto standard for fault injection is radiation-beam testing, which is often prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. Our methodology provides a means to iteratively decrease design vulnerabilities through rapid fault injection prior to beam testing. Additionally, our methodology can supplement beam-test results by targeting injections at individual components of interest that are difficult to isolate in beam tests. Our fault-injection mechanism uses simulation checkpoints, allowing DrSEUs to target a wide range of system components for injection. The deterministic nature of Simics checkpoints enables the repeatability of injection results and the monitoring of latent faults propagating through the system. We demonstrate the injection capabilities and analysis features of DrSEUs by presenting fault-injection results for an image-processing application.