1. Honeywell Defense & Space, Clearwater, FL
Dependable Multiprocessor (DM) Support for Diverse and Heterogeneous Processing Précis Presentation
Dr. Matthew Clark
Honeywell Defense & Space, Clearwater, FL
(727)
September 22, 2009

2. DM: A COTS-Based High-Performance Payload Cluster Computing Platform
What is DM?
A high-performance, COTS-based, fault tolerant cluster onboard processing system that can operate in a natural space radiation environment
High throughput density (>300 MOPS/watt), scalable & software based
High system availability >0.995
High probability of timely and correct delivery of data >0.995
Technology independent system software that manages cluster of high performance COTS processing elements
Technology independent system software that enhances radiation upset tolerance
TRL6 Testbed
Data Processor
Emulated Spacecraft Computer
Discrete Control Network
System
Controller
(Mass Data Store)
Ethernet Switch DM
Why is DM important?
Status?
Flying high-performance COTS in space is a long-held NASA and DoD objective
DM is bringing this objective closer to reality
Enables heretofore unrealizable levels of onboard data and autonomy processing
Enables faster, more efficient application development
Enables users to port applications directly from laboratory to space environment
DM is a significant paradigm shift
provides ~ 10X – 100X throughput density available with current RHBP & software-based RHBD processing at much lower cost
software-based technology allows space to keep pace with COTS
NASA NMP ST8 has invested >$12M in the development and demonstration of DM technology through TRL6
Demonstrated DM predictive Availability, “Computational Consistency,” and Performance models
Demonstrated ability to meet NASA Level 1 requirements/goals
Successfully completed system-level radiation testing
DM project has further developed, refined and demonstrated the process for migrating COTS high performance computing to space
DM technology has been demonstrated on wide variety of platforms
DM technology is applicable to wide range of missions
Seeking a ride to space to achieve TRL7
What is it? An Advanced on-board Payload Data Processing System Developed for JPL New Millennium Program Space Technology 8
The Dependable Multiprocessor is a technology being developed by Honeywell Inc. It allows us to do complex processing of science data onboard the spacecraft. Using standard commercial components arranged in a unique architecture, along with special software to detect and correct radiation induced errors, this technology will allow us to build computers that are up to 1000 times more capable than current day spaceborne computer systems. These new, highly capable computers will make possible a new generation of intelligent spacecraft and robotics for future NASA science and exploration missions.
The ST8 technology validation effort sought to fly 4-node cluster with a Rad Hard SBC host or controller node, a mass storage node, and data processors on a cPCI backplane.
The SBC includes the three (3) Gigabit Ethernet ports for high speed networking of a cluster of these high performance data processing nodes.
It leverages four data processors consisting of the 7447a SBC with an altivec coprocessor
Today’s DM architecture is a ground TRL6 validation experiment
800 MHz ~ 5200 MFLOPS ~ 0.6 kg
The system completes 1K Complex FFT in ~ 9.8 msec ~ 433 MFLOPS/watt
DM is a Payload data processing system architecture, including a software framework and set of fault tolerance techniques, which provides:
Heterogeneous Scalable Architecture
Enables COTS based, high performance, processors
Runtime Environment Familiar to Application Developers
Supports parallel/distributed processing
Incorporates reconfigurable co-processors
Advanced Fault Tolerance
Facilitates porting of applications from the laboratory to the spacecraft
Maintains required dependability and availability
Responsive to environment, application criticality and system mode
Autonomous and adaptive controller for configuration
Optimizes resource utilization and system efficiency
TRL6 Status:
Radiation Testing
proton and heavy ion testing established SEE rates for all components on COTS DP boards
system-level testing performed with one COTS DP board exposed to proton beam while running the flight experiment application suite (SAR, Matrix Multiply, 2DFFT, LUD, AltiVec (FFTW), stressing Logic test, and stressing Branch test) in a DM system context
DM flight experiment instrumentation including emulated ground station operated and post-experiment data analysis demonstrated
DMM middleware performed as designed
DM system successfully recovered from all radiation-induced faults
validated DM predictive Availability, “Computational Consistency,” and Performance models
DM Markov Models
demonstrated DM predictive Availability, “Computational Consistency,” and Performance models
models based on component-level radiation test results and comprehensive SWIFI (Software-Implemented Fault Injection) campaigns
extrapolation to various radiation environments, i.e., orbits, and other applications
Demonstrated ability to meet NASA level 1 requirements/goals
> Availability
> “Computational Consistency,” the probability of timely and correct delivery of data
> 300 MOPS per watt
> 307 MOPS/watt HSI application on 7447a processor with AltiVec (including System Controller power)
> 1077 MOPS/watt HSI application on PS Semi dual core processor with AltiVec
Demonstrated ease of use
independent 3rd party with minimal knowledge of fault tolerance ported two (2) diverse applications to DM
testbed in less than three (3) days including scalable parallelization, hybrid ABFT/in-line replication, 2D
convolution and median filter ABFT library functions, FEMPI, and check-pointing
DM Technology is Ready for a Flight Experiment 2

3. DM TRL6 Testbed System TRL6 Testbed Configuration
System Controller (SC)
Honeywell Ganymede (PPC603e)
VxWorks 5.5
4x Data Processing Nodes (DP)
XES XPedite MHz with AltiVec) ruggedized, conductively-cooled COTS SBCs
Wind River PNE-LE CGL 1.4 (Kernel )
1 DP emulates rad-hard “mass memory” device
100BaseT Ethernet Network
Spacecraft Communication Interface over RS422 on SC
Dependable Multiprocessor Middleware (DMM)
Critical Design Review
- ruggedized, conductively-cooled,
COTS boards can fly in space
DM TRL6 Testbed
XES XPedite 6031 Data Processors
Ethernet Backplane Extender Cards
Honeywell Ganymede System Controller
Standard Compact PCI Backplane
DM is the path to space; DMM & COTS processors ready for flight experiment

4. The Next Steps in Diversity and Heterogeneity
To enhance DM’s diversity and heterogeneity, efforts are being made in the following areas:
Hardware
Additional COTS (SOI) processing architectures with path to space for improved throughput density
Additional high-speed interconnects with path to space for improved bandwidth, reliability, fault tolerance
Software
Additional POSIX compliant operating systems to expand supported data-processing platforms
Newer versions of VxWorks (6.x)
Wider variants of Linux (e.g., linux-rt)
Non-monolithic kernels (e.g., QNX)
Add support for Open MPI to expand the types of user applications that can be transparently migrated to DM environment
Upgrade current HAM software foundation to a Service AvailabilityTM Forum (SAF) compliant suite
DM is flexible; designed to meet current & future needs

5. Summary & Conclusion
DM is as an architecture and methodology that enables COTS-based, high performance, scalable, multi-computer systems, and accommodates future technology upgrades (HW & SW)
DM can rapidly incorporate new techniques/technologies to overcome performance gaps with regards to throughput, power, mass and cost
DM technology is platform-agnostic middleware
DM is a significant paradigm shift
- for applications that only need to be radiation tolerant, DM can provide 10x-100x throughput density (MOPS/watt) over current software programmable RHBP & RHBD processing capability with reduced cost, risk, and schedule
software-based technology allows space to keep pace with COTS
DM technology enables more onboard processing, faster onboard processing, faster frame processing, lower downlink bandwidth, and data/information direct to the war fighter
DM was developed by NASA as flight project
- extensive ground testing
- predictive models
- ready to fly
DM technology can take COTS to space; ready to support a flight experiment