Safe and dynamic traffic rate control for networks-on-chips

Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) for real-time systems require solutions for a safe and predictable sharing of resources between transmissions with different quality-of service (QoS) requirements. In this work, we present a mechanism which allows to apply existing wormhole-switched and performance optimized NoCs in safety critical domains, without requiring complex hardware modifications. For this purpose, we introduce a global and dynamic admission control mechanism implemented in the form of an access layer, controlling the rates at which running applications can access the NoC. The mechanism allows to enforce behavioral models for different data streams as well as to dynamically adapt the rates values to the number of currently active applications. We prove this important feature using formal timing analysis. Our approach results in a higher performance and tighter guarantees while simultaneously decreasing hardware (up to 60%) and temporal overhead (up to 80%) when compared with existing solutions.