Accomplishments
I wasn’t able to post a status update before spring break started, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. This week I have two big accomplishments to report:
- Implemented Memory Port Controller Cache
- Started Defining FPU Job Manager Control FSMs
First, the cache code is the part of the Memory Port Controller that will actually be sending signals to the SDRAM and M9K Controllers. Having the cache implemented means that implementing the rest of the Memory Port Controller is simply a matter of instantiating modules and writing an if statement to route read/write enable signals.
Second is the matter of the FPU Job Manager Control FSMs. Actually solidifying the number of FPUs a Job Manager, deciding how many registers to put in a register file, and determining how many writes to registers to perform in a cycle depends on the necessities we need to perform the Linear Forward, Convolution Forward, and Convolution Backward operations defined in our Design Document. Every other operation is simpler than these, so an implementation of the FPU Job Manager that accommodates for all of these three operations will also have ample resources to perform the rest. In addition, since most of the other operations are very simple, writing the rest of the FPU Job Manager will be a much simpler task.
At the moment, the definition of a control FSM looks like this:
Essentially, it describes the number of states needed, the actions performed in each state, and the transitions between states. It is necessary to do this before I actually write the code so that I know the maximum requirements needed by any FPU operation and I can write the Job Manager to have the smallest footprint possible.
Schedule
The Memory Port Manager is something that should have been finished before this week. By my next status update, it will be completely done.
Accomplishments for Next Week
For next week, the Memory Port Manager will be complete and the FSM definitions for the Linear Forward, Convolution Forward, and Convolution Backward layers will be complete. Ideally, I will be implementing the FPU Job Manager next week.