Invariant checkers: An efficient low cost technique for run-time transient errors detection

Semiconductor technology evolution brings along higher soft error rates and long duration transients, which require new low cost system level approaches for error detection and mitigation. Known software based error detection techniques imply a high overhead in terms of memory usage and execution times. In this work, the use of software invariants as a means to detect transient errors affecting a system at run-time is proposed. The technique is based on the use of a publicly available tool to automate the invariant detection process, and the decomposition of complex algorithms into simpler ones, which are checked through the verification of their invariants during the execution of the program. A sample program is used as a case study, and fault injection campaigns are performed to verify the error detection capability of the proposed technique. The experimental results show that the proposed technique provides high error detection capability, with low execution time overhead.