Hardware fault tolerance implemented in software at the compiler level with special emphasis on array-variable protection

Advanced and sophisticated microprocessor-based systems are often applied in safety or mission critical subsystems. The problem of designing radiation-tolerant devices becomes very important, especially in places such as accelerators and synchrotrons, where the results of the experiments depend on the reliability of control mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a new technique for safe and reliable computing in the presence of radiation-induced errors. In our solution, Software Implemented Hardware Fault Tolerance (SIHFT) algorithms are implemented automatically during the compilation process. This approach makes it possible to use standard optimization algorithms during the compilation. In addition, a responsibility for implementing fault tolerance is transferred to the compiler and it is transparent to the programmers. Special emphasis has been placed on the array protection algorithm.