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Integration of Dataflow-Based Heterogeneous Multiprocessor Scheduling Techniques in GNU Radio

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Abstract

As the variety of off-the-shelf processors expands, traditional implementation methods of systems for digital signal processing and communication are no longer adequate to achieve design objectives in a timely manner. There is a necessity for designers to easily track the changes in computing platforms, and apply them efficiently while reusing legacy code and optimized libraries that target specialized features in single processing units. In this context, we propose an integration workflow to schedule and implement Software Defined Radio (SDR) protocols that are developed using the GNU Radio environment on heterogeneous multiprocessor platforms. We show how to utilize Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) units provided in Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) along with vector accelerators implemented in General Purpose Processors (GPPs). We augment a popular SDR framework (i.e, GNU Radio) with a library that seamlessly allows offloading of algorithm kernels mapped to the GPU without changing the original protocol description. Experimental results show how our approach can be used to efficiently explore design spaces for SDR system implementation, and examine the overhead of the integrated backend (software component) library.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    George F. Zaki, William Plishker & Shuvra S. Bhattacharyya

  2. Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Charles Clancy

  3. Laboratory for Telecommunications Sciences, College Park, MD, USA

    John Kuykendall

Authors
  1. George F. Zaki
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  2. William Plishker
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  3. Shuvra S. Bhattacharyya
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  4. Charles Clancy
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  5. John Kuykendall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to George F. Zaki.

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This research was supported in part by the Laboratory for Telecommunications Sciences.

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Zaki, G.F., Plishker, W., Bhattacharyya, S.S. et al. Integration of Dataflow-Based Heterogeneous Multiprocessor Scheduling Techniques in GNU Radio. J Sign Process Syst 70, 177–191 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11265-012-0696-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11265-012-0696-0

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