FlexStep: Enabling Flexible Error Detection in Multi/Many-core Real-time Systems

Reliability and real-time responsiveness in safety-critical systems have traditionally been achieved using error detection mechanisms, such as LockStep, which require pre-configured checker cores, strict synchronisation, static error detection regions, or limited preemptions. However, these core-bound hardware mechanisms often lead to significant resource over-provisioning and diminished real-time performance in modern systems where tasks with varying reliability requirements are consolidated on shared processors for efficiency and cost reduction. To address these challenges, this work presents FlexStep, a systematic solution that integrates hardware and software across the SoC, ISA, and OS scheduling layers. FlexStep features a novel microarchitecture that supports dynamic core configuration and asynchronous, preemptive error detection. The FlexStep architecture naturally allows for flexible task scheduling and error detection, enabling new scheduling algorithms that enhance both resource efficiency and real-time schedulability.