Fault-Tolerant Algorithms for Tick-Generation in Asynchronous Logic:
Robust Pulse Generation

Summary

The advances of deep submicron VLSI technology pose new challenges in designing robust systems, which can in principle be addressed by approaches established in fault-tolerant distributed systems research. This paper is the first step in an attempt to develop a very robust high-precision clocking system for hardware designs like systems-on-chip for critical applications. It is devoted to the design and the correctness proof of a novel Byzantine fault-tolerant self-stabilizing pulse synchronization protocol, which facilitates a direct implementation in standard asynchronous digital logic. Despite the severe implementation constraints, it offers optimal resilience and smaller complexity than all existing pulse synchronization protocols.