On-Chip Hot-Socketing & Power-Sequencing Support in Altera Devices
Hot socketing refers to the capability to insert a board into or remove a board from a system during system operation without causing negative effects to the system or the board. It is also referred to as "hot swapping" or "hot plug-in".
Altera is the only PLD supplier that offers on-chip hot-socketing and power-sequence-protection support and characterization proof data for 130-nm FPGA families. The Stratix®, Stratix GX, and Cyclone™ FPGA families and the MAX® 7000AE, and MAX 3000A CPLD families are designed and tested to offer robust support for on-chip hot socketing and power-sequence protection without needing additional external devices or board manipulation. The newly introduced 90-nm Stratix II and Cyclone II FPGA families and the 0.18-um MAX II CPLD family also support on-chip hot socketing and power-sequence-protection capability.
To be considered a hot-socketable device, the device must meet three criteria:
- It can be driven before power up without any damage
- It does not drive out before or during power up
- External input signals to the device’s I/O pins do not power its VCCIO or VCCINT power supplies through the device’s internal paths
To find out more about the advantages of the on-chip hot-socketing support in Altera® devices, refer to the white paper Altera Hot-Socketing & Power-Sequencing Advantages that details Altera’s hot-socketing advantages. For detailed characterization data, refer to the white paper Hot-Socketing & Power-Sequencing Feature & Testing for Altera Devices.
For detailed characterization data, refer to the white paper detailing hot-socketing features and testing for Stratix II, Cyclone II, Stratix, Stratix GX, and Cyclone FPGA families and MAX II, MAX 7000AE, and MAX 3000A CPLD families.
Hot Socketing & Power-Sequence Protection in PLDs for High-Availability Systems
Hot socketing is a critical requirement for systems that require high availability (constant system uptime), such as network storage servers or carrier-class telecommunication infrastructures, where each second of system downtime translates directly into revenue losses.
Hot Socketing & Power-Sequence Protection in PLDs for Multi-Voltage Systems
In multi-voltage systems for which hot socketing is not required, hot-socketing and power-sequence-protection capability of the PLDs still can be critical. In these systems, regulators are used to provide different voltage levels and can cause the power-up sequence to become unpredictable; devices that require a predetermined power-up sequence may no longer function properly. PLDs’ hot-socketing support can alleviate problems in multi-voltage system designs because normal PLD functionality will not be influenced by the system power-up sequence. This can be vital for the common application where CPLDs are used to control the power up of other devices in very complex systems.
Table 1 outlines some example systems in different market segments that benefit from hot socketing in Altera devices.
| Table 1. Examples of Systems Requiring Hot Socketing |
| Market Segment |
Application Examples |
| Networking |
|
| Computing services |
- Workstations
- Computer servers
|
| Data storage |
- Data switches
- Tape automation system
- Storage system data centers
|
| Wireless communications |
- Cellular basestation infrastructure
|
| Wire line communications |
- PBX and central office infrastructure
|
On-Chip Hot Socketing & Power-Sequencing Support Advantages
There are several techniques used to ensure that PLDs function properly during hot socketing, including sequence connectors and discrete hot-swap controllers. Table 2 compares hot socketing in Altera PLDs versus using other techniques.
| Table 2. Altera PLDs vs. the Alternatives |
| |
Altera Hot-Socketable PLD (1) |
Sequenced Connectors |
Hot-Swap Controller |
| Advantages |
- Includes no-hassle, drop-in implementation
- Normal PLD functionality not influenced by power-up sequence (2)
- Includes on-chip support (no external devices or board manipulation required) (3)
|
- Guarantees that ground and power pins mate with the backplane before signal pins
|
- Includes in-rush current protection
- Includes power-up sequence control
|
| Disadvantages |
- |
- May not work for multi-voltage systems
- Requires careful on-board power distribution
|
- Requires additional external device
- Uses more board space
- Contradicts with the pin-mating sequence requirements
- Requires additional investments
- May not guarantee hot-socketing capability of the PLD I/O buffers
|
Notes:
- For the actual hot-socketing specification for each PLD family, refer to the handbook or data sheet of each respective family.
- The hot-socketing support in the Stratix, Stratix GX, and Cyclone FPGA families and the MAX 7000AE, and MAX 3000A CPLD families is verified against different power-up sequences. Detailed test set-up and procedures can be found in the characterization report. The Stratix II, Cyclone II, and MAX II families will also support hot-socketing feature.
- The APEX II, APEX 20K, ACEX® 1K, Mercury, FLEX® 10KA, FLEX 10KE, and 3.3-V FLEX 6000 FPGA families, and the MAX 7000B CPLD family also support hot socketing. See AN 107: Using Altera Devices in Multiple-Voltage Systems.
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