1.4. Glossary
| Acronym/Term |
Expansion | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AFU |
Accelerator Functional Unit | Hardware Accelerator implemented in FPGA logic which offloads a computational operation for an application from the CPU to improve performance. |
| CCI-P | Core Cache Interface | CCI-P is the standard interface AFUs use to communicate with the host. |
| CSK | Code Signing Key | A key used to validate integrity and authenticity of a block of code. Authenticity of this key is established through signing with a root key. |
| ECDSA | Elliptical Curve Digital Signature Algorithm | An algorithm based on elliptic curve cryptography to create signatures that can be used to evaluate the authenticity of an object. |
| FIU |
FPGA Interface Unit | FIU is a platform interface layer that acts as a bridge between platform interfaces like PCIe* and AFU-side interfaces such as CCI-P. |
| FIM |
FPGA Interface Manager | The FPGA functional block containing the FPGA Interface Unit (FIU) and external interfaces for memory, networking, etc. The FIM may also be referred to as BBS (Blue-Bits, Blue Bit Stream) in the Acceleration Stack installation directory tree and in source code comments. The Accelerator Function (AF) interfaces with the FIM at run time. |
| HSM | Hardware Security Module | A secure hardware device to hold, protect, and allow access to cryptographic objects; performs cryptographic operations in a trusted environment. |
| NIST p Curve | National Institute of Standards and Technology prime Curve | P256 is used throughout this document. Without any other associations added, P256 means NIST P256 curves, where p is a 256-bit prime. |
| OPAE |
Open Programmable Acceleration Engine | The OPAE is a software framework for managing and accessing AFs. |
| PACSign | PAC image signing tool | A standalone tool to manage root entry hash bitstream creation, image signing, and cancellation bitstream creation |
| PKCS | Public Key Cryptography Standard | PKCS#11 is used throughout this document. PKCS#11 is a commonly used interface for commercial hardware security modules (HSMs). |
| PR |
Partial Reconfiguration | The ability to dynamically reconfigure a portion of an FPGA while the remaining FPGA design continues to function. |
| Root Key | - | A key designated as the primary, constant value for authentication. Typically only used to sign other keys, forming the root of all key chains. |
| RoT | Root of Trust | A source that can be trusted, such as the TCM in the Intel® FPGA PAC. |
| RSU | Remote System Update | Ability to update firmware and FPGA bitstreams over PCIe* . |
| SR | Static Region | Portion of the FPGA design that does not change. |