Note: under construction (May 28, 2019)
This is a hardware IP, a hardware implementation of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). The hardware is designed in the High-Level Hardware Design Language Bluesec BSV, but this repo also contains pre-generated Verilog that can be used immediately as-is.
The IP consists of 3 layers in the following top-to-bottom hierarchy:
- Layer 0: AXI4 master and slave adapter
- Layer 1: Generic Memory-to-Memory AES accelerator
- Layer 2: AES core
Layer 2 is the inner-most layer (AES core) is just a hardware implementation of AES. Conceptually, it is an object with 3 methods:
- set key (currently only 128-bit keys; future 192 and 256)
- encrypt a block (128-bit)
- decrypt a block (128-bit)
Layer 1 uses Layer 2 to implement a memory-to-memory functionality with memory master and slave interfaces that are completely generic (no specific bus protocol). It can be programmed by reading/writing memory-mapped registers on slave interface:
- Write memory address of key
- Write memory address of input text
- Write memory address of output text
- Write number of 128-bit blocks in input/output text
- Write command: expand key/ encrypt/ decrypt
- Read status: idle/ busy/ errors
Once programmed and given a comand, the IP uses the master interface to read and write data from memory, performing the command (key expansion, encryption or decryption). Completion can be detected by polling the status register, or by fielding a completion-interrupt generated by the IP.
Layer 0 adapts the generic memory slave and master interfaces in Layer 1 into a 64-bit AXI4 slave and master, respectively. By replacing Layer0, one can use the IP with other types of buses.