2026-09-19T03:49:08Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1514122023-08-01T04:07:25Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Steinmeyer, Joseph D.
Lang, Jay
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
2023-07-31T19:37:45Z
2023-07-31T19:37:45Z
2023-06
2023-06-06T16:35:30.752Z
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/151412
In this thesis, we investigate the deployment of real-world Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools in the digital design classroom. Hands-on experience with these tools is essential to prepare students for state-of-the-art research and industry settings. However, modern EDA tools such as Xilinx’s Vivado have limited to no compatibility with a broad subset of architectures and operating systems used by students. Past digital design courses have sidestepped this problem by providing a lab space stocked with research-grade computers - however, this solution is incompatible with trends in remote and hybrid learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accordingly, we have designed and implemented lab-bc, a serverless computing platform which allows our students to invoke industry-standard EDA tooling remotely. Our system is significant in that it provides locality transparency: in contrast to existing remote interfaces, students may invoke tools like Vivado as if they are installed on their own devices. This interface grants students the generality, ease-of-use, and performance of a local installation regardless of the hardware they own. lab-bc is deployed onto a set of excess servers in our lab space, where despite frequent spinning disk failures and unreliable power delivery, the system provides high-performance, strongly-sandboxed Vivado instances to MIT students nationwide.
M.Eng.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Copyright retained by author(s)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Lab-bc: A Serverless Computing Platform for MIT
Educators
Thesis
application/pdf
Master
Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Publication
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>In this thesis, we investigate the deployment of real-world Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools in the digital design classroom. Hands-on experience with these tools is essential to prepare students for state-of-the-art research and industry settings. However, modern EDA tools such as Xilinx’s Vivado have limited to no compatibility with a broad subset of architectures and operating systems used by students. Past digital design courses have sidestepped this problem by providing a lab space stocked with research-grade computers - however, this solution is incompatible with trends in remote and hybrid learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accordingly, we have designed and implemented lab-bc, a serverless computing platform which allows our students to invoke industry-standard EDA tooling remotely. Our system is significant in that it provides locality transparency: in contrast to existing remote interfaces, students may invoke tools like Vivado as if they are installed on their own devices. This interface grants students the generality, ease-of-use, and performance of a local installation regardless of the hardware they own. lab-bc is deployed onto a set of excess servers in our lab space, where despite frequent spinning disk failures and unreliable power delivery, the system provides high-performance, strongly-sandboxed Vivado instances to MIT students nationwide.</Abstract>
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