Multi-layered Defence Mechanisms: Architecture, Implementation and Demonstration of a Hardware Immune System

Biology uses numerous methods to keep the body in good working operation. If one line of defence is breached, the next uses a different approach. Very rarely are all lines of defence evaded. This paper analyses the body's approach to fault tolerance using the immune system and shows how such techniques can be applied to hardware fault tolerance. A fault detection layer inspired by the process of self/nonself discrimination used to detect bacterial infections in the body is created. The hardware immune system is then demonstrated to show how such a layer in hardware can provide fault detection.

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