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April 30, 2014 1
A New Tool forDesigner-Level Verification:
From Concept to Reality
April 30, 2014
Ziv Nevo
IBM Haifa Research Lab
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Overview
• Designer-level verification (DLV)
• DLV tools: historical perspective at IBM
• Our latest recipe
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Designer-level verification (DLV)
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Life without DLV
Logic designerVerification
engineer
spec-------
---
spec-------
---
RTL
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Weeks later…
Logic designerVerification
engineer
spec-------
---
spec-------
---
fail
trace
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DLV ≈ “Developer testing”(standard practice in SW)
Verification
engineerLogic designer
RTL
Basic checks
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What activities does DLV include?
Observing mainstream
behavior
Exploring corner cases
Checking assertions
and coverage
points
Bug hunting
Debugging
Observation
Lightweight verification
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Verification: tools of the trade• Simulator• Testbench• HVL• Methodology• Scripts• Formal• Assertions• Coverage• …
Logic designer
Verification engineer
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DLV: what should the tools be?
Logic designer
• Simulator• Testbench• HVL• Methodology• Scripts• Formal• Assertions• Coverage• …
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DLV tools: historical perspective at IBM
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Idea 1: TIMEDIAG (1997)
Specify input value/function/random
Loop cycle (count/random/condition)
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Idea 1: TIMEDIAG (1997)
GenRand
Random instantiation Simulation Checking
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TIMEDIAG ingredients
simulation
Waveform-based
interface complex interleavings
What’s missing?
• Interactive define/run/view
• Event-guided test cases
• Formal analysis
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What activities does DLV include?
Observing mainstream
behavior
Exploring corner cases
Checking assertions
and coverage
points
Bug hunting
Debugging
Observation
Lightweight verification
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Idea 2: PathFinder (2002)
Define events
View trace
Find a trace(formal analysis)
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Idea 2: PathFinder (2002)Main flow:• Specify events• Find trace• View trace
Minor feature:• Edit inputs on
waveform• Simulate
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PathFinder ingredients
waveform-based
interfacesimulation
Interactive define/run/view
Event-guided
test cases
Formal analysis
What’s missing?• Simple driving
(default is random)• Fast simulation• Integration with
common tools
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What activities does DLV include?
Observing mainstream
behavior
Exploring corner cases
Checking assertions
and coverage
points
Bug hunting
Debugging
Observation
Lightweight verification
![Page 19: A New Tool for Designer-Level Verification: From Concept to Reality](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022051317/5681631a550346895dd392aa/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
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Another DLV tool
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Jasper Visualize
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Our latest recipe
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Latest recipe: DiverMain flow
Specify inputs
Simulate
View trace
IBM Debug and Verification Tool for Designers (DIVER)
scenario editor
Specify expected results
View unexpected results
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Latest recipe: DiverAdditional variations
Repetitions and delays
Specify events on outputs
Run-to-failure
Simulate or run formal engine
Assertions and coverage
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Debugging
Import trace
Trace from simulation of integrated component
Scenario for designer-level component
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Diver ingredients
simulation
Waveform-based
interface
Interactive define/run/view
Event-guided
test casesFormal analysis
Climate for DLV
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What activities does DLV include?
Observing mainstream
behavior
Exploring corner cases
Checking assertions
and coverage
points
Bug hunting
Debugging
Observation
Lightweight verification
![Page 27: A New Tool for Designer-Level Verification: From Concept to Reality](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022051317/5681631a550346895dd392aa/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
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Conclusions• DLV activity should scale linearly with the amount
of effort spent
• Recommended recipe:– Waveform-based interface– Interactive define/run/view– Integration with common tools
– Driving inputs– Simulation
– Event-based test cases– A touch of formal analysis
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Questions?