Method and device for processing IP version of SOC chip

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and device for processing an IP version of an SOC chip, and relates to the technical field of chips. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring an IP name and IP version information of an IP related to a local SOC chip in a git system; obtaining online IP names and online IP version information published on the online collaborative editing platform by an IP developer, and extracting the online IP version information of each IP by using a preset script and an information extraction tool so as to obtain the latest IP version information currently corresponding to each IP name; and comparing the obtained version information of the IP related to the local SOC chip with the obtained latest IP version information, and generating a check report. According to the method, improvement is provided based on an existing git system, the problem that the accuracy of the IP version in the existing SOC chip design process is difficult to guarantee is effectively solved, and the accuracy, timeliness and reliability of IP version checking are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of chip development technology, and in particular to methods and apparatus for processing SOC chip IP versions. Background Technology

[0002] When designing a System-on-Chip (SoC), multiple intellectual properties (IPs, or IP cores) are typically involved. These IPs include various in-house developed IPs and third-party IPs. During the SoC development process, IPs iterate through different versions, requiring management of each IP version. In particular, the accuracy of IP version management during Register-Transfer Level (RTL) Freeze and the accuracy of the IP versions used by the SoC directly impact the overall chip functionality.

[0003] Determining the accuracy of the IP version is a crucial step in the success of SoC design and chip tape-out (the process of submitting the final circuit diagram to the semiconductor manufacturer for physical production). If an IP version error is discovered before RTL Freeze, the IP can be modified; however, after RTL Freeze, modifications to the RTL code are generally not possible. Discovering an IP version error at this point can range from affecting the chip's tape-out schedule to jeopardizing the entire chip's success. In other words, IP version management is critical to the success of a chip SoC.

[0004] Currently, repository management for RTL design and testing platform code versions in the chip industry is typically accomplished using the open-source distributed management system Git. Git is an open-source version control software developed by Linus Torvalds to help manage Linux kernel development. It can effectively and quickly handle version management for projects ranging from very small to very large.

[0005] However, existing version management solutions face several challenges in managing IP versions of SoC chips: First, the number of IPs on an SoC chip is large, and this number is expected to increase further with advancements in process technology and increased chip integration. To ensure the accuracy of IP version information during RTL Freeze, the traditional industry practice is to manually compile the version information of all IPs involved in the chip into an Excel spreadsheet during the RTL Freeze phase, then find the corresponding IP developer (IP owner) and verify each IP version to confirm its accuracy. Considering the frequent version iterations, large number of IPs, and large scale of the development process, this method is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, when an IP developer is responsible for too many IPs or when some IP versions are upgraded to multiple versions due to functional differences, version management can easily become chaotic or errors can occur during version information verification, resulting in poor reliability. Second, the IPs used in SoC chips come from various sources—they may be from in-house development or from third-party suppliers—making IP version management difficult. Third, the IP versions used in SOC chips are usually continuously updated and iterated. Some types of IP (such as NPU, DSP, etc.) are updated more quickly, requiring relevant personnel to continuously track and manage the IP versions used in SOC chips, which consumes human and equipment resources.

[0006] On the other hand, existing technologies offer solutions to the information inconsistency problem caused by information updates during chip development. For example, Chinese patent application CN202211623749.2 discloses a consistency check system for IP and SOC chips in the chip design logic layer. This system obtains a list of current logic layer SOC chip design files and a list of files integrating the IP chip design to be tested into the logic layer SOC chip design. It then updates the top-level files in the current logic layer SOC chip design file list to the top-level design to be compared, thus achieving consistency detection and enabling parallel detection, improving the efficiency and accuracy of IP / SOC consistency detection. However, this technical solution involves complex file list generation and parsing, making it difficult to apply to commonly used distributed management systems like Git. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a method and apparatus for processing SOC chip IP versions. It is based on the existing Git system and improves upon it, which effectively solves the problem of the difficulty in ensuring the accuracy of IP versions in the existing SOC chip design process, improves the accuracy, timeliness and reliability of IP version checking, and thus improves chip development efficiency.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A method for processing SOC chip IP versions includes the following steps: Obtain the first version information file from the git system. The first version information file contains the IP name and IP version information of the IP involved in the currently processed local SOC chip. The system obtains the online IP names and online IP version information published by IP developers on an online collaborative editing platform. Based on the matching of the IP names of the IPs involved in the aforementioned local SOC chip with the online IP names, it extracts the online IP version information of each IP from the aforementioned online IP version information using a preset script and information extraction tool, and obtains the second version information based on the extracted online IP version information. In the second version information, one IP name corresponds to one or more IP version information. The online IP version information in the second version information is sorted by IP name using a preset script. The latest IP version information corresponding to each IP name is obtained according to the sorting result, and the third version information is obtained based on the latest IP version information. Based on the IP name, the IP version information in the first version information file is compared with the IP version information in the third version information file. Based on the consistency of the IP version information, it is determined whether each IP is the latest version. Based on the comparison results, an inspection report is generated.

[0009] Furthermore, the first version information file is an XML format file, and the IP version information recorded in the file includes the IP major version number, the git file information used for the IP version, and the specific version information used for the IP. The specific version information is represented by the name of the tag, including the complete version number of the IP, which includes the major version number and the minor version number.

[0010] Furthermore, the first version information file contains IP version information for all IPs involved in the currently processed SOC.

[0011] Furthermore, the following steps are taken to generate an XML file containing the aforementioned third-version information using the `gen auto_xml` command in the Linux terminal: Obtain the first version information file; The first version information file is parsed to obtain the data format of the chip Freeze XML version information; When the gen auto_xml command is collected, an XML file with the same data format is generated as the third version information file according to the data format.

[0012] Furthermore, the online IP version information published by the IP developer on the online collaborative editing platform includes the IP major version number and the full version number; During the IP development process, IP developers use the `git tag` command on the Git system to release IPs, which includes major and minor version numbers. The online IP version information extracted by the information extraction tool includes a version list for each IP and a tag list for each version. The version list records the major version number information, and the tag list records the complete version number information.

[0013] Furthermore, when checking the consistency of version information for the same IP, the complete version information is used as the criterion for judging version consistency.

[0014] Furthermore, the online collaborative editing platform is a wiki webpage, and the information extraction tool is a web crawler. The preset script is a Python script.

[0015] Furthermore, the `gen xml_result` command in the Linux terminal generates an XML file containing the aforementioned inspection report information, and the comparison results of each IP are output through the inspection report file. The inspection report file includes at least the IP name field, the tag number field of the IP in the SOC, the latest tag number field of the IP in the Wiki, and the comparison result field. The tag information is the IP version information of the corresponding IP.

[0016] Furthermore, when the comparison results are inconsistent, the information fields in the inspection report will be displayed differently.

[0017] The present invention also provides an apparatus for processing SOC chip IP versions, the apparatus comprising the following structure: The local IP information acquisition module is used to obtain the first version information file from the git system. The first version information file contains the IP name and IP version information of the IP involved in the currently processed local SOC chip. The online information processing module is used to obtain the online IP name and online IP version information published by IP developers on the online collaborative editing platform. Based on the matching of the IP name of the IP involved in the aforementioned local SOC chip with the online IP name, the module extracts the online IP version information of each IP from the aforementioned online IP version information through a preset script and information extraction tool, and obtains the second version information based on the extracted online IP version information; in the second version information, one IP name corresponds to one or more IP version information. The version information sorting module is used to sort the online IP version information in the second version information by IP name through a preset script, obtain the latest IP version information corresponding to each IP name according to the sorting result, and obtain the third version information based on the latest IP version information. The comparison module is used to compare the IP version information in the first version information file with the IP version information in the third version information file based on the IP name, and to determine whether each IP is the latest version based on the consistency of the IP version information, and to generate an inspection report based on the comparison results.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, this invention has the following advantages and positive effects due to the adoption of the above technical solutions: Based on the Git system, it obtains the IP version information of the SOC chip, ensuring the accuracy of the current IP version information; based on the online shared version information from the IP developer, it ensures that the latest version of the IP information can be obtained by the SOC chip processor in a timely manner and used to check the version consistency of the IP.

[0019] The technical solution of this invention not only overcomes the shortcomings of traditional comparison methods, such as cumbersome operation, high communication costs across departments or even enterprises, and difficulty in guaranteeing accuracy, but also significantly improves the efficiency of version checking for SOC chip projects with rapid IP version iteration, a large number of IPs, and a large overall scale. It can also more effectively handle IP version updates, thereby improving the accuracy of version checking. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for processing SOC chip IP versions provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is an example diagram of the data format of the inspection report file provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of information processing for a device for processing SOC chip IP versions provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The method and apparatus for processing SOC chip IP versions disclosed in this invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that techniques (including methods and apparatus) known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the aforementioned known techniques are considered part of the specification. Furthermore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. The structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are only for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the invention can be implemented.

[0024] In the description of the embodiments of this application, " / " means "or", and "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" means: A and B exist alone, B exists alone, and A and B exist simultaneously. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0025] Terminology Explanation: (1) git: git is an open-source distributed version control system that can effectively and quickly handle project version management. This version control system is a system that records changes to file content. It records and saves every modification to a file, which can help team members collaborate on development and effectively manage code.

[0026] (2) IP: In the chip industry, IP (Intellectual Property) refers to a verified, reusable integrated circuit module with specific functions in integrated circuit design. It can also be called an IP core or IP module. In this invention, IP refers to the aforementioned IP core or IP module.

[0027] The technical concept and solution of the present invention will be described below based on exemplary application scenarios. Example

[0028] See Figure 1 The illustration shows a method for processing SOC chip IP versions provided in this embodiment. The term "processing" refers to the management process of IP version information during SOC chip R&D and design, including but not limited to acquiring, comparing, and editing version information files. This processing occurs before the RTL Freeze stage or during the RTL Freeze stage but before the freezing process is complete.

[0029] Specifically, the method includes the following steps: S100 retrieves the first version information file from the git system. The first version information file contains the IP name and IP version information of the IP involved in the currently processed local SOC chip.

[0030] This step uses Git XML to manage version information during the SOC chip development process. The first version information file is an XML file that records IP version information, specifically the chip freeze XML version information file. The IP version information recorded in this file includes the IP major version number, the Git file information used for the IP version, and the specific version information used by the IP. The specific version information is represented by tag names, including the complete IP version number, which contains both the major and minor version numbers. The first version information file may contain IP version information files corresponding to all IPs involved in the currently processed SOC chip.

[0031] As a typical example, the chip freeze XML version information file can contain three types of information, displayed in three columns in the file, wherein: The first type of information (displayed in the first column) shows the IP name and major version number of the relevant IP address, in the format "IP name / major version number". The major version number is usually represented by rxpx. For example, if the major version number of an IP address is r1p0, it represents the first major version (or major version). Similarly, r2p0 represents the second major version, and r3p0 represents the third major version.

[0032] The second type of information (displayed in the second column) shows the git file corresponding to the IP version information, which can be in the format of "IP name / major version number.git". For example, the git file corresponding to the version information of a certain IP's r1p0 version is r1p0.git, and the git file corresponding to the version of r2p0 version is r2p0.git.

[0033] The third type of information (displayed in the third column) shows the specific version information of the IP recorded with a full version number, represented by the tag name. The full version number includes a major version number and a minor version number, in the format "major version number_minor version number". For example, an IP's tag number is r1p0_V20, meaning the major version number is r1p0 and the minor version number is V20.

[0034] S200: Obtain the online IP name and online IP version information published by the IP developer on the online collaborative editing platform. Based on the matching of the IP name of the IP involved in the aforementioned local SOC chip with the online IP name, extract the online IP version information of each IP from the aforementioned online IP version information through a preset script and information extraction tool, and obtain the second version information based on the extracted online IP version information.

[0035] The IP developers include, but are not limited to, developers of IPs developed in-house by SOC chip designers and third-party IP developers.

[0036] The aforementioned online collaborative editing platform is an open, collaborative online document tool that allows users to create, edit, and publish content, similar to a wiki webpage commonly used in this industry. IP developers can use `git tag` to add tags during the IP development process and publish them to the wiki webpage. For example, a tag name could be "r1p0_V20". The `git tag` command is used in the Git version control system to manage tags (markers), primarily for adding readable markers to specific commits. The common command format for `git tag` is `git tag <tag name>`. In this step, the "tag name" is the complete version number of the IP.

[0037] The online IP version information published by the IP developer on the wiki specifically includes the IP major version number and the full version number. The full version number displays the specific version information of the IP, including the major version number and the minor version number.

[0038] In this context, the major version number refers to the major version number of an IP address, while the minor version number is the specific version number under that major version number. For example, if the complete version number of an IP address is r1p0_V20, then r1p0 is the major version number, representing the first major version of the IP address, while V20 is the minor version number under that major version number. As another example, if the complete version number of the aforementioned IP address is r2p0_V20, then its major version number r2p0 represents the second major version of the IP address, which is newer than the r1p0 version.

[0039] The matching of the IP name of the local SOC chip with the online IP name means that the IP name of the local SOC chip is the same as the online IP name, that is, matching the local IP version information and the online IP version information for the same IP (with the same IP name).

[0040] In this embodiment, the preset script is preferably a Python script. The information extraction tool is preferably a web crawler.

[0041] With the relevant authorization and / or permission, the online IP name and online IP version information published by the IP developer on the online collaborative editing platform can be legally obtained in this step using preset scripts and web crawling tools.

[0042] As a preferred approach, in this step, the user can use a Python script to collect the relevant IP names based on the local IP version information of the SOC, obtaining a list of IP names. Then, based on this list of IP names, an information extraction tool is used on the wiki to extract the corresponding IP version list and tag list information for each version. The version list records the major version number information, and the tag list records the complete version number information. In other words, the Python script can obtain the IP name information of relevant IPs from the local first version information file. Then, based on the obtained IP name information, a preset information extraction tool can be used to search and extract information from the online IP version information file published by the IP developer on the wiki, obtaining the online IP version information of the same IP (with the same IP name), which serves as the second version information for that IP. This includes the version list of each IP and the tag list information for each version. Taking a specific IP as an example, its version list can correspond to one or more IP versions (corresponding to the major version number), and each IP version also has a tag list to display multiple specific version numbers (corresponding to the complete version number) under that version.

[0043] S300: The online IP version information in the second version information is sorted by IP name using a preset script. The latest IP version information corresponding to each IP name is obtained according to the sorting result. The third version information is obtained based on the latest IP version information.

[0044] In practice, a Python script can be used to sort and filter the version list and tag list in the second version information to obtain the latest version and the TAG number under the latest version for each IP, which will then be used as the third version information.

[0045] The preferred method for sorting by IP name is as follows: For each IP in the second version information, sort its corresponding IP version information by version number. The sorting criterion is to sort first by the major version number, and if the major version numbers are the same, then sort by the minor version number, so as to determine the latest version information of the IP.

[0046] As an example, not a limitation, for a certain IP, its second version information includes three version numbers: r1p0_V30, r2p0_V20, and r1p0_V20. Sorting these three versions (in ascending order, the order is r1p0_V20, r1p0_V30, and r2p0_V20; in descending order, the order is r2p0_V20, r1p0_V30, and r1p0_V20) yields the latest version of the IP as r2p0, and the corresponding TAG number is r2p0_V20.

[0047] S400: Based on the IP name, compare the IP version information in the first version information file with the IP version information in the third version information, and determine whether each IP is the latest version based on the consistency of the IP version information, and generate inspection report information based on the comparison results.

[0048] This step involves comparing the IP version information of the Freeze code with the IP version information extracted from the online database and sorted to determine whether the version numbers in the two version information files are consistent.

[0049] When the version numbers in the two version information files are the same, it can be determined that the IP in the first version information file is the latest version, that is, the IP involved in the local SOC chip is the latest version. When the version numbers in the two version information files are different, it can be determined that the IP in the first version information file is not the latest version, and the version information needs to be updated.

[0050] When checking the consistency of version information of the same IP, it is preferable to use the consistency of the full version number as the judgment criterion, and determine whether the IP involved in the local SOC chip is the latest version by comparing whether the full version number is consistent.

[0051] Based on the aforementioned judgment results, inspection report information can also be generated. This inspection report information can be directly output to an Excel spreadsheet with a preset data format. When the first version information file matches the version information with the same IP name in the third version information, a result such as "PASS" or "Pass" is output to indicate that the version information is consistent. When the first version information file and the version information with the same IP name in the third version information are inconsistent, a result such as "FAIL" or "Fail" is output to indicate that the version information is inconsistent. The information fields in the inspection report information can also be displayed differently. This is an example, not a limitation. See [link to example]. Figure 2 As shown, for example, for the IP "Timer", its SOC IP TAG number and the latest WIKI IP TAG number are inconsistent. When outputting results such as "FAIL" or "failed" indicating inconsistent version information, different colors can be used to visually distinguish the two TAG numbers. Figure 2 The lieutenant general will mark the parts of the current freeze xml version that are lower than the online version in red, and mark the latest online version in green.

[0052] Preferably, an XML format file containing the aforementioned inspection report information can also be generated in the Linux terminal using the gen xml_result command, and the comparison results of each IP can be output through the inspection report file.

[0053] The inspection report file includes at least the IP name field, the tag number field of the IP in the SOC, the latest tag number field of the IP in the Wiki, and the comparison result field. The tag information is the IP version information of the corresponding IP.

[0054] Preferably, an XML file including the aforementioned third version information can also be generated within the Linux terminal using the `gen auto_xml` command. The steps are as follows: obtain the first version information file; parse the first version information file to obtain the data format of the chip Freeze XML version information; when the `gen auto_xml` command is received, generate an XML file with the same data format as the third version information file based on the data format. In this way, an XML information file with the exact same format and using the latest online version can be automatically generated based on the obtained chip Freeze XML version information file.

[0055] Another embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing SOC chip IP versions. The apparatus includes a local IP information acquisition module, an online information processing module, a version information sorting module, and a checking and comparison module.

[0056] The local IP information acquisition module is used to obtain the first version information file from the git system. The first version information file contains the IP name and IP version information of the IP involved in the currently processed local SOC chip.

[0057] The online information processing module is used to obtain the online IP name and online IP version information published by IP developers on the online collaborative editing platform. Based on the matching of the IP name of the IP involved in the aforementioned local SOC chip with the online IP name, the module extracts the online IP version information of each IP from the aforementioned online IP version information through a preset script and information extraction tool, and obtains the second version information based on the extracted online IP version information. In the second version information, one IP name corresponds to one or more IP version information.

[0058] The version information sorting module is used to sort the online IP version information in the second version information by IP name through a preset script, obtain the latest IP version information corresponding to each IP name according to the sorting result, and obtain the third version information based on the latest IP version information.

[0059] The comparison module is used to compare the IP version information in the first version information file with the IP version information in the third version information file based on the IP name, and to determine whether each IP is the latest version based on the consistency of the IP version information, and to generate an inspection report based on the comparison results.

[0060] And a results output module, used to generate and output an inspection report file that includes the aforementioned inspection report information.

[0061] Further, see Figure 3 As shown, the result output module can also be used to generate and output an XML format file that includes the aforementioned third version information.

[0062] Other technical features are described in the preceding embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0063] In the above description, the disclosure of this invention is not intended to limit itself to these aspects. Rather, within the scope of the objectives of this disclosure, components can be selectively and operationally combined in any number. Furthermore, terms such as “comprising,” “encompassing,” and “having” should be interpreted by default as inclusive or open-ended, rather than exclusive or closed, unless explicitly defined as such. All technical, scientific, or other terms are to be understood by those skilled in the art, unless defined as such. Public terms found in dictionaries should not be interpreted in the context of the relevant technical documents in an overly idealistic or impractical manner, unless explicitly defined as such in this disclosure. Any modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art based on the foregoing disclosure are within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for processing SOC chip IP versions, characterized in that... Including the following steps: Obtain the first version information file from the git system. The first version information file contains the IP name and IP version information of the IP involved in the currently processed local SOC chip. The system obtains the online IP names and online IP version information published by IP developers on an online collaborative editing platform. Based on the matching of the IP names of the IPs involved in the aforementioned local SOC chip with the online IP names, it extracts the online IP version information of each IP from the aforementioned online IP version information using a preset script and information extraction tool, and obtains the second version information based on the extracted online IP version information. In the second version information, one IP name corresponds to one or more IP version information. The online IP version information in the second version information is sorted by IP name using a preset script. The latest IP version information corresponding to each IP name is obtained according to the sorting result, and the third version information is obtained based on the latest IP version information. Based on the IP name, the IP version information in the first version information file is compared with the IP version information in the third version information file. Based on the consistency of the IP version information, it is determined whether each IP is the latest version. Based on the comparison results, an inspection report is generated.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first version information file is an XML file. The IP version information recorded in the file includes the IP major version number, the git file information used by the IP version, and the specific version information used by the IP. The specific version information is represented by the name of the tag, including the complete version number of the IP, which includes the major version number and the minor version number.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first version information file contains IP version information for all IPs involved in the currently processed SOC.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, To generate an XML file containing the aforementioned third-version information using the `gen auto_xml` command in the Linux terminal, follow these steps: Obtain the first version information file; The first version information file is parsed to obtain the data format of the chip Freeze XML version information; When the gen auto_xml command is collected, an XML file with the same data format is generated as the third version information file according to the data format.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The online IP version information published by the IP developer on the online collaborative editing platform includes the IP major version number and the full version number; During the IP development process, IP developers use the `git tag` command on the Git system to release IPs, which includes major and minor version numbers. The online IP version information extracted by the information extraction tool includes a version list for each IP and a tag list for each version. The version list records the major version number information, and the tag list records the complete version number information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When checking the consistency of version information for the same IP address, the complete version information is used as the criterion for judging version consistency.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The online collaborative editing platform is a wiki webpage, and the information extraction tool is a web crawler. The preset script is a Python script.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, In the Linux terminal, use the command `gen xml_result` to generate an XML file containing the aforementioned inspection report information, and then output the comparison results of each IP address through the inspection report file. The inspection report file includes at least the IP name field, the tag number field of the IP in the SOC, the latest tag number field of the IP in the Wiki, and the comparison result field. The tag information is the IP version information of the corresponding IP.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, When the comparison results are inconsistent, the information fields in the inspection report will be displayed differently.

10. An apparatus for processing SOC chip IP versions, characterized in that... include: The local IP information acquisition module is used to obtain the first version information file from the git system. The first version information file contains the IP name and IP version information of the IP involved in the currently processed local SOC chip. The online information processing module is used to obtain the online IP name and online IP version information published by IP developers on the online collaborative editing platform. Based on the matching of the IP name of the IP involved in the aforementioned local SOC chip with the online IP name, the module extracts the online IP version information of each IP from the aforementioned online IP version information through a preset script and information extraction tool, and obtains the second version information based on the extracted online IP version information; in the second version information, one IP name corresponds to one or more IP version information. The version information sorting module is used to sort the online IP version information in the second version information by IP name through a preset script, obtain the latest IP version information corresponding to each IP name according to the sorting result, and obtain the third version information based on the latest IP version information. The comparison module is used to compare the IP version information in the first version information file with the IP version information in the third version information file based on the IP name, and to determine whether each IP is the latest version based on the consistency of the IP version information, and to generate an inspection report based on the comparison results.

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