Automated Endpoint Binding in Transaction-Based Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In transaction-based acceleration verification systems, manual annotation of the software side partition with the location of the hardware side partition is error-prone, non-portable, and increases user workload, as it requires manual specification of hierarchical paths for communication channel binding.
Innovation Solution
An automated binding infrastructure identifies and binds software side endpoints of communication channels to hardware side endpoints based on naming attributes, eliminating the need for manual annotation and ensuring seamless operation of transactors as logical units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual annotation of hierarchical paths is used to bind communication channel endpoints, then the binding process can be completed, but user workload increases and error rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic binding of communication channel endpoints using naming attributes and hierarchical path information without requiring manual user intervention. The software side partition automatically obtains and uses the hierarchical path to the hardware side partition, eliminating manual annotation tasks and reducing both user workload and potential for human error.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual annotation of hierarchical paths is used to bind communication channel endpoints, then the binding process can be completed, but portability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic binding mechanism uses naming attributes and hierarchical path information that are inherently part of the test bench structure, allowing the system to self-configure communication channels without manual intervention. This makes test benches more portable as they can be moved between different hardware platforms without requiring manual re-annotation of hierarchical paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The binding infrastructure is designed to work with generic naming attributes and hierarchical path structures that can accommodate different test bench configurations and hardware platforms. This universal approach allows the same binding mechanism to serve multiple purposes across different scenarios, enhancing portability.
3Productivity
If the communication channel becomes the bottleneck in transaction-based acceleration, then fast TLM-based test-bench can still be limited, but manual binding adds additional overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The hierarchical path information is pre-established as part of the test bench structure, and the automatic binding mechanism uses this pre-existing information to quickly bind communication channels without adding runtime overhead. This preliminary setup enables fast verification while avoiding the complexity of manual binding processes during execution.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus for implementing communication between a software side and a hardware side of a test bench in a transaction-based acceleration verification system are described. In one example, transactors and communication channels are identified in a hierarchy of the test bench. Software side endpoints of the communication channels are automatically bound to hardware side endpoints of the communication channels during verification based on naming attributes of the transactors and communication channels with respect to the software side and the hardware side of the test bench.