Dynamically Adjusting Simulation Fidelity Based on Checkpointed Fidelity State

• US 20120041747A1
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Aarts, Thomas W., Hays, Ched D., Hollinger, Michael C., Ma, Jason S., Ortiz, Jose L., Raghuswamyreddy, Gundam
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for controlling a fidelity of a simulation of a system. A model of the system is received, the model of the system having a plurality of individual components of the system. Fidelity values are assigned to models of the individual components of the system. A simulation of the system is executed using the model of the system and the models of the individual components of the system. The fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components of the system are dynamically adjusted during the execution of the simulation by creating a checkpoint of a state of the simulation and modifying one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint, thereby generating a modified fidelity value state.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for controlling a fidelity of a simulation of a system, comprising:

receiving a model of the system, wherein the model of the system comprises a plurality of individual components of the system;

assigning fidelity values to models of the individual components of the system;

executing a simulation of the system using the model of the system and the models of the individual components of the system; and

dynamically adjusting fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components of the system during the execution of the simulation by;

creating a checkpoint of a state of the simulation; and

modifying one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint, thereby generating a modified fidelity value state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the checkpoint comprises the fidelity values associated with the one or more models of the individual components at a time that the checkpoint is created.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether there is a mismatch between a required fidelity value of a transaction in the simulation and a fidelity value assigned to a receiver component that receives the transaction during the simulation; and

restoring, based on the checkpoint, the one or more fidelity values to a state prior to the modified fidelity value state in response to a determination that there is a mismatch between a required fidelity value of the transaction and the fidelity value of the receiver component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the checkpoint is created in response to the simulation of the system entering a checkpointable state in which the model of the system is idle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing a cost function to evaluate whether the one or more fidelity values are to be modified, and wherein the modification of the one or more fidelity values is performed in response to the cost function indicating that modification of the one or more fidelity values should not be prevented.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein restoring the one or more fidelity values to a state prior to the modified fidelity value state comprises:

determining, for each checkpoint in a plurality of maintained checkpoints, a cost for restoring a state of the simulation to a checkpointed state of the maintained checkpoint; and

selecting a maintained checkpoint from the plurality of maintained checkpoints that has a lowest cost.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint comprises one of modifying a fidelity parameter of the one or more models of the individual components or swapping in a model of a component, the model of the component having a desired fidelity value associated with the model of the component.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein restoring the one or more fidelity values comprises one of modifying a fidelity parameter of the one or more models of the individual components to a fidelity value specified in the checkpoint or swapping in a model of the component specified in the checkpoint.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive a model of a system to be simulated, wherein the model of the system comprises a plurality of individual components of the system;

assign fidelity values to models of the individual components of the system;

execute a simulation of the system using the model of the system and the models of the individual components of the system; and

dynamically adjust fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components of the system during the execution of the simulation by;

creating a checkpoint of a state of the simulation; and

modifying one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint, thereby generating a modified fidelity value state.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the checkpoint comprises the fidelity values associated with the one or more models of the individual components at a time that the checkpoint is created.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

determine whether there is a mismatch between a required fidelity value of a transaction in the simulation and a fidelity value assigned to a receiver component that receives the transaction during the simulation; and

restore, based on the checkpoint, the one or more fidelity values to a state prior to the modified fidelity value state in response to a determination that there is a mismatch between a required fidelity value of the transaction and the fidelity value of the receiver component.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the checkpoint is created in response to the simulation of the system entering a checkpointable state in which the model of the system is idle.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to implement a cost function to evaluate whether the one or more fidelity values are to be modified, and wherein the modification of the one or more fidelity values is performed in response to the cost function indicating that modification of the one or more fidelity values should not be prevented.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to restore the one or more fidelity values to a state prior to the modified fidelity value state by:

determining, for each checkpoint in a plurality of maintained checkpoints, a cost for restoring a state of the simulation to a checkpointed state of the maintained checkpoint; and

selecting a maintained checkpoint from the plurality of maintained checkpoints that has a lowest cost.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to modify one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint by one of modifying a fidelity parameter of the one or more models of the individual components or swapping in a model of a component, the model of the component having a desired fidelity value associated with the model of the component.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to restore the one or more fidelity values by one of modifying a fidelity parameter of the one or more models of the individual components to a fidelity value specified in the checkpoint or swapping in a model of the component specified in the checkpoint.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a model of a system to be simulated, wherein the model of the system comprises a plurality of individual components of the system;

assign fidelity values to models of the individual components of the system;

execute a simulation of the system using the model of the system and the models of the individual components of the system; and

dynamically adjust fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components of the system during the execution of the simulation by;

creating a checkpoint of a state of the simulation; and

modifying one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint, thereby generating a modified fidelity value state.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the checkpoint comprises the fidelity values associated with the one or more models of the individual components at a time that the checkpoint is created.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether there is a mismatch between a required fidelity value of a transaction in the simulation and a fidelity value assigned to a receiver component that receives the transaction during the simulation; and

restore, based on the checkpoint, the one or more fidelity values to a state prior to the modified fidelity value state in response to a determination that there is a mismatch between a required fidelity value of the transaction and the fidelity value of the receiver component.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the checkpoint is created in response to the simulation of the system entering a checkpointable state in which the model of the system is idle.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to implement a cost function to evaluate whether the one or more fidelity values are to be modified, and wherein the modification of the one or more fidelity values is performed in response to the cost function indicating that modification of the one or more fidelity values should not be prevented.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the processor to restore the one or more fidelity values to a state prior to the modified fidelity value state by:

determining, for each checkpoint in a plurality of maintained checkpoints, a cost for restoring a state of the simulation to a checkpointed state of the maintained checkpoint; and

selecting a maintained checkpoint from the plurality of maintained checkpoints that has a lowest cost.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the processor to modify one or more fidelity values of one or more of the models of the individual components after generating the checkpoint by one of modifying a fidelity parameter of the one or more models of the individual components or swapping in a model of a component, the model of the component having a desired fidelity value associated with the model of the component.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the processor to restore the one or more fidelity values by one of modifying a fidelity parameter of the one or more models of the individual components to a fidelity value specified in the checkpoint or swapping in a model of the component specified in the checkpoint.