Centralized disablement of instrumentation events within a batch simulation farm network

• US 7,027,971 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Roesner, Wolfgang, Williams, Derek Edward, Gabele, Carol Ivash
• Primary Examiner(s): Homere, Jean R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saxena, Akash
• Application Number:
  US09/997,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 703/14, 703/15, 703/17, 709/212, 709/214, 709/215, 709/216, 707/204
• US Class Current: 703/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318314 Tools, e.g. program interfaces, test suite, test bench, simulation hardware, test compiler, test program languages simulation software G01R31/318357; emulators G06F11/261
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318357 Simulation computer simulation of digital circuits G06F30/3308
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking

Abstract

A method and system for disabling an instrumentation event in a simulation model within a batch simulation farm in which a simulation client communicates with an instrumentation server to process simulation data with respect to the simulation model. An instrumentation event disable list is assembled within the instrumentation server. The assembly of the event disable list includes identifying an instrumentation event to be disabled during simulation processing of the simulation model, and delivering to the instrumentation server an instrumentation event name corresponding to the instrumentation event to be disabled. Prior to simulating the simulation model within the simulation client, the instrumentation event disable list is retrieved from the instrumentation server, and instrumentation events are disabled as specified within the instrumentation event disable list.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for disabling monitoring of an instrumentation event in a hardware description language (HDL) model of a circuit design within a batch simulation farm, said batch simulation farm including an instrumentation server communicatively coupled to a simulation client, said method comprising:

simulation testing the HDL model using a simulation client within said simulation batch farm, said simulation testing including;

utilizing an instrumentation entity to detect instrumentation events; and

delivering signals from the instrumentation entity to an instrumentation logic block indicating detected occurrences of the instrumentation events during simulation of said circuit design;

assembling an instrumentation event disable list within said instrumentation server, wherein said instrumentation event disable list lists instrumentation events to be disabled within said HDL model; and

prior to simulating said HDL model within said simulation client;

retrieving said instrumentation event disable list from said instrumentation server; and

disabling monitoring of instrumentation events specified by said instrumentation event disable list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said assembling an instrumentation event disable list comprises:

identifying an instrumentation event to be disabled during simulation processing of said HDL model; and

delivering to said instrumentation server an instrumentation event name corresponding to said instrumentation event, to be added within said instrumentation event disable list.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to receiving said delivered instrumentation event name at said instrumentation server, adding said instrumentation event name to a master disable file within said instrumentation server, wherein said master disable file contains a list of instrumentation events to be disabled for said HDL model.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said simulation client includes a model simulator and a run time executive program for controlling simulation processing of said HDL model within said model simulator, said retrieving said instrumentation event disable list comprising:

issuing a request from said run time executive program to an application program interface (API) ent,y point within said model simulator to retrieve said instrumentation event disable list;

responsive to said request to retrieve said instrumentation event disable list, attempting to access said instrumentation server; and

responsive to a successful access to said instrumentation server, delivering said master disable file to said simulation client.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an alternate copy of said instrumentation event disable list is stored within a shared file system, said method further comprising, in response to an unsuccessful access attempt to instrumentation server, attempting to access said shared file system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said alternate copy is periodically updated from said master disable file.

7. A system for disabling monitoring of an instrumentation event in a hardware description language (HDL) model of a circuit design within a batch simulation farm, said batch simulation farm including an instrumentation server communicatively coupled to a simulation client, said system comprising:

said simulation client within said simulation batch farm for simulation testing the HDL model;

an instrumentation entity that detects instrumentation events during said simulation testing and delivers signals from the instrumentation entity to an instrumentation logic block indicating detected occurrences of the instrumentation events during simulation of said circuit design;

processing means for assembling an instrumentation event disable list within said instrumentation server, wherein said instrumentation event disable list lists instrumentation events to be disabled within said HDL simulation model; and

processing means responsive to simulating said HDL model within said simulation client for;

retrieving said instrumentation event disable list from said instrumentation server; and

disabling monitoring of instrumentation events specified by said instrumentation event disable list.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said processing means for assembling an instrumentation event disable list comprises:

processing means for identifying an instrumentation event to be disabled during simulation processing of said HDL model; and

processing means for delivering to said instrumentation server an instrumentation event name corresponding to said instrumentation event, to be added within said instrumentation event disable list.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising, processing means responsive to receiving said delivered instrumentation event name at said instrumentation server for adding said instrumentation event name to a master disable file within said instrumentation server, wherein said master disable file contains a list of instrumentation events to be disabled for said HDL model.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said simulation client includes a model simulator and a run time executive program for controlling simulation processing of said HDL model within said model simulator, said processing means for retrieving said instrumentation event disable list comprising:

processing means for issuing a request from said run time executive program to an application program interface (API) entry point within said model simulator to retrieve said instrumentation event disable list;

processing means responsive to said request to retrieve said instrumentation event disable list, attempting to access said instrumentation server; and

processing means responsive to a successful access to said instrumentation server, delivering said master disable file to said simulation client.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein as alternate copy of said instrumentation event disable list is stored within a shared file system, said system further comprising, processing means responsive to an unsuccessful access attempt to instrumentation server for attempting to access said shared file system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said alternate copy is periodically updated from said master disable file.

13. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device on a data processing system, having computer-executable instructions for disabling monitoring of an instrumentation event in a hardware description language (HDL) model of a circuit design within a batch simulation farm, said batch simulation farm including an instrumentation server communicatively coupled to a simulation client, said computer program product, which when executed performs a method comprising:

simulation testing the HDL model using said simulation client within said

simulation batch farm, said simulation testing including;

utilizing an instrumentation entity to detect instrumentation events; and

delivering signals from the instrumentation entity to an instrumentation logic block indicating detected occurrences of the instrumentation events during simulation of said circuit design;

assembling an instrumentation event disable list within said instrumentation server, wherein said instrumentation event disable list lists instrumentation events to be disabled within said HDL model; and

prior to simulating said HDL model within said simulation client;

retrieving said instrumentation event disable list from said instrumentation server; and

disabling monitoring of instrumentation events specified by said instrumentation event disable list.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said computer-executable instructions for assembling an instrumentation event disable list comprises:

identifying an instrumentation event to be disabled during simulation processing of said simulation model; and

delivering to said instrumentation server an instrumentation event name corresponding to said instrumentation event within said instrumentation event disable list.

15. The computer pro gram product of claim 14, further comprising, said computer-executable instructions for receiving said delivered instrumentation event name at said instrumentation server for adding said instrumentation event name to a master disable file within said instrumentation server, wherein said master disable file contains a list of instrumentation events to be disabled for said simulation model.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said simulation client includes a model simulator and a run time executive program for controlling simulation processing of said simulation model within said model simulator, said computer-executable instructions for retrieving said instrumentation event disable list comprising:

issuing a request from said run time executive program to an application program interface (API) entry point within said simulator to retrieve said instrumentation event disable list;

responsive to said request to retrieve said instrumentation event disable list attempting to access said instrumentation server; and

responsive to a successful access to said instrumentation server delivering said master disable file to said simulation client.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein an alternate copy of said instrumentation event disable list is stored within a shared file system, said computer program product further comprising, program instruction means responsive to an unsuccessful access attempt to instrumentation server for attempting to access said shared file system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said alternate copy is periodically updated from said master disable file.

19. A computer implemented method for disabling monitoring of an instrumentation event in a hardware description language (HDL) model of a circuit design within a batch simulation farm, said batch simulation farm including an instrumentation server communicatively coupled to a simulation client, said method comprising:

simulation testing the HDL model using a simulation client within said simulation batch farm, said simulation testing including;

utilizing au instrumentation entity to detect instrumentation events; and

delivering signals from the instrumentation entity to an instrumentation to logic block indicating detected occurrences of the instrumentation events during simulation of said circuit design;

maintaining, within said instrumentation server, an event disable list for each active HDL model within said simulation batch farm;

including within each event disable list, a list of instrumentation events to be disabled for a corresponding HDL model; and

prior to simulating said HDL model within said simulation client;

retrieving an event disable list corresponding to said HDL model from said instrumentation sever; and

disabling monitoring of instrumentation events specified by said event disable list.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said disabling comprises setting, within said instrumentation logic block, event mask registers corresponding to instrumentation events included in said event disable list.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said simulation client includes a model simulator and a run time executive program for controlling simulation processing of said simulation model within said model simulator, wherein said setting event mask registers is performed using an application program interface entry point within said model simulator.