Annealing harvest event testcase collection within a batch simulation farm

• US 7,092,868 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• 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): Ferris, Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gebresilassie, Kibrom K.
• Application Number:
  US09/997,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 703/22, 703/17, 703/13, 703/16
• US Class Current: 703/22
• 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: G01R 31/318364 as a result of hardware simulation, e.g. in an HDL environment computer-aided simulation of circuits G06F30/3308
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking

Abstract

A method and system for resolving testcase collection inconsistencies between a testcase list which includes testcases that have triggered harvest events within a simulation model, and a harvest hit table which records harvest events that have been triggered during simulation of the simulation model. First, the harvest hit table is updated from a simulation client to include a harvest event triggered by a testcase during simulation of the simulation model. The testcase is then collected within the testcase list. Finally, testcases identified within the testcase list are compared to testcases identified within the harvest hit table to determine inconsistencies therebetween.

Claims

1. A method for resolving testcase collection inconsistencies between a testcase bucket and the master harvest hit table in a batch simulation farm that facilitates computer-aided simulation testing of hardware design, said method comprising:

multiple simulation clients communicating simulation testcase results to an instrumentation server that maintains a master harvest hit table having harvest event entries that associate harvest events triggered during simulation testing with corresponding triggering testcases, wherein said testcase bucket contains testcases that have triggered harvest events during simulation testing of a simulation model by said multiple simulation clients;

within one of said multiple simulation clients;

retrieving a local copy of said master harvest hit table;

executing a current testcase on the simulation model;

identifying harvest events triggered during execution of said current testcase; and

comparing said identified harvest events with harvest events recorded within the local copy of said master harvest hit table to determine whether the identified harvest events have been previously recorded in association with the simulation model;

responsive to said step of comparing said identified harvest events with the harvest events recorded within the local copy of said master harvest hit table resulting in a determination that previous occurrences of one or more of said identified harvest events have not been recorded;

recording said current testcase within said testcase bucket; and

comparing said one or more of said identified harvest events determined not to have been recorded with harvest events recorded within said master harvest hit table;

updating said master harvest hit table with said one or more of said identified harvest events that do not match harvest events recorded in said master harvest hit table;

comparing testcases recorded within said testcase bucket to testcases identified within said master harvest hit table; and

resolving testcase inconsistencies between said testcase bucket and said master harvest hit table by;

responsive to identifying one or more testcases recorded within said master harvest hit table but not within said testcase bucket, removing harvest event entries containing the identified one or more testcases from said master harvest hit table; and

responsive to determining that one or more testcases are recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table, removing the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table from said testcase bucket.

2. The method of claim 1, said removing the one or mare testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table from said testcase bucket further comprising including one or more testcase identifiers corresponding to the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table in a redundant testcase list within said instrumentation server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said testcase bucket is maintained by a testcase server, said method further comprising:

delivering said redundant testcase list from said instrumentation server to said testcase server; and

removing testcase identifiers included within said redundant testcase list from said testcase bucket.

4. A system for resolving testcase collection inconsistencies between a testcase bucket and the master harvest hit table in a batch simulation farm that facilitates computer-aided simulation testing of hardware design, said system comprising:

processing means within multiple simulation clients for communicating simulation testcase results to an instrumentation server that maintains a master harvest hit table having harvest event entries that associate harvest events triggered during simulation testing with corresponding triggering testcases, wherein said testcase bucket contains testcases that have triggered harvest events during simulation testing of a simulation model by said multiple simulation clients;

processing means within one of said multiple simulation clients for;

retrieving a local copy of said master harvest hit table;

executing a current testcase on the simulation model;

identifying harvest events triggered during execution of said current testcase; and

comparing said identified harvest events with harvest events recorded within the local copy of said master harvest hit table to determine whether the identified harvest events have been previously recorded in association with the simulation model;

processing means responsive to said step of comparing said identified harvest events with the harvest events recorded within the local copy of said master harvest hit table resulting in a determination that previous occurrences of one or more of said identified harvest events have not been recorded for;

recording said current testcase within said testcase bucket; and

comparing said one or more of said identified harvest events determined not to have been recorded with harvest events recorded within said master harvest hit table;

processing means for updating said master harvest hit table with said one or more of said identified harvest events that do not match harvest events recorded in said master harvest hit table;

processing means for comparing testcases recorded within said testcase bucket to testcases identified within said master harvest hit table; and

processing means resolving testcase inconsistencies between said testcase bucket and said master harvest hit table including;

processing means, responsive to identifying one or more testcases recorded within said master harvest hit table but not within said testcase bucket, for removing harvest event entries containing the identified one or more testcases from said master harvest hit table; and

processing means, responsive to determining that one or more testcases are recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table, for removing the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table from said testcase bucket.

5. The system of claim 4, said processing means for removing the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table from said testcase bucket further comprising including one or more testcase identifiers corresponding to the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table in a redundant testcase list within said instrumentation server.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said testcase bucket is maintained by a testcase server, said system further comprising:

processing means for delivering said redundant testcase list from said instrumentation server to said testcase server; and

processing means for removing testcase identifiers included within said redundant testcase list from said testcase bucket.

7. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions for resolving testcase collection inconsistencies between a testcase bucket and a master harvest hit table in a batch simulation farm that facilitates computer-aided simulation testing of hardware design, said computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising:

multiple simulation clients communicating simulation testcase results to an instrumentation server that maintains a master harvest hit table having harvest event entries that associate harvest events triggered during simulation testing with corresponding triggering testcases, wherein said testcase bucket contains testcases that have triggered harvest events during simulation testing of a simulation model by said multiple simulation clients;

within one of said multiple simulation clients;

retrieving a local copy of said master harvest hit table;

executing a current testcase on the simulation model;

identifying harvest events triggered during execution of said current testcase; and

comparing said identified harvest events with harvest events recorded within the local copy of said master harvest hit table to determine whether the identified harvest events have been previously recorded in association with the simulation model;

responsive to said step of comparing said identified harvest events with the harvest events recorded within the local copy of said master harvest hit table resulting in a determination that previous occurrences of one or more of said identified harvest events have not been recorded;

recording said current testcase within said testcase bucket; and

comparing said one or more of said identified harvest events determined not to have been recorded with harvest events recorded within said master harvest hit table;

updating said master harvest hit table with said one or more of said identified harvest events that do not match harvest events recorded in said master harvest hit table;

comparing testcases recorded within said testcase bucket to testcases identified within said master harvest hit table; and

resolving testcase inconsistencies between said testcase bucket and said master harvest hit table by;

responsive to identifying one or more testcases recorded within said master harvest hit table but not within said testcase bucket, removing harvest event entries containing the identified one or more testcases from said master harvest hit table; and

responsive to determining that one or more testcases are recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table, removing the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table from said testcase bucket.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, said removing the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table from said testcase bucket further comprising including one or more testcase identifiers corresponding to the one or more testcases recorded within said testcase bucket but not within said master harvest hit table in a redundant testcase list within said instrumentation server.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said testcase bucket is maintained by a testcase server, said method further comprising:

delivering said redundant testcase list from said instrumentation server to said testcase server; and

removing testcase identifiers included within said redundant testcase list from said testcase bucket.