Program product supporting specification of signals for simulation result viewing

• US 7,617,085 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Roesner, Wolfgang, Williams, Derek E., Bobok, Gabor
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUILL, RUSSELL L
• Application Number:
  US12/129,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 703/14
• US Class Current: 703/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/33 Design verification, e.g. functional simulation or model checking

Abstract

According to a method of data processing, a data set including at least one entry specifying a signal group by a predetermined signal group name is received by a data processing system. In response to receipt of the data set, the entry in the data set is processed to identify the signal group name. Signal group information associated with an event trace file containing simulation results is accessed to determine signal names of multiple signals that are members of the signal group. Simulation results from the event trace file that are associated with instances of the multiple signals are then included within a presentation of simulation results.

Claims

1. A method of data processing in a data processing system, said method comprising:

receiving as an input a data set including at least one entry specifying a signal group by a signal group name;

in response to receipt of the data set;

processing said at least one entry in the data set to identify the signal group name;

accessing signal group information associated with an event trace file including simulation results to determine signal names of multiple signals that are members of the signal group;

presenting a presentation of one or more simulation results from the event trace file that are associated with instances of said multiple signals;

receiving a preservation directive identifying a particular signal for which an associated signal name is to be preserved from renaming; and

in response to receipt of said preservation directive, identifying said signal by said associated signal name in the presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising establishing membership of the signal names in the signal group by reference to a hardware description language (HDL) source code file describing a design entity instantiated within a simulation executable model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal group comprises a first signal group and said first signal group comprises second and third signal groups that collectively have said multiple signals as members.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

receiving as an input a scope command indicating a reference scope in terms of a design entity instance in a simulation executable model; and

in response to receipt of the scope command, interpreting said at least one entry in said data set in relation to said reference scope.

5. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

processing said at least one entry in the data set to identify within said at least one entry a design entity name having multiple design entity instances within a simulation executable model;

in response to identifying the design entity name, presenting instance identifiers of the multiple design entity instances for user selection; and

in response to user selection of one of the instance identifiers, narrowing a scope in which instances of signals belonging to said signal group are located.

6. A program product, comprising:

a computer readable memory medium; and

program code within the computer readable memory medium that causes a data processing system to perform a method including;

receiving as an input a data set including at least one entry specifying a signal group by a signal group name;

in response to receipt of the data set;

processing said at least one entry in the data set to identify the signal group name;

accessing signal group information associated with an event trace file including simulation results to determine signal names of multiple signals that are members of the signal group;

presenting a presentation of one or more simulation results from the event trace file that are associated with instances of said multiple signals;

receiving a preservation directive identifying a particular signal for which an associated signal name is to be preserved from renaming; and

in response to receipt of said preservation directive, identifying said signal by said associated signal name in the presentation.

7. The program product of claim 6, wherein the method further includes establishing membership of the signal names in the signal group by reference to a hardware description language (HDL) source code file describing a design entity instantiated within a simulation executable model.

8. The program product of claim 6, wherein said signal group comprises a first signal group and said first signal group comprises second and third signal groups that collectively have said multiple signals as members.

9. The program product of claim 6, wherein the method further includes:

receiving as an input a scope command indicating a reference scope in terms of a design entity instance in a simulation executable model; and

in response to receipt of the scope command, interpreting said at least one entry in said data set in relation to said reference scope.

10. The program product of claim 6, wherein the method further includes:

processing said at least one entry in the data set to identify within said at least one entry a design entity name having multiple design entity instances within a simulation executable model;

in response to identifying the design entity name, presenting instance identifiers of the multiple design entity instances for user selection; and

in response to user selection of one of the instance identifiers, narrowing a scope in which instances of signals belonging to said signal group are located.

11. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

data storage coupled to the processor, said data storage including program code that when executed by the processor causes the data processing system to perform a method including;

receiving as an input a data set including at least one entry specifying a signal group by a signal group name;

in response to receipt of the data set;

processing said at least one entry in the data set to identify the signal group name;

accessing signal group information associated with an event trace file including simulation results to determine signal names of multiple signals that are members of the signal group;

presenting a presentation of one or more simulation results from the event trace file that are associated with instances of said multiple signals;

receiving a preservation directive identifying a particular signal for which an associated signal name is to be preserved from renaming; and

in response to receipt of said preservation directive, identifying said signal by said associated signal name in the presentation.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the method further includes establishing membership of the signal names in the signal group by reference to a hardware description language (HDL) source code file describing a design entity instantiated within a simulation executable model.

13. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein said signal group comprises a first signal group and said first signal group comprises second and third signal groups that collectively have said multiple signals as members.

14. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the method further includes:

receiving as an input a scope command indicating a reference scope in terms of a design entity instance in a simulation executable model; and

in response to receipt of the scope command, interpreting said at least one entry in said data set in relation to said reference scope.

15. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the method further includes:

processing said at least one entry in the data set to identify within said at least one entry a design entity name having multiple design entity instances within a simulation executable model;

in response to identifying the design entity name, presenting instance identifiers of the multiple design entity instances for user selection; and

in response to user selection of one of the instance identifiers, narrowing a scope in which instances of signals belonging to said signal group are located.