Teaching Functional Verification

1
Teaching Functional Verification Course
Organization

• Design Automation Conference
• Sunday, June 9, 2002

2
Course Goals

• Learn to use verification tools and experiment on
  actual designs used in industry
• Verisity Specman, IBM Rulebase
• Cadence NC-Sim VHDL simulation framework
• Learn to plan and carry out effective functional
  verification of a design
• Learn to work in teams to debug designs

3
Desired Outcome

• By the end of the course the student will
• Have verified three example designs provided by
  IBM
• Have an understanding of why verification is
  important
• Have an understanding of the complexity of
  verifying modern computer systems

4
Grading

• Grade breakdown (Used at Penn State)
• Midterm Exam 20
• Final Exam 20
• Verification Projects (4) 45
• (3 Calc Labs 1 ruleBase)
• Homework (3) 15
• (VHDL Background Check e coding rulebase)
• Exams replaced with lab-oriented grading at UPitt
• Final Exam was lab-based at Penn State

5
Prerequisites

• Hardware description language
• VHDL or Verilog (MANDATORY)
• Use of modern EDA tools
• simulation, synthesis, validation (Synopsys)
• schematic capture tools (LogicWorks)
• Logic design/Computer architecture
• logical minimization, FSMs, component design,
  pipelining, ISA design

6
Prerequisites - Instructors

• Find a good T.A.
• Familiar with HDLwilling to explore tools
• Tools Licensing Information
• Interfaced Specman with Mentor Graphics (Pitt, NC
  State) and Cadence tools (Penn State)
• Quick Start
• Specman - CPU tutorial ebasics slides
• Rulebase Buffer tutorial

7
Course Textbook/Notes

• Janicks textbook was used
• Pitt and Penn State e based
• Covered first 3 chapters
• Relied on Specman/Verification Advisor
• IBM slides for rulebase
• NCState VHDL based
• Supplemented with VHDL reference books

8
Course Outline Penn State

• Week 1 What is verification? (Chapt 1 of
  Janick's book industry perspective)
• Week 2 Behavioral VHDL - refresher and writing
  testbenches HW1 (VHDL)
• Week 3 Verification tools Coverage metrics
  (Chap 2 of Janicks book)
• Week 4 Behind the simulation engine event
  and cycle simulation
• Week 5 Introduction to Specman and e language
  basics (ebasics slides) HW2 (e basics)
• Week 6 Lab 1 introduction/Specman CPU
  tutorial
• Week 7 Verification plan strategies/testcases
  /testbenches (Chap 3 VA)
• Week 8 Lab 1 solution discussion Lab 2
  introduction Exam 1
• Week 9 More e language constructs
• Week 10 Modeling structsI/O blocks data
  items (VA)
• Week 11 Lab 2 Solutions and Lab 3 discussion
• Week 12 Modeling input relations/intervals/event
  s (VA)
• Week 13 Lab 3 solutions Introduction to
  Formal Verification Lab 4
• Week 14 Introduction to Rulebase/ Rulebase lab
• Week 15 Exam review

9
Course Outline Pittsburgh

• Week 1 What is verification? (Chapt 1 of
  Janick's book industry perspective)
• Week 2 Hardware Functional Verification
  review of Modelsim
• Week 3 Verification tools Coverage metrics
  (Chap 2 of Janicks book)
• Week 4 Behind the simulation engine event
  and cycle simulation
• Week 5 Introduction to Specman and e language
  basics Verisity Tutorial
• Week 6 Calc 1 Lab
• Week 7 Verification plan strategies/testcases
  /testbenches (Chap 3 VA)
• Week 8 Calc 1 solution discussion Calc 2
  introduction
• Week 9 More e language constructs
• Week 10 Modeling structsI/O blocks data
  items (VA)
• Week 11 Calc 2 Solutions and Calc 3 discussion
• Week 12 Modeling input relations/intervals/event
  s (VA)
• Week 13 Calc 3 solutions Introduction to
  Formal Verification Lab 4
• Week 14 Introduction to Rulebase/ Rulebase lab
• Week 15 Rulebase lab

10
Course Outline NC State

• Lectures 1-2 What is Verification? Chapter
  1
• Lecture 3 Verification Tools Chapter 2
• Lectures 4-6 Verification Plan
  Strategies/Testcases/Testbenches Chapter 3
• Lectures 7-11 Architecting Testbenches
  Chapter 6
• Lecture 12 Lab 1 Solution Discussion /
  Architecting Testbenches Chapter 6
• Lecture 13 EXAM 1 Chapters
  1,2,3,6
• Lecture 14 Lab 2 Overview / Stimulus and
  Response Chapter 5
• Lecture 15 Review EXAM 1
• Lectures 16-19 Stimulus and Response Chapter
  5
• Lectures 20,26 Special Topic Day - Online
  NetSeminar on new verification technologies
• Lecture 21 Lab 2 Solution Discussion
• Lectures 22-23 Behavioral HDL Chapter
  4
• Lecture 24 Lab 3 Overview / Behavioral HDL
  Chapter 4
• Lecture 25 Simulation Management Chapter 7
• Lecture 27 EXAM 2 Chapters 5,4,7 Chapter 6
• Lecture 28 Lab Day 

11
Student Feedback

• More quizzes/homework on e language
• More time with labs especially lab 3
• Work in groups on labs
• Start earlier with Specman/e
• Access to VA
• Appreciate change from VHDL testbench to Specman
  environment (when doing lab 1 in dual form)
• Appreciate change to Rulebase from Specman
• Labs were most interesting part
• More time with Rulebase