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Innovus 'syntax error'. but works in Genus


Hi everyone,

I'm new to using Innovus and I'm encountering an issue while trying to perform the "init_design" command. My goal is to perform the place and route. Here are the commands I'm using:

``
set init_verilog ./test.v
set init_top_cell TEST
set init_pwr_net {VDD VDD_2 VDD_3}
set init_gnd_net {VSS VSSA}
set init_lef_file { /home/laumecha/uw_openroad_free45/pdk/Drexel-ECEC575/Encounter/NangateOpenCellLibrary/Back_End/lef/NangateOpenCellLibrary.lef}
set init_mmmc_file {./viewDefinition.tcl}
init_design
```

However, I receive the following error:

```
#% Begin Load netlist data ... (date=06/04 12:07:50, mem=1478.7M)
*** Begin netlist parsing (mem=1439.0M) ***
Created 0 new cells from 0 timing libraries.
Reading netlist ...
Backslashed names will retain backslash and a trailing blank character.
**ERROR: (IMPVL-209):   In Verilog file './test.v', check line 16 near the text # for the issue: 'syntax error'.  Update the text accordingly.
Type 'man IMPVL-209' for more detail.
Verilog file './test.v' has errors!  See above.

*** Memory Usage v#1 (Current mem = 1439.027M, initial mem = 634.098M) ***
#% End Load netlist data ... (date=06/04 12:07:50, total cpu=0:00:00.0, real=0:00:00.0, peak res=1478.7M, current mem=1478.7M)
**ERROR: (IMPVL-902):   Failed to read netlist ./test.v. See previous error messages for details.  Resolve the issues and reload the design.
```

However, the file works perfectly in Genus.


It seems there is a syntax error in my Verilog file at line 16, but I'm not sure how to resolve it. Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!




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cut_spacing violation

I am getting the cut_spacing violation in the power plan, my design has two power rails, and the via is not formed for two rails, only one rail getting via, I used edit power via and modified the cut_space violation.

how to solve this problem.




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How to import different input combination to the same circuit to get max, min, and average delay, power dissipation and area

Hi everyone. 

I'm very a new cadence user. I'm not good at using it and quite lost in finding a way to get the results. With the topic, I would like to ask you for some suggestions to improve my cadence skills.

I have some digital decision logic. Some are combinational logic, some are sequential logic that I would like to import or generate random input combination to the inputs of my decision logic to get the maximum, minimum, and average delay power dissipation and area when feeding the different input combination.

My logic has 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit input. The imported data tends to be decimal numbers.

I would like to ask you:

- which tool(s) are the most appropriate to import and feed the different combination to my decision logic?

- which tool is the most appropriate to synthesis with different number of input? - I have used Genus Synthesis Solution so far. However with my skill right now I can only let Genus synthesize my Verilog code one setup at a time. I'm not sure if I there is anyway I can feed a lot of input at a time and get those results (min, max, average of delay, power dissipation and area)

- which language or scripts I should pick up to use and achieve these results?

-where can I find information to solve my problem? which information shall I look for?

Thank you so much for your time!!

Best Regards




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How to define the pin locations for 2-dimensional input?

I have a 2-dimensional input in my design - input [2:0] data_in [15:0]. After synthesis with genus, I got a netlist where the inputs are like data[15], data[14],...,data[0]. And furthermore it has definitions like input [2:0] data[15], .... So how can I define the pin locations of each of the bits for this input? Can I define data[15]'s inner bits like data[15][0]? Is it possible to define this with def files?




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Is there a skill command for "Assign Layout Instance terminals"?

Is there a skill command for "Assign Layout Instance terminals", this form appears when i click on define device correspondence and Bind the devices.

Also,

Problem Statement : i have a schematic with a couple of transistor symbols and and i alos have a corresponding layout view with respective layout transistors but they all are inside a pCell(created by me) i.e layout transistor called inside a custom Pcell. Now i have multiple symbols in schematic view and a single instance(pCell) in layout view. 
Is there a way how i can bind these schematic symbols with layout symbols inside the pCell(custom)? Even if i have to use cph commands i'm fine with it. need help here.

The idea here is to establish XL connectivity between the schematic symbols and corresponding layout transistors(inside the pCell).

Thanks,

Shankar




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Coordinates(bBoxes) of all the shapes(layers) in a layout view

Hello Community,

Is there any simple way how i can get the coordinates of all the shapes in a layout view?

Currently i'm flattening the layout, getting all the lpps from CV and using setof to get all the shapes of a layer and looping through them to get the coordinates.

Is there a way to do it without having to flatten the layout view and shapes merged or any other elegant way to do it if we flatten it?

Also, dbWriteSkill doesn't give output how i desired

Thanks,

Shankar




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Virtuoso Fluid Guard Ring Layout error "do_something=nil"

Hello,

When I draw a Fluid Guard Ring in Virtuoso, the layout is not visible, and instead, "do_something=nil" appears.

When I check the details with Q, it shows the same information as a regular NFGR guard ring, and Ctrl+F also displays the instance name, just like with a regular NFGR. 

Additionally, the Pcells of Fluid Guard Rings from previous projects appear broken. 

The version I’m currently using is not different from the one used in the past. Even when I access the same version as the one used during the project, the Pcells still appear broken.

These two issues are occurring, and I’m not sure what to check. I would greatly appreciate it if you could assist me in resolving this issue.

//

Reinstalling the PDK resolved the issue!

I’m not exactly sure what the problem was, but I suspect there might have been an internal issue with permissions or the PDK path.




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How to create draw region button like the one used in the Area and Density calculator

Hello,

I would like to create a button for my form that prompts the user to click on a cellview and draw a rectangle bounding box, exactly like the one used in the Area and Density Calculator. Can someone please help me with this?

Thanks!

Beto




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Cross-probe between layout veiw and schematic view

Hi there

I am trying to make cross-probe btw layout and schematic view.

so when I execute the code in schematic using bindkey, the code will raise the layout view (hiRaiseWindow)

and then I want to descend to the same hierarchy as schematic. (geSelectFig, leHiEditInPlace)

But looks like current cellview still stays at schematic view.

I got this error msg, and when I print current cell view name at where I got this msg, it replys schematic.

*Error* geSelectFig: argument #1 should be a database object (type template = "d") - nil

is there any way to change the current cellview to layout view?

I also added this code, but didn't work.

geGetEditCellView(geGetCellViewWindow(cvId)) ;cvId is layout view

I don't want to close the schematic view, just want to move the focus or make geSelectFig works.

Thanks in advance.




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μWaveRiders: Setting Up a Successful AWR Design Environment Design - Layout and Component Libraries

When starting a new design, it's important to take the time to consider design recommendations that prevent problems that can arise later in the design cycle. This two-part compilation of guidelines for starting a new design is the result of years of Cadence AWR Design Environment platform Support experience with designs. Pre-design decisions for user interface, simulation, layout, and library configuration lay the groundwork for a successful and efficient AWR design. This blog, part 2, covers the layout and component library considerations designers should note prior to starting a design.(read more)




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Knowledge Booster Training Bytes - The Close Connection Between Schematics and Their Layouts in Microwave Office

Microwave Office is Cadence’s tool-of-choice for RF and microwave designers designing everything from III-V 5G chips, to RF systems in board and package technologies. These types of designs require close interaction between the schematic and its layout. A new Training Byte demonstrates how the schematic-layout connections is built into Microwave Office.(read more)




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Constraining some nets to route through a specific metal layer, and changing some pin/cell placements and wire directions in Cadence Innovus.

Hello All:

I am looking for help on the following, as I am new to Cadence tools [I have to use Cadence Innovus for Physical Design after Logic Synthesis using Synopsys Design Compiler, using Nangate 45 nm Open Cell Library]: while using Cadence Innovus, I would need to select a few specific nets to be routed through a specific metal layer. How can I do this on Innovus [are there any command(s)]? Also, would writing and sourcing a .tcl script [containing the command(s)] on the Innovus terminal after the Placement Stage of Physical Design be fine for this?

Secondly, is there a way in Innovus to manipulate layout components, such as changing some pin placements, wire directions (say for example, wire direction changed to facing east from west, etc.) or moving specific closely placed cells around (without violating timing constraints of course) using any command(s)/.tcl script? If so, would pin placement changes and constraining some closely placed cells to be moved apart be done after Floorplanning/Powerplanning (that is, prior to Placement) and the wire direction changes be done after Routing? 

While making the necessary changes, could I use the usual Innovus commands to perform Physical Design of the remaining nets/wires/pins/cells, etc., or would anything need modification for the remaining components as well?

I would finally need to dump the entire design containing all of this in a .def file.

I tried looking up but could only find matter on Virtuoso and SKILL scripting, but I'd be using Innovus GUI/terminal with Nangate 45 nm Open Cell Library. I know this is a lot, but I would greatly appreciate your help. Thanks in advance.

Riya




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Instance of standard cell does not have layout?

Hi,

I have synthesized a verilog code. When performing the pnr in innovus it is showing the error "Instance g5891__718 (similar for other) of the cell AND2_X6 has no physical library or has wrong dimension  values (<=0). Check your design setup to make sure the physical library is loaded in and attribute specified in library are correct.

When importing synthesized netlist in virtuoso then it says " Module AND2_X6, instantiated in the top module decoder, is not defined. Therefore the top module decoder will be imported as functional."

Please help what's going on here? 




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how to tell conformal to ignore certain combination of input

hi

How can I tell the LEC tool to ignore a combination of Primary input bus in both Golden and revised.

For example in both Golden and revised there is 

input [3:0] data_in

I want LEC not to check the case that data_in[3:0] == 4'b1000




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Automotive Revolution with Ethernet Base-T1

The automotive industry revolutionized the definition of a vehicle in terms of safety, comfort, enhanced autonomy, and internet connectivity. With this trend, the automotive industry rapidly adopted automotive Ethernet such as 10Base-T1, 100Base-T1, and in some cases, 1000Base-T1. 

Faster Speed (than CAN-FD), Scalability, embedded security protocols (like MacSec), cost and energy efficiency, and simple yet redundant network made Ethernet an obvious choice over CAN(FD) and FlexRay.  

      

Ethernet 10Base-T1 

10BASE-T1S is defined under IEEE with 802.3cg. The S in 10BASE-T1S stands for a short distance. 10BASE-T1S uses a multidrop topology, where each node connects to a single cable. Multidrop topology eliminates the need for switches and, as a result, fewer cables/less cost. The primary goal of 10BASE-T1S is a deterministic transmission on a collision-free multidrop network. 10BASE-T1S cables use a pair of twisted wires. As per IEEE, at least eight nodes can connect to each, but more connections are feasible.   

The Physical Layer Collision Avoidance [PLCA] protocol ensures that it uses the entire 10 Mbps bandwidth. In 10BaseTs, Reconciliation Sublayer provides optional Physical Layer Collision Avoidance (PLCA) capabilities among participating stations. Using PLCA-enabled Physical Layers in CSMA/CD half-duplex shared-medium networks can provide enhanced bandwidth and improved access latency under heavily loaded traffic conditions. The working principle of PLCA is that transmit opportunities on a mixing segment are granted in sequence based on a node ID unique to the local collision domain (set by the management entity). 10BASE-T1S also supports an arbitration scheme that guarantees consistent node access to the media within a predefined time.  

The 10BASE-T1S PHY is intended to cover the low-speed/low-cost applications in the industrial and automotive environment. A large number of pins (16) required by the MII interface is one of the significant cost factors that must be addressed to fulfill this objective. The 10BASE-T1S "Transceiver" solution is suited for embedded systems where the digital portion of the PHY is fully integrated, e.g., into an MCU or an Ethernet switch core, leaving only the analog portion (the transceiver) into a separate IC. 

Ethernet 100Base-T1/1000Base-T1 

100Base-T1 and 1000Base-T1 can be used for audio/video information. With Higher bandwidth capacity, 100Base-T1/ 1000Base-T1 paired with AVB (Audio video bridging) can be used for car infotainment systems. 100Base-T1/1000Base-T1 paired with time-sensitive networking [TSN] protocol can be used to fulfill the automotive industry's mission-critical, time-sensitive, and deterministic latency needs. 

 PTP Over MacSec  

With today's automotive network, all the Electronic Control Units connected require timing accuracy and network synchronization, Precision Time Protocol (PTP), defined in IEEE 1588, provides synchronized clocks throughout a network.  While maintaining the timing accuracy for mission-critical applications, protecting the vehicle network from vulnerable threats is mandatory, and PTP over MacSec provides the consolidated solution.  

With the availability of the Cadence Verification IP for 10/100/1000BaseT1 and TSN, adopters can start working with these specifications immediately, ensuring compliance with the standard and achieving the fastest path to IP and SoC verification closure. The 10/100/1000GBaseT1 and TSN provide a full-stack solution, including support to the PHY, MAC, and TSN layers with a comprehensive coverage model and protocol checkers. Ethernet BaseT1 and TSN VIP covers all features required for complete coverage verification closure. More details are available in the Ethernet Verification IP portfolio. 

Krunal 




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Flash Toggle NAND 4.0 in a Nutshell

NAND Flash memory is now a widely accepted non-volatile memory in many application areas for data storage such as digital cameras, USB drive, SSD and smartphones. One form of NAND flash memory, Toggle NAND, was introduced to transmit high-speed data asynchronously thus consuming less power and increasing the density of the NAND flash device. 

The initial Toggle NAND versions had memory arranged in terms of SLC (Single Level Cell) or MLC (Multi Level Cell) mode that was considered as a 2D scalar stack and their frequency of operation was also less. The ever-growing demand of high memory capacity and high throughput required further research in the areas like the shrinking size of cell, performance to fill-in these gaps.

Some of these new requirements were incorporated, leading to newer versions of Toggle NAND, namely 3.0 and 4.0, with a re-arrangement of the internal memory developing a 3D layer of memory. With such structures, higher capacity of the memory was possible, but performance was the primary challenge as the latency of the write/read of memory quadrupled with the same frequency.

The key to improving the performance and run the device at very high speed in low power mode was to enhance the frequency of operation for faster read/writes to the memory and reduce the voltage levels.

But with every technology advancement comes some other problems, the next being the data sampling at that high frequency that can cause setup/hold time issues. To overcome these concerns, different types of trainings on the signal interface were made mandatory that shall assist in proper sampling of the data. Few other features for improving the integrity of the signals were added.

The current set of commands were applicable to access the SLC and MLC memory modes but with the 3D layering, these commands were lacking access to the entire set of TLC (Triple Level Cell) and QLC (Quad Level Cell) memory modes. Thus, more commands were required to make sure that the 3D layering was fully written/read.

Main features of Toggle NAND 4.0 :

  • High Density of Memory
  • High Frequency of operation, greater than 800 MHz
  • Data Trainings

Cadence Verification IP for Flash Toggle NAND 4.0 is available to support the newer version of Flash Toggle NAND 4.0, allowing to simulate the memory device for efficient IP, SoC, and system-level design verification. Semiconductor companies can start using it to fully verify their controller design and achieve functional verification closure on it within no time. 
 
Gaurav 




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BoardSurfers: Optimizing RF Routing and Impedance Using Allegro X PCB Editor

Achieving optimal power transfer in RF PCBs hinges on meticulously routed traces that meet specific impedance requirements. Impedance matching is essential to ensure that traces have the same impedance to prevent signal reflection and inefficient pow...(read more)




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Find Routing problem (Route Vision) and quickly to fix these problems

The vision manager is good tool for routing check. but no quickly or effective  tool to fix or optimize this  problems to be optimized.

For example, parallel Gap less than preferred, min seg/Arc length,uncoupled diff-pair segs,and so on.

I only know use spread between voids to fix the non-optimized segs. in fact it is inefficient.

the parallel gap less than preferred is only to slice evry trace, its inefficient.

If i set the paraller gap less than 50um, Is there any tool to quickly fix these problems(gap less than 50um)?

For other problems,i can use tool to quickly fix the min seg/Arc length,uncoupled diff pair segs,accoding to select by polygon or select  by windows.




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Allegro X APD : Tip of the Week: ‘Auto-blank other rats’ feature

When working on a complex design, it is common to have very many net ratlines. Quantities like 1000 ratlines are possible. It can result in a cluttered view while routing. Therefore, it is useful to make all other ratlines invisible while routing interactively. You would like to make all ratlines visible again when each route action is completed.

You can easily do this by enabling the Auto-blank other rats option during routing. When enabled, all rats other than the primary ones are suppressed during the Add Connect command.




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How to execute APD+ embedded function in my form?

Hello, SKILL experts. 

I'm studying SKILL language to build some useful function in APD+.

Now, I want to execute 'Import Sub-drawing' function in new form.

But I cannot find how to do execute APD+ embedded function in a field of new form. 

Has anyone experienced this or idea to solve this problem? 




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Use Verisium SimAI to Accelerate Verification Closure with Big Compute Savings

Verisium SimAI App harnesses the power of machine learning technology with the Cadence Xcelium Logic Simulator - the ultimate breakthrough in accelerating verification closure. It builds models from regressions run in the Xcelium simulator, enabling the generation of new regressions with specific targets. The Verisium SimAI app also features cousin bug hunting, a unique capability that uses information from difficult-to-hit failures to expose cousin bugs. With these advanced machine learning techniques, Verisium SimAI offers the potential for a significant boost in productivity, promising an exciting future for our users.

Figure 1: Regression compression and coverage maximization with Verisium SimAI 

What can I do with Verisium SimAI?

You can exercise different use cases with Verisium SimAI as per your requirements. For some users, the goal might be regression compression and improving coverage regain. Coverage maximization and hitting new bins could be another goal. Other users may be interested in exposing hard-to-hit failures, bug hunting for difficult to find issues. Verisium SimAI allows users to take on any of these challenges to achieve the desired results.

Let's go into some more details of these use cases and scenarios where using SimAI can have a big positive impact.

  1. Using SimAI for Regression Compression and Coverage Regain

Unlock up to 10X compute savings with SimAI!

Verisium SimAI can be used to compress regressions and regain coverage. This flow involves setting up your regression environment for SimAI, running your random regressions with coverage and randomization data followed by training, and finally, synthesizing and running the SimAI-generated compressed regressions. The synthesized regression may prune tests that do not help meet the goal and add more runs for the most relevant tests, as well as add run-specific constraints. This flow can also be used to target specific areas like areas involving a high code churn or high complexity.

You can check out the details of this flow with illustrative examples in the following Rapid Adoption Kits (RAK) available on the Cadence Learning and Support Portal (Cadence customer credentials needed):

 

  1. Using SimAI for Coverage Maximization and Targeting coverage holes

Reduce your Functional Coverage Holes by up to 40% using SimAI!

Verisium SimAI can be used for iterative coverage maximization. This is most effective when regressions are largely saturated, and SimAI will explicitly try to hit uncovered bins, which may be hard-to-hit (but not impossible) coverage holes. This is achieved using iterative learning technology where with each iteration, SimAI does some exploration and determines how well it performed. This technique can also be used for bug hunting by using holes as targets of interest.

See more details on the Cadence Learning and Support Portal:

 

  1. Using SimAI for Bug Hunting

Discover and fix bugs faster using SimAI!

Verisium SimAI has a new bug hunting flow which can be used to target the goal of exposing hard-to-hit failure conditions. This is achieved using an iterative framework and by targeting failures or rare bins. The goal to target failures is best exercised when the overall failure rate is typically low (below 5%). Iterative learning can be used to improve the ability to target specific areas. Use the SimAI bug hunting use case to target rare events, low hit coverage bins, and low hit failure signatures.

See more details on the Cadence Learning and Support Portal:

Unlock compute savings, reduce your functional coverage holes, and discover and fix bugs faster with the power of machine learning technology now enabled by Verisium SimAI!

Please keep visiting  https://support.cadence.com/raks to download new RAKs as they become available.

Please note that you will need the Cadence customer credentials to log on to the Cadence Online  Support  https://support.cadence.com/, your 24/7 partner for getting help in resolving issues related to Cadence software or learning Cadence tools and technologies.

Happy Learning!




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DDR5 UDIMM Evolution to Clock Buffered DIMMs (CUDIMM)

DDR5 is the latest generation of PCDDR memory that is used in a wide range of application like data centers, Laptops and personal computers, autonomous driving systems, servers, cloud computing, and gaming are now increasingly being used for AI applications with advances in memory bandwidth and density to allow DDR5 DIMMs (Dual Inline Memory Modules) to support densities higher then 256 GB per DIMM card. The highest speed DDR5 SDRAM devices can support data rates of up to 8800 MTps.

DDR5 SO-DIMMs and UDIMMs

One of the most recognized uses of PCDDR is with client devices like laptops and personal computers. These client devices mostly use two types of DDR5 DIMMs called SO-DIMM (Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module) and UDIMM (Unbuffered Dual Inline Memory Module).

These types of DIMMs have no signal regeneration or buffering (which, for example, the Registering Clock Driver or the RCD does for clocks/command/control signals for a registered DIMMs). A typical 2-Rank UDIMM with x8 DDR5 SDRAM components has 8 or 10 components per rank depending on the system ECC (Error Correction Code) memory being part of the DIMM.

Why DDR5 Clock Buffer and CUDIMM?

Clocks are one of the most important signals for synchronous devices, and DDR5 SDRAMs are no exception. The host is responsible for the fanout to all the DRAM input ports, such as clocks for UDIMMs. Driving of all these DRAM clocks can put quite a bit of load on the host output drivers, thus affecting the signal quality, which can result in unexpected memory errors. This issue gets amplified when operating at the higher clock and data rates where the clock signals transition from one logic value to the next over a very short time. To solve these signal integrity issues with DRAM clocks, JEDEC has come up with a new type of DDR5 DIMM component that is called DDR5 clock buffer. Clock buffers can be used for both DDR5 SO-DIMMs and DDR5 UDIMMs. DDR5 UDIMMs that include a clock buffer component as part of the DIMM card are called DDR5 CUDIMMs (Clock Buffered UDIMMs).

DDR5 Clock Buffer Overview

DDR5 Clock Buffer is a simple logic device that takes in two sets of input clock pins and drives two sets of clock pins as output per channel. The clock buffer device can operate in three types of clock modes: -

  • PLL bypass mode: In this mode, the clock buffer just passes on the input clocks to output without any kind of signal buffering. The PLL bypass mode enabled CUDIMM devices behave like traditional UDIMMs without any buffering of the clocks. This is why it’s also referred to as legacy mode. Recommended CUDIMM operating speeds in PLL bypass mode are typically limited to 3000 MHz.
  • Single PLL mode: In the single PLL Mode, the clock buffer device will use a Phase Lock Loop (PLL) for the regeneration of the incoming host clock to create a better-quality clock that is sent to the DRAMs. However, since there is only one PLL that is used in this mode, both sub channel output clocks will be driven based on only one set of input clocks with the other set of input clocks remaining unused.
  • Dual PLL mode: In this mode, the clock buffer will use two PLLs to independently generate each sub channel output clock based on each set of incoming host clocks. The second set of PLL can be turned on or off on the fly if needed to save power.

Beyond the clock modes, clock buffers provide additional flexibility to the system designers with register-controlled additional signal delays, optional output clock enable/disable per bit feature, drive strength and termination choices, etc. All DDR5 clock buffer device control word registers are accessible via DDR5 DIMM sideband.

Cadence VIPs offers a compressive memory subsystem solution that includes memory models for DDR5 SDRAM, DDR5 RCD, DDR5 DB, DDR5 clock buffer, all types of DDR5 DIMMs, including the DDR5 CUDIMMs, DFI Memory Controller/PHY VIPs, and a system VIP compliant to JEDEC specifications defined for each of those devices along with latest DFI Specification.

More information on Cadence DDR5 DIMM VIP is available at the Cadence VIP Memory Models website.




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Solutions to Maximize Data Center Performance Featured at OCP Global Summit 2024

The demand for higher compute performance, energy efficiency, and faster time-to-market drove the conversations at this year's Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit in San Jose, California. It was the scene of showcasing groundbreaking innovations, expert-led sessions, and networking opportunities to drive the future of data center technology. For those who didn't get to attend or stop by our booth, here's a recap of Cadence's comprehensive solutions that enable next-generation compute technology, AI data center design, analysis, and optimization. Optimized Data Center Design and Operations As the data center community increasingly faces demands for enhanced efficiency, thermal management, sustainability, and performance optimization, data center operators, IT managers, and executives are looking for solutions to these challenges. At the Cadence booth, attendees explored the Cadence Reality Digital Twin Platform and Celsius EC Solver. These technologies are pivotal in achieving high-performance standards for AI data centers, providing advanced digital twin modeling capabilities that redefine next-generation data center design and operation. The Celsius EC Solver demonstration showed how it solves challenging thermal and electronics cooling management problems with precision and speed. CadenceCONNECT: Take the Heat Out of Your AI Data Center Cadence hosted a networking reception on October 16 titled "Take the Heat Out of Your AI Data Center." In today's AI era, managing the heat generated by high-density computing environments is more critical than ever. This reception offered insights into current and emerging data center technologies, digital twin cooling strategies that deliver energy-saving operations, and a chance to engage with industry leaders, Cadence experts, and peers to explore the latest cooling, AI, and GPU acceleration advancements. Here's a recap: Researcher, author, and entrepreneur Dr. Jon Koomey highlighted the inefficiency of data centers in his talk "The Rise of Zombie Data Centers," noting that 20-30% of their capacity is stranded and unused. He advocated for organizational changes and technological solutions like digital twins to reduce wasted energy and improve computational effectiveness as AI deployments increase. In "A New Millennium in Multiphysics System Analysis," Cadence Corporate VP Ben Gu explained the company's significant strides in multiphysics system analysis, evolving from chip simulation to a broader application of computational software for simulating various physical systems, including entire data centers. He noted that the latest Cadence venture, a digital twin platform for data center optimization, opened the opportunity to use simulation technology to optimize the efficiency of data centers. Senior Software Engineering Group Director Albert Zeng highlighted the Cadence Reality DC suite's ability to transform data center operations through simulation, emphasizing its multi-phase engine for optimal thermal performance and the integration of AI capabilities for enhanced design and management. A panel discussion titled "Turning AI Factory Blueprints into Reality at the Speed of Light" featured industry experts from NVIDIA, Norman Wright Precision Environmental and Power, NV5, Switch Data Centers, and Cadence, who explored the evolving requirements and multidimensional challenges of AI factories, emphasizing the need for collaboration across the supply chain to achieve high-performing and sustainable data centers. Watch the highlights. Transforming Designs from Chips to Data Centers The OCP Global Summit 2024 has reaffirmed its status as a pivotal event for data center professionals seeking to stay at the forefront of technological advancements. Cadence's contributions, from groundbreaking digital twin technologies to innovative cooling strategies, have shed light on the path forward for efficient, sustainable data centers. For data center professionals, IT managers, and engineers, the insights gained at this summit are invaluable in navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by the burgeoning AI era. Partnering with Arm Arm Total Design Cadence is a member of the Arm Total Design program. At an invitation-only special Arm event, Cadence's VP of Research and Development, Lokesh Korlipara, delivered a presentation focusing on data center challenges and design solutions with Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystem (CSS). The session highlighted: Efficient integration of Arm Neoverse CSS into system on chips (SoCs) with pre-integrated connectivity IP Performance analysis and verification of the Neoverse CSS integration into the SoC through Cadence's System VIP verification suite and automated testbench creation, enhancing both quality and productivity Jumpstarting designs through Cadence's collaboration with Arm for 3D-IC system planning, chiplets, and interposers Design Services readiness and global scale to support and/or deliver the most demanding Arm Neoverse CSS-based SoC design projects Cadence Supports Arm CSS in Arm Booth During the event, Cadence conducted a demo in the Arm booth that showcased the Cadence System VIP verification suite. The demo highlighted automated testbench creation and performance analysis for integrating the Arm CSS into SoCs while enhancing verification quality and productivity. Summary Cadence offers data center solutions for designing everything from the compute and networking chips to the board, racks, data centers, and campuses. Stay connected with Cadence and other industry leaders to continue exploring the innovations set to redefine the future of data centers. Learn More Cadence Joins Arm Total Design Cadence Arm-Based Solutions Cadence Reality Digital Twin Platform




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Using troubles about LT4417

Hello~

As the following circuit shows, VCC+5V_USB is the 4th power source, connecting the output of power management of diode.There are 3 5V input in the input port of LTC4417.

It’s normal when VCC+5V_USB prodive power with other circuit. However, if I cup VCC+5V_FIRST,VCC+5V_SECOND,VCC+5V_THIRD, 5V voltage will occurred in the VCC+5V_FIRST,VCC+5V_SECOND,VCC+5V_THIRD.

The LTC4417 PDF

 

Is this phenomance normal ?

Please kindly give me some advice ! Thanks.




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Population Is Not a Problem, but Our Greatest Strength

This is the 21st installment of The Rationalist, my column for the Times of India.

When all political parties agree on something, you know you might have a problem. Giriraj Singh, a minister in Narendra Modi’s new cabinet, tweeted this week that our population control law should become a “movement.” This is something that would find bipartisan support – we are taught from school onwards that India’s population is a big problem, and we need to control it.

This is wrong. Contrary to popular belief, our population is not a problem. It is our greatest strength.

The notion that we should worry about a growing population is an intuitive one. The world has limited resources. People keep increasing. Something’s gotta give.

Robert Malthus made just this point in his 1798 book, An Essay on the Principle of Population. He was worried that our population would grow exponentially while resources would grow arithmetically. As more people entered the workforce, wages would fall and goods would become scarce. Calamity was inevitable.

Malthus’s rationale was so influential that this mode of thinking was soon called ‘Malthusian.’ (It is a pejorative today.) A 20th-century follower of his, Harrison Brown, came up with one of my favourite images on this subject, arguing that a growing population would lead to the earth being “covered completely and to a considerable depth with a writhing mass of human beings, much as a dead cow is covered with a pulsating mass of maggots.”

Another Malthusian, Paul Ehrlich, published a book called The Population Bomb in 1968, which began with the stirring lines, “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now.” Ehrlich was, as you’d guess, a big supporter of India’s coercive family planning programs. ““I don’t see,” he wrote, “how India could possibly feed two hundred million more people by 1980.”

None of these fears have come true. A 2007 study by Nicholas Eberstadt called ‘Too Many People?’ found no correlation between population density and poverty. The greater the density of people, the more you’d expect them to fight for resources – and yet, Monaco, which has 40 times the population density of Bangladesh, is doing well for itself. So is Bahrain, which has three times the population density of India.

Not only does population not cause poverty, it makes us more prosperous. The economist Julian Simon pointed out in a 1981 book that through history, whenever there has been a spurt in population, it has coincided with a spurt in productivity. Such as, for example, between Malthus’s time and now. There were around a billion people on earth in 1798, and there are around 7.7 billion today. As you read these words, consider that you are better off than the richest person on the planet then.

Why is this? The answer lies in the title of Simon’s book: The Ultimate Resource. When we speak of resources, we forget that human beings are the finest resource of all. There is no limit to our ingenuity. And we interact with each other in positive-sum ways – every voluntary interactions leaves both people better off, and the amount of value in the world goes up. This is why we want to be part of economic networks that are as large, and as dense, as possible. This is why most people migrate to cities rather than away from them – and why cities are so much richer than towns or villages.

If Malthusians were right, essential commodities like wheat, maize and rice would become relatively scarcer over time, and thus more expensive – but they have actually become much cheaper in real terms. This is thanks to the productivity and creativity of humans, who, in Eberstadt’s words, are “in practice always renewable and in theory entirely inexhaustible.”

The error made by Malthus, Brown and Ehrlich is the same error that our politicians make today, and not just in the context of population: zero-sum thinking. If our population grows and resources stays the same, of course there will be scarcity. But this is never the case. All we need to do to learn this lesson is look at our cities!

This mistaken thinking has had savage humanitarian consequences in India. Think of the unborn millions over the decades because of our brutal family planning policies. How many Tendulkars, Rahmans and Satyajit Rays have we lost? Think of the immoral coercion still carried out on poor people across the country. And finally, think of the condescension of our politicians, asserting that people are India’s problem – but always other people, never themselves.

This arrogance is India’s greatest problem, not our people.

The India Uncut Blog © 2010 Amit Varma. All rights reserved.
Follow me on Twitter.




ut

17.4 Design Sync Fails without providing errors

As the title suggests I am unable to perform design sync between OrCAD Capture and Allegro. When I add a layout and try to sync to it I am given ERROR(ORCAP-2426): Cannot run Design Sync because of errors. See session log for error details.

Session Log

[ORPCBFLOW] : Invoking ECO dialog.
INFO(ORNET-1176): Netlisting the design
INFO(ORNET-1178): Design Name:
C:USERSDDOYLEDOCUMENTSCADENCEBOARDSREMOTE POWER DEVICECAPTUREREMOTE_POWER_DEVICE.DSN
Netlist Directory:
c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegro
Configuration File:
C:CadenceSPB_17.4 ools/capture/allegro.cfg
pstswp.exe - pst - d "C:USERSDDOYLEDOCUMENTSCADENCEBOARDSREMOTE POWER DEVICECAPTUREREMOTE_POWER_DEVICE.DSN"- n "c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegro" - c "C:CadenceSPB_17.4 ools/capture/allegro.cfg" - v 3 - l 31 - s "" - j "PCB Footprint" - hpath "HPathForCollision"
Spawning... pstswp.exe - pst - d "C:USERSDDOYLEDOCUMENTSCADENCEBOARDSREMOTE POWER DEVICECAPTUREREMOTE_POWER_DEVICE.DSN"- n "c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegro" - c "C:CadenceSPB_17.4 ools/capture/allegro.cfg" - v 3 - l 31 - s "" - j "PCB Footprint" - hpath "HPathForCollision"
{ Using PSTWRITER 17.4.0 d001Dec-14-2021 at 09:00:49 }

INFO(ORCAP-36080): Scanning netlist files ...

Loading... c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegropstchip.dat

Loading... c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegropstchip.dat

Loading... c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegropstxprt.dat

Loading... c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegropstxnet.dat
packaging the design view...
Exiting... pstswp.exe - pst - d "C:USERSDDOYLEDOCUMENTSCADENCEBOARDSREMOTE POWER DEVICECAPTUREREMOTE_POWER_DEVICE.DSN"- n "c:usersddoyledocumentscadenceoards emote power devicelayoutallegro" - c "C:CadenceSPB_17.4 ools/capture/allegro.cfg" - v 3 - l 31 - s "" - j "PCB Footprint" - hpath "HPathForCollision"
INFO(ORNET-1179): *** Done ***

This issue started to occur after I changed parts that exist on previously created PCBs. I changed the following leading up to this:

1. Added height in Allegro to many of my components using the Setup->Area->Package Height tool.

2. Changed the reference designator category in OrCAD Capture to TP for several components on board.

Any advice here would be most welcome. Thanks!




ut

Migrating from files Orcad Layout 16.2

I have managed to convert our old schematic and PCD file to from Layout 16.2 to 17.4

I have exported the footprints and moved them to the correct lib directory. 

I get no DRC errors and I can build a new netlist file. The problem is I can't get the PCB editor to update using the new netlist and get the following error:

I cannot figure out how to fix the Name is too long error. 

(---------------------------------------------------------------------)
(                                                                     )
(    Allegro Netrev Import Logic                                      )
(                                                                     )
(    Drawing          : 70055R2.brd                                   )
(    Software Version : 17.4S023                                      )
(    Date/Time        : Tue Dec 14 18:54:25 2021                      )
(                                                                     )
(---------------------------------------------------------------------)


------ Directives ------------

Ripup etch:                  Yes
Ripup delete first segment:  No
Ripup retain bondwire:       No
Ripup symbols:               IfSame
Missing symbol has error:    No
DRC update:                  Yes
Schematic directory:         'C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2'
Design Directory:            'C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2'
Old design name:             'C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/70055R2.brd'
New design name:             'C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/70055R2.brd'

CmdLine: netrev -$ -i C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2 -x -u -t -y 2 -h -z -q netrev_constraint_report.xml C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/#Taaaaae57776.tmp

------ Preparing to read pst files ------

Starting to read C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/pstchip.dat 
   Finished reading C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/pstchip.dat (00:00:00.02)
Starting to read C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/pstxprt.dat 
   Finished reading C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/pstxprt.dat (00:00:00.00)
Starting to read C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/pstxnet.dat 
   Finished reading C:/AFS/70055 PCB Test 2/pstxnet.dat (00:00:00.00)

------ Oversights/Warnings/Errors ------


#1   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'SW DPDT_9_SWITCH_OTTO_ALT_SW DPDT': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'SW DPDT_9_SWITCH_OTTO_ALT_SW DP' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#2   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'SW DPDT_10_SWITCH_OTTO_LIGHTS_SW DPDT': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'SW DPDT_10_SWITCH_OTTO_LIGHTS_S' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#3   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'SW DPDT_7_SWITCH_OTTO_ALT_SW DPDT': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'SW DPDT_7_SWITCH_OTTO_ALT_SW DP' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#4   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'SW DPDT_3_SWITCH_OTTO_MASTER_SW DPDT': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'SW DPDT_3_SWITCH_OTTO_MASTER_SW' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#5   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'SW DPDT_6_SWITCH_OTTO_LIGHTS_SW DPDT': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'SW DPDT_6_SWITCH_OTTO_LIGHTS_SW' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#6   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'SW DPDT_3_SWITCH_OTTO_MASTER_DPDT': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'SW DPDT_3_SWITCH_OTTO_MASTER_DP' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#7   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'CONNECTOR DB15_DSUBVPTM15_CONNECTOR DB15': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'CONNECTOR DB15_DSUBVPTM15_CONNE' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#8   ERROR(SPMHNI-176): Device library error detected.

ERROR(SPMHNI-189): Problems with the name of device 'CONNECTOR DB9_DSUBVPTM9_CONNECTOR DB9': 'Name is too long.'.

ERROR(SPMHNI-170): Device 'CONNECTOR DB9_DSUBVPTM9_CONNECT' has library errors. Unable to transfer to Allegro.

#9   ERROR(SPMHNI-175): Netrev error detected.

ERROR(SPMHDB-195): Error processing 'M6': Text line is outside of the extents..

------ Library Paths ------
MODULEPATH =  . 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/local/pcb/modules 

PSMPATH =  . 
           symbols 
           .. 
           ../symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/local/pcb/symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/pcb/pcb_lib/symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/pcb/allegrolib/symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/pcb/pcb_lib/symbols 

PADPATH =  . 
           symbols 
           .. 
           ../symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/local/pcb/padstacks 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/pcb/pcb_lib/symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/pcb/allegrolib/symbols 
           C:/Cadence/SPB_17.4/share/pcb/pcb_lib/symbols 


------ Summary Statistics ------


#10  Run stopped because errors were detected

netrev run on Dec 14 18:54:25 2021
   DESIGN NAME : '70055R2'
   PACKAGING ON Nov  2 2021 14:32:04

   COMPILE 'logic'
   CHECK_PIN_NAMES OFF
   CROSS_REFERENCE OFF
   FEEDBACK OFF
   INCREMENTAL OFF
   INTERFACE_TYPE PHYSICAL
   MAX_ERRORS 500
   MERGE_MINIMUM 5
   NET_NAME_CHARS '#%&()*+-./:=>?@[]^_`|'
   NET_NAME_LENGTH 24
   OVERSIGHTS ON
   REPLACE_CHECK OFF
   SINGLE_NODE_NETS ON
   SPLIT_MINIMUM 0
   SUPPRESS   20
   WARNINGS ON

 10 errors detected
 No oversight detected
 No warning detected

cpu time      0:00:27
elapsed time  0:00:00




ut

Noise summary data per sub-block in Maestro output expressions

Hi,

I have a question about printing noise summary via maestro output expressions.

How can I print noise data using output expressions, for multiple levels of the hierarchy?

I have found this article which describe the procedure using ocnGenNoiseSummary() functionhttps://support.cadence.com/apex/ArticleAttachmentPortal?id=a1Od0000007MViHEAW&pageName=ArticleContent

I see also Andrew Beckett referring to the above mentioned article as a solution to a similar question: community.cadence.com/.../noise-summary-per-instance

However, this seems to work only if I'm to extract noise data from a single level of hierarchy.

If I have the output expression "ocnGenNoiseSummary(2 ?result 'hbnoise)", it will generate a "noisesummary" directory under results directory for a hierarchy level of 2.

If I am to extract data from various hierarchy levels, I should be able to generate multiple noise summary directories, such as noisesummary1, noisesummary2 where they correspond to "ocnGenNoiseSummary(1 ?result 'hbnoise)" & "ocnGenNoiseSummary(2 ?result 'hbnoise)", respectively. However this does not seem to be possible.

Can you please advice? Thanks.

My Cadence version: IC23.1-64b.ISR7.27

BR,

Denizhan Karaca




ut

Display Resource Editor: Different Colors for Schematic and Layout Axis

Hi

In the environment I'm currently working, axes are shown for schematic, symbol, and layout views.For schematics and symbols, I'd prefer a dim gray, such that the axes are just visible but not dominant. For the layout, I'd prefer a brighter color. Is there a way to realize this? So far when I change the color of the 'axis' layer in the display resource editor, the axes in all three views get changed together:

Thanks very much for your input!




ut

Cannot access individual noise contributions using SpectreMDL

I have tried replicating the setup described in a previous post (here), with the proposed solution.

 

The MDL measurements return a value of 0 for all exported result but the first.

Using Viva I can actually see the correct value for each contribution.

I am using :
- Spectre 23.1.0.538.isr10
- Viva IC23.1-64b.ISR8.40

What should I do differently?

Thanks!

***** test.scs *****
r1 (1 0) res_model l=10e-6 w=2e-6
r2 (2 1) res_model l=15e-6 w=2e-6
vr (2 0) vsource dc=1.0 mag=1
model res_model resistor rsh=100 kf=1e-20*exp(dkf)
parameters dkf=0
statistics {
  process {
    vary dkf dist=gauss std=0.5
  }
}

noi (1 0) noise freq=1

/***** test.mdl *****/
alias measurement noi_test {
  run noi;
  export real noi_total=noi_test:out;
  export real r1_total=r1:total;
  export real r1_flicker=r1:fn;
  export real r1_thermal=r1:rn;
  export real r2_total=r2:total;
  export real r2_flicker=r2:fn;
  export real r2_thermal=r2:rn;
}

run noi_test

**** test.measure ****

Measurement Name   :  noi_test
Analysis Type      :  noise
noi_total             =  6.9282e-06
r1_flicker            =  0
r1_thermal            =  0
r1_total              =  0
r2_flicker            =  0
r2_thermal            =  0
r2_total              =  0




ut

How can I place stacked vias with the size exact same cut width without metals around?

How can I place stacked vias with the size exact same cut width without metals around?
As the red part only in the image below?




ut

Author and library name in sheet border

Dear community

We would like to have more minimalistic and customized sheet borders for our schematics. I used this guide to create a starting point. Essentially, I made a copy of the US_8ths library and modified the Title symbol to look something like that:

Problem 1

The variable ilInst~>libName points to the library of the sheet border symbols, not to the library of the schematic. How do I need to modify this field in order to see the library name of the schematic where the border is instantiated?

Problem 2

The function CCSgetCreator() was taken from here. This solution does not seem to work with our management toll (we use VersIC); the function always returns nil as value. What is the simplest way to display the name of the user that created the schematic? A custom field that could be filled manually would also do the job for us; it doesn't need to be something that automatically fetches data from a database system.

Thanks for any input.




ut

Force virtuoso (Layout XL) to NOT create warning markers in design

Hi

I have a rather strange question - is there a way to tell layout XL to NOT place the error/warning markers on a design when I open a cell?  I do a lot of my layout by using arrays from placed instances and create mosaics that completely ignore the metadata that Layout XL uses with its bindings with schematic (and instances get deleted etc. but I do like using it to generate all my pins etc.) and it's just really annoying when I open a design that I know is LVS clean and since the connectivity metadata is all screwed up (because I did not use it to actually complete the layout) I have a design that's just blinking at me at every gate, source and drain.  I typically delete them at the high level heirarchically but the second I go in and modify something and come back up it places all of them again.  I know that if I flatten all the p cells it goes away but sometimes it's nice to have that piece of metadata but that's about it.  Is there a way to "break" the features of XL like this?  I realize what a weird question this is but it's becoming more of an issue since we moved to IC 23 from IC 6 where there is no longer a layout L that I can use free from these annoyances that can't use any of the connectivity metadata.

Thanks

Chris




ut

How to Set Up a Config View to Easily Switch Between Schematic and Calibre of DUT for Multiple Testbenches?

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I’ve set up two testbenches (TB1 and TB2) for my Design Under Test (DUT) using Cadence IC6.1.8-64b.500.21 tools, as shown in the attached figure. The DUT has multiple views available: schematic, Calibre, Maestro, and Symbol, and each testbench uses the same DUT in different scenarios. Currently, I have to manually switch between these views, but I would like to streamline this process.

My goal is to use a single config view that allows me to switch between the schematic and the extracted (Calibre) views. Ideally, I would like to have a configuration file where making changes once would update both testbenches (TB1 and TB2) automatically. In other words, when I modify one config, both testbenches should reflect this update for a single simulation run.

I would really appreciate it if you could guide me on the following:

  1. How to create a config view for my DUT that can be used to easily switch between the schematic and extracted views, impacting both TB1 and TB2.
  2. Where to specify view priorities or other settings to control which view is used during simulation.
  3. Best practices for using a config file in this scenario, so that it ensures consistency across multiple testbenches.

Please refer to the attached figure to get a better understanding of the setup I’m using, where both TB1 and TB2 include the same DUT with multiple available views.

Thank you so much for your time and assistance!




ut

incorrect output of multiplication in jaspergold

I want to use jaspergold to formally verify functionality of my custom multiplier. I am computing the expected result using A*B to check against output of my multiplier. Here, A and B are two logic signed operands. However, jaspergold is performing the operation A*B incorrectly.

I have reproduced this issue using the attached example. JasperGold compiles and elaborates the module and subsequently runs a formal proof. The tool raises a counterexample to assertion whose screenshot is attached below:

I simulated the same example using xrun and it was giving the correct product output in simvision waveform. Please help me resolve this issue. I am using 2023.03 version of Jasper Apps.

Thanks and regards

Anubhav Agarwal




ut

Is it possible to automatically exclude registers or wires that are not used from toggle coverage?

Hello,

I have a question about toggle coverage.

In my case, there are many unused registers or wires that are affecting the toggle coverage score negatively.

Is it possible to automatically exclude registers or wires that are not used from toggle coverage?

My RTL code is as follows, Is it possible to automatically disable tb.top1.b and tb.top1.c without using an exclude file?

module top1;

  reg a;

  reg b;

  reg [31:0] c;

  initial

  begin

  #1 a=1'b0;

  #1 a=1'b1;

  #1 a=1'b0;

  end

endmodule

module tb;

  top1 top1();

endmodule




ut

Auto-Coloring Waves in Simvision?

Hello,

First, I had something working that broke in the past few versions that I've been meaning to get working again. There was some setting I recall in the GUI that allowed me to have inputs be placed in the waveform viewer with yellow traces, and output signals with orange traces to match the name colors. How can I set this to happen in the .simvisionrc file?

Second, I would like to add something to my .simvisionrc file to go through foreach signal and depending on key locations based on the signal's Path.Name (mainly the model and design areas) such that if the path contains "mon", then to auto-set the trace and name colors to something such as cyan. I'd like to have loops for various key areas of the design to color-code the signals.

Third, I am interested if there is a possibility of coloring names/traces foregound colors to based on which position they are in the waveform viewer to make banding, ideally such that every three (or whatever) are one color (or a color mutation, adding some gray to signals colorized by the auto-coloring mentioned already, etc) that allows for the signal names/traces to be colorized along with the built-in optional black/gray background banding.

Thanks in advance




ut

Cisco's utilities library donation

Dear users,
Cisco has graciously agreed to donate a library of several utilities packages to the e community. Please refer to the LIBRARY_README.txt for general information, and to each of the packages' PACKAGE_README.txt file for more information on each package. The tar file containing the utilities library is attached to this message.

The zip file containing informational slides on Cisco's utility library packages is also attached. The zip file is 9 mg so may take a bit to download.  The file is too big to fit on this post, so the unzipped files are posted in three separate entries below.

For your convenience, we have also extracted the document “Directory Structure.doc” from the csco_base_env/docs location.
 
Note: The library contains the csco_testflow package, adding phases to e's run phase. Cadence strongly encourages Customers to adopt the testflow phases feature that Cadence is releasing in Specman6.2. The new phases in e will be similar to the phases defined in the csco_testflow package, but will be a formal part of the e language. For more information please contact IPCM@cadence.com.


Originally posted in cdnusers.org by meirav




ut

Specman Makefile generator utility

I've heard lots of people asking for a way to generate Makefiles for Specman code, and it seems there are some who don't use "irun" which takes care of this automatically. So I wrote this little utility to build a basic Makefile based on the compiled and loaded e code.

It's really easy to use: at any time load the snmakedeps.e into Specman, and use "write makefile <name> [-ignore_test]".
This will dump a Makefile with a set of variables corresponding to the loaded packages, and targets to build any compiled modules.
Using -ignore_test will avoid having the test file in the Makefile, in case you switch tests often (who doesn't?).

It also writes a stub target so you can do "make stub_ncvlog" or "make stub vhdl" etc.

The targets are pretty basic, I thought it was more useful to #include this into the main Makefile and define your own more complex targets / dependencies as required.

The package uses the "reflection" facility of the e language, which is now documented since Specman 8.1, so you can extend this utility if you want (please share any enhancements you make).

 Enjoy! :-)

Steve.




ut

vr_ad register definition utility

Hi All.

I put together a small Perl script to generate vr_ad register definitions from SPIRIT (IP-XACT) XML.
If you've got not idea what IP-XACT is, have a look here www.spiritconsortium.org/, then start pestering your design manager to use it :-)

The script can filter out registers and override R/W access types if needed.

An example XML file is included with the package so that you can play with it, and there's a detailed README.txt as well.

Here's an example of the generated e code:

// Automatically generated from xdmac.xml
// DO NOT EDIT, or your changes may be lost
<'

import vr_ad/e/vr_ad_top;

// Component = XDMAC
// memoryMap = xdmac
extend vr_ad_map_kind : [XDMAC];

// addressBlock = dma_eth
extend vr_ad_reg_file_kind : [DMA_ETH];

extend DMA_ETH vr_ad_reg_file {
keep size == 20;
keep addressing_width_in_bytes == 4;
};

// Register = command
// Reset = 0x00
reg_def COMMAND DMA_ETH 0x0 {
// Field resv3 = command[31:29]
reg_fld resv3 : uint(bits:3) : R : 0 : cov ;
// Field transfer_size = command[28:19]
reg_fld transfer_size : uint(bits:10) : RW : 0 : cov ;
// Field dma_transfer_target = command[18:14]
reg_fld dma_transfer_target : uint(bits:5) : RW : 0 : cov ;
// Field resv2 = command[13:10]
reg_fld resv2 : uint(bits:4) : R : 0 : cov ;
// Field transmit_receive = command[9:9]
reg_fld transmit_receive : uint(bits:1) : RW : 0 : cov ;
// Field resv1 = command[8:5]
reg_fld resv1 : uint(bits:4) : R : 0 : cov ;
// Field dest_address_enable = command[4:4]
reg_fld dest_address_enable : uint(bits:1) : RW : 0 : cov ;
// Field source_address_enable = command[3:3]
reg_fld source_address_enable : uint(bits:1) : RW : 0 : cov ;
// Field word_size = command[2:0]
reg_fld word_size : uint(bits:3) : R : 0 : cov ;
};

// Register = queue_exec
// Reset = 0x00
reg_def QUEUE_EXEC DMA_ETH 0x10 {
// Field resv = queue_exec[31:1]
reg_fld resv : uint(bits:31) : R : 0 : cov ;
// Field exec = queue_exec[0:0]
reg_fld exec : uint(bits:1) : RW : 0 : cov ;
};

extend XDMAC vr_ad_map {
dma_eth : DMA_ETH vr_ad_reg_file;

post_generate() is also {
add_with_offset(0x00, dma_eth);
dma_eth.reset();
};
}
'>

 

Any comments, please feed them back to me so I can enhance the script.
Note that this forum forces me to post a .zip file rather than .tgz, please be careful to unpack the file under Linux, not Windows, else the DOS linefeeds will corrupt the Perl and XML files.

Steve




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IntelliGen Statistics Metrics Collection Utilility

As noted in white papers, posts on the Team Specman Blog, and the Specman documentation, IntelliGen is a totally new stimulus generator than the original "Pgen" and, as a result, there is some amount of effort needed to migrate an existing verification environment to fully leverage the power of IntelliGen.  One of the main steps in migrating code is running the linters on your code and adressing the issues highlighted. 

Included below is a simple utility you can include in your environment that allows you to collect some valuable statistics about your code base to allow you to better gauge the amount of work that might be required to migrate from Pgen to IntelliGen.  The ICFS statistics reported are of particular benefit as the utility not only identifies the approximate number of ICFSs in the environment, it also breaks the total number down according to generation contexts (structs/units and gen-on-the-fly statements) allowing you to better focus your migration efforts. 

IMPORTANT: Sometimes a given environment can trigger a large number of IntelliGen linting messages right off the bat.  Don't let this freak you out!  This does not mean that migration will be a long effort as quite often some slight changes to an environment remove a large number of identified issues.  I recently encountered a situation where a simple change to three locations in the environment, removed 500+ ICFSs!

The methods included in the utility can be used to report information on the following:
- Number of e modules
- Number of lines in the environment (including blanks and comments)
- Number and type of IntelliGen Guidelines linting messages
- Number of Inconsistently Connected Field Sets (ICFSs)
- Number of ICFS contexts and how many ICFSs per context
- Number of soft..select overlays found in the envioronment
- Number of Laces identified in the environment


To use the code below, simply load it before/after loading e-code and then
you can execute any of the following methods:

- sys.print_file_stats()             : prints # of lines and files
- sys.print_constraint_stats()   : prints # of constraints in the environment
- sys.print_guideline_stats()    : prints # of each type of linting message
- sys.print_icfs_stats()            : prints # of ICFSs, contexts and #ICFS/context
- sys.print_soft_select_stats() : prints # of soft select overlay issues
- sys.print_lace_stats()           : *Only works for SPMNv6.2s4 and later* prints # of laces identified in the environment

Each of the above calls to methods produces it's own log files (stored in the current working directory) containing relevant information for more detailed analysis.
- file_stats_log.elog : Output of "show modules" command
- constraint_log.elog : Output of the "show constraint" command
- guidelines_log.elog : Output of "gen lint -g" (with notification set to MAX_INT in order to get all warnings)
- icfs_log.elog       : Output of "gen lint -i" command
- soft_select_log.elog: Output of the "gen lint -s" command
- lace_log.elog       : Output of the "show lace" command


Happy generating!

Corey Goss




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help with automating adding CLP files to DRA files

Question for forum:
I’m currently working on a code to automatically add CLP files to DRA files and then add two classes called “APPROVED” and “CLP”. To do this manually you have to open a DRA file, click file import subdrawing and choose the clp file with the same name as dra. (path already set). You then set the clp to position x 0 0. And then click on Set Up > Subclasses > Package geometry and type in “Approved” and “Clp.”
So far we’ve recorded the macros in Allegro for all of these actions. The macros correspond to one specific file name and we want to apply this to numerous files. To do this we created a python program that locates all of the specified CLP and DRA files, and if they have a matching name, runs a for loop that puts each file name into a stored variable that runs a loop for each file. We converted this script into batch and then added a function that we thought would run Allegro macros from batch.
In order to get the script working, we need to have an allegro batch command that will run the script without opening the Allegro start popup, or closing the popup when it appears.  We need to do this to run any script from starting Allegro.
I’ve done another similar program in batch where I made a for loop for each dra file and within the loop there was a batch a2dxf command that converted all dra files to dxf files. Is there a similar batch command for adding clp files to position 0 0 and/ or adding classes? If anyone has done something similar please let me know!
Thank you very much for the help.
Jen




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X-FAB's Innovative Communication and Automotive Designs: Powered by Cadence EMX Planar 3D Solver

Using the EMX solver, X-FAB design engineers can efficiently develop next-generation RF technology for the latest communication standards (including sub-6GHz 5G, mmWave, UWB, etc.), which are enabling technologies for communications and electric vehicle (EV) wireless applications. (read more)





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Strmount failed in streaming out cell

Hi, I would be grateful if you can help me with this error which I get after trying to run an EMX simulation on a PCELL.

I've found very limited information in this forum. Thanks




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Colpitts Oscillator output power simulation

Hello everybody,

As you can find in the attached image, I am trying to simulate a Colpitts oscillator. However, using pss analysis it shows a high output power. 

My question is where is the problem of my structure or simulation setup?

Best,




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Virtuoso Meets Maxwell: Getting Your Existing SiP File Into Virtuoso RF Solution

I have been involved in the Virtuoso RF Solution for the last four years. Most of the customers I work with have a SiP package already in progress. They often ask "How do I get my SiP design into Virtuoso RF Solution?" I am excited about new functionality in the latest ICADVM20.1 ISR25 release. It is a new GUI under the Tools menu called Enablement. (read more)




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Virtuoso Meets Maxwell: Completing the Virtuoso RF Solution Assisted Flow

In my last blog, Getting Your Existing SiP File Into Virtuoso RF, I talked about the new enhancements in ICADVM20.1 ISR25 for Virtuoso RF Solution. At the end of the blog, I told you about the Fully Assisted Roundtrip flow, which includes importing SiP files that are compatible with the Virtuoso RF Solution assisted import flow into the Virtuoso platform. Let's examine how the Fully Assisted Roundtrip flow works in this blog.(read more)




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Virtuosity: Driving Super-efficient Chip Design with Voltus-XFi Custom Power Integrity Solution

This blog introduces the new Voltus-XFi Custom Power Integrity Solution, a transistor-level EM-IR tool that enables designers to complete comprehensive analysis and debugging easily and quickly.(read more)




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Knowledge Booster Training Bytes - Virtuoso Pin-To-Trunk Routing

This blog helps in demonstrating the use of Pin to trunk routing style which helps in enhancing the layout experience.(read more)