Embecosm has extensive experience in all aspects of software modeling of hardware, especially processor hardware, from the creation of high-level transaction level models (TLM)  and instruction set simulators (ISS) through to fully cycle accurate simulations.  Embecosm provides integration with debugging environments, allowing the user to switch seamlessly from debugging with models to debugging with real hardware.

By using models for compiler tool chain regression testing, Embecosm is able to deliver pre-silicon tool chains, and use the compiler to help validate the silicon design pre-tapeout.

  • Transaction level and cycle accurate modeling.
  • Automated instruction set simulator creation.
  • Integration with firmware development and debugging.
  • Pre-silicon tool chain implementation and testing.

Technical Details

Transaction Level and Cycle Accurate Modeling

Modern System-on-Chip (SoC) architectural exploration often uses Transactional Level Modeling (TLM), either untimed or using approximate timing.  While the system architect will write models of all the custom components, there is the challenge of integrating standard components, for which no SystemC model exists.  This can particularly be a problem for processors, where only an instruction set simulator exists.  Embecosm has the expertise to wrap existing models with IEEE 1666 SystemC TLM interfaces, allowing them to be used within SystemC architectural exploration.

Once the chip is complete, we have particular experience in cycle accurate modeling of Verilog designs using the open source Verilator tool, creating high performance models of the actual implementation for use in software development, including tool chain development.  Where a design is in VHDL we can use the GHDL tool in a similar way.

Instruction Set Simulators

Creating an instruction set simulator (ISS) for a new processor by hand is an extremely time consuming process.  The work is intricate, repetitive and very prone to errors, requiring very large numbers of compliance tests.

Embecosm uses GNU CGEN and LLVM TableGen to automate the creation of fast table-driven simulators.  From a formal description of the processor architecture and its semantics these tools generate the code for a simulator, assembler/disassembler and even a compliance test framework.  A full simulator with its simulator can be created in a matter of weeks.

Debugger Integration

Embecosm is a pioneer in multi-target debugger integration.  Our debugger server is an open source implementation, allowing the user to switch easily between debugging with a high level model or ISS, a cycle accurate model or real hardware.  Software and firmware engineers can start to develop code long before actual silicon is available, giving a time-to-market advantage, and also providing pre-tapeout feedback to the processor designers.  Whichever target is used, the functional experience is identical (although performance will vary of course).

We provide implementations of the debugger server which support a range of multicore semantic models within the standard GNU Debugger (GDB).  This technology is also readily transferable to the new LLVM Debugger (LLDB).

A new feature under development by Embecosm is lockstep debugging for GDB.  With this technology, two different models are run in parallel and cross-checked after each instruction.  Where a difference is found, an exception is triggered within the code.  A silicon chip implementation can be tested using lockstep debugging with a high level architectural model and a cycle accurate model generated from the Verilog or VHDL of the implementation.  Real applications run under the debugger will trigger exceptions if there is any divergence in behavior.  If required the cycle accurate model can generate a signal trace during debugging, allowing the silicon designer to see exactly why the divergence occurred.

Pre-Silicon Tool Chain Development and Testing

The original reason Embecosm developed so much modeling expertise was to allow us to develop high quality compiler tool chains well ahead of silicon tapeout.  Tool chains can be fully tested against a high level architectural model or ISS, then that testing can be repeated against a cycle accurate model of the implementation to check for consistency, and finally tested against the actual silicon.

The comparison between test results with the high level model and with the cycle accurate implementation model is a valuable addition to pre-silicon verification of the design.  Any discrepancies between the the two is a possible fault in the silicon design.  The case study below shows how this approach improved the quality of the OpenRISC 1000 processor used by NASA in TechEdSat.

 

Case Study

Fault finding in an OpenRISC processor for satellite use.

When NASA decided to use an OpenRISC 1000 processor in TechEdSat, Embecosm provided a robust GCC 4.5.1 tool chain for the software developers.  Working with ORSoC AB and ÅAC Microtec, Embecosm’s team tested the tool chain comprehensively.  We initially used a hand-written architectural simulator, Or1ksim, which is the golden reference for behavior of the architecture.  We then repeated the tests using a Verilator cycle accurate model of the Verilog implementation.  We found several hundred discrepancies in the GNU regression test suite, with tests which passed using Or1ksim, but failed using the Verilator model.

These were then traced back to a fault in the implementation of the OpenRISC 1000, which had been present since the original version.  The developers were then able to revise the design to correct the fault, before the processor was used in the satellite.

TechEdSat was launched on 21 July 2012 and deployed on 4 October 2012.  It flew a successful mission until reentering the atmosphere on 5 May 2013.

Toolchain Porting

Compiler Tool Chain Development

Embecosm is able to provide new and upgraded ports of binutils, GCC, GDB, GNU libraries, LLVM, LLDB, LLVM utilities and LLVM libraries, whether for the smallest deeply embedded processor, or the largest supercomputer cluster.