Tutorial: Agile System Development with Models

                Processor, SoC and System-of-Systems Modeling

Tutorial Instructor: Gopi Kumar Bulusu

Date & Time: On 16th December, 2012 2:00 PM [Half Day]

Complex embedded systems are often developed by large teams spread across multiple locations around the globe. The range of roles and skillsets required to create such complex systems often spans multiple functions and disciplines. Roles include architects, designers, developers and test engineers. Often team members work on hardware, software and domain specific control design. Examples of domains include automotive, consumer electronic, aerospace, networking, high performance computing and storage.

Agile development using architectural models results in the creation of more effective globally optimized systems that are delivered to the market ahead of the competition. Hierarchical modeling supported by system design automation platforms helps hardware designers, software developers and domain experts create complex systems quickly using a shared model of the system under development.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to model different elements of a complex system such as processors and peripherals - in addition to modeling complete systems and system of systems. You will also see how models can be used to create prototypes, automate verification and create straight-through design flows for development of synthesizable RTL to realize hardware implementations using FPGAs or ASICs.

Tutorial Contents

Part 1) Theory - Processor Modeling and Verification

• Architecture : ISA and MicroArchitecture
• Elements of ISA
• Architectural Modeling
• An example with DLX
• Your first SDK - Building Assembler and Linker
• Agile Development -- Verifying Model with Line Translator
• Modeling Registers and Memory Operands
• Modeling Arithmetic and Logical Instructions
• Attributes and Side Effects
• Modeling Time Constraints
• Building Processor Prototypes
• Cycle Aware Simulation
• Verification
• The challenge of Verifying a Processor
• Capturing Intent
• Intent Driven Verification
• Generate a Billion Tests With a Push of a Button !
• Using Verification Specification Language to Constrain Test Space
• Synthesizing Architecture Model to Synthesizable RTL (For FPGA or ASIC Development)
• The Future of Electronic Embedded Systems Development

Part 2) Applications - Embedded Systems Modeling

• Elements of System
• Models, Components and Relations
• Creating A Simple System Model
• Creating a Simple Device (Peripheral) Model
• Building Prototyping Platforms from System Model
• Introduction To System-of-Systems Modeling
• Domain Models, Software Models, Hardware Models
• System-of-System Exploration with System Prototyping Platforms
• Examples: Automotive Multi-ECU Network Model (CAN Bus)
• Examples; Aerospace Multi-Node Computer Network Model (MIL STD 1553)
• The Future of Electronic Embedded Systems Development

For More Information: ADCOM 2012