Functional Verification of Dynamically Reconfigurable FPGA-based Systems (PDF)

This book analyzes the challenges in verifying Dynamically Reconfigurable Systems (DRS) with respect to the user design and the physical implementation of such systems. The authors describe the use of a simulation-only layer to emulate the behavior of target FPGAs and accurately model the characteristic features of reconfiguration. Readers are enabled with this simulation-only layer to maintain verification productivity by abstracting away the physical details of the FPGA fabric.  Two implementations of the simulation-only layer are included: Extended ReChannel is a SystemC library that can be used to check DRS designs at a high level; ReSim is a library to support RTL simulation of a DRS reconfiguring both its logic and state. Through a number of case studies, the authors demonstrate how their approach integrates seamlessly with existing, mainstream DRS design flows and with well-established verification methodologies such as top-down modeling and coverage-driven verification.

• Provides researchers with an in-depth understanding of the challenges in verifying dynamically reconfigurable systems and the state-of-the-art methods used to overcome them;
• Guides engineers with systematic approaches and tools to achieve verification closure in their dynamically reconfigurable projects;
• Includes a comprehensive set of case studies, with an analysis of real bugs detected in the designs described;
• Uses tools and techniques compatible with mainstream products (e.g. Xilinx/Altera tools, ModelSim simulator, Verilog/VHDL design language, etc. ...).