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Random Test Generator
Random test generators (often abbreviated RTG or ISG for Instruction Stream Generator or Instruction Sequence Generator) are a type of computer software that is used in functional verification of microprocessors. Their primary use lies in providing input stimulus to a device under test. In a simulation/ testbench verification environment, the simulator processes input created by the RTG and coverage monitors may be used to verify that the generator is properly testing the design. Random test generators range in scope from simple scripts and parameterized macros that can be created in a matter of weeks to full featured systems requiring extensive software development. Random test generators are most often created by the designing organizations. Table Based Generators Table based test generators are the simplest RTGs available. Creation of such generators can be accomplished relatively quickly, and maintenance requirements are often low. These generators work by capturing knowl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital computers in the mid-20th century. Early programs were written in the machine language specific to the hardware. The introduction of high-level programming languages in 1958 allowed for more human-readable instructions, making software development easier and more portable across different computer architectures. Software in a programming language is run through a compiler or Interpreter (computing), interpreter to execution (computing), execute on the architecture's hardware. Over time, software has become complex, owing to developments in Computer network, networking, operating systems, and databases. Software can generally be categorized into two main types: # operating systems, which manage hardware resources and provide services for applicat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Functional Verification
Functional verification is the task of verifying that the digital circuit, logic design conforms to specification. Functional verification attempts to answer the question "Does this proposed design do what is intended?" This is complex and takes the majority of time and effort (up to 70% of design and development time) in most large electronic system design projects. Functional verification is a part of more encompassing ''design verification'', which, besides functional verification, considers non-functional aspects like timing, layout and power. Background Although the number of transistors increased exponential growth, exponentially according to Moore's law, increasing the number of engineers and time taken to produce the designs only increase linearly. As the transistors' complexity increases, the number of coding errors also increases. Most of the errors in logic coding come from careless coding (12.7%), miscommunication (11.4%), and microarchitecture challenges (9.3%). Thus, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry required to perform the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU). The IC is capable of interpreting and executing program instructions and performing arithmetic operations. The microprocessor is a multipurpose, Clock signal, clock-driven, Processor register, register-based, digital integrated circuit that accepts binary code, binary data as input, processes it according to instruction (computing), instructions stored in its computer memory, memory, and provides results (also in binary form) as output. Microprocessors contain both combinational logic and sequential logic, sequential digital logic, and operate on numbers and symbols represented in the binary number system. The integration of a whole CPU on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Device Under Test
A device under test (DUT), also known as equipment under test (EUT) and unit under test (UUT), is a manufactured product undergoing testing, either at first manufacture or later during its life cycle as part of ongoing functional testing and calibration checks. This can include a test after repair to establish that the product is performing in accordance with the original product specification. Electronics testing In the electronics industry a DUT is any electronic assembly under test. For example, cell phones coming off of an assembly line may be given a final test in the same way as the individual chips were earlier tested. Each cell phone under test is, briefly, the DUT. For circuit boards, the DUT is often connected to the test equipment using a bed of nails tester of pogo pins. Semiconductor testing In semiconductor testing, the device under test is a die on a wafer or the resulting packaged part. A connection system is used, connecting the part to automatic or manual ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Logic Simulation
Logic simulation is the use of simulation software to predict the behavior of digital circuits and hardware description languages. Simulation can be performed at varying degrees of physical abstraction, such as at the transistor level, gate level, register-transfer level (RTL), electronic system-level (ESL), or behavioral level. Use in verification Logic simulation may be used as part of the verification process in designing hardware. Simulations have the advantage of providing a familiar look and feel to the user in that it is constructed from the same language and symbols used in design. By allowing the user to interact directly with the design, simulation is a natural way for the designer to get feedback on their design. Length of simulation The level of effort required to debug and then verify the design is proportional to the maturity of the design. That is, early in the design's life, bugs and incorrect behavior are usually found quickly. As the design matures, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Test Bench
A test bench or testing workbench is an environment used to verify the correctness or soundness of a design or model. The term has its roots in the testing of electronic devices, where an engineer would sit at a lab bench with tools for measurement and manipulation, such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, soldering irons, wire cutters, and so on, and manually verify the correctness of the device under test (DUT). In the context of software or firmware or hardware engineering, a test bench is an environment in which the product under development is tested with the aid of software and hardware tools. The software may need to be modified slightly in some cases to work with the test bench but careful coding can ensure that the changes can be undone easily and without introducing bugs. The term "test bench" is used in digital design with a hardware description language to describe the test code, which instantiates the DUT and runs the test. An additional meaning for "test bench" is an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scripting Language
In computing, a script is a relatively short and simple set of instructions that typically automation, automate an otherwise manual process. The act of writing a script is called scripting. A scripting language or script language is a programming language that is used for scripting. Originally, scripting was limited to automating an operating system shell and languages were relatively simple. Today, scripting is more pervasive and some languages include modern features that allow them to be used for Application software, application development as well as scripting. Overview A scripting language can be a general purpose language or a domain-specific language for a particular environment. When embedded in an application, it may be called an extension language. A scripting language is sometimes referred to as very high-level programming language if it operates at a high level of abstraction, or as a control language, particularly for job control languages on mainframes. The te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macro (computer Science)
In computer programming, a macro (short for "macro instruction"; ) is a rule or pattern that specifies how a certain input should be mapped to a replacement output. Applying a macro to an input is known as macro expansion. The input and output may be a sequence of lexical tokens or characters, or a syntax tree. Character macros are supported in software applications to make it easy to invoke common command sequences. Token and tree macros are supported in some programming languages to enable code reuse or to extend the language, sometimes for domain-specific languages. Macros are used to make a sequence of computing instructions available to the programmer as a single program statement, making the programming task less tedious and less error-prone. Thus, they are called "macros" because a "big" block of code can be expanded from a "small" sequence of characters. Macros often allow positional or keyword parameters that dictate what the conditional assembler program gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Instruction Set Architecture
In computer science, an instruction set architecture (ISA) is an abstract model that generally defines how software controls the CPU in a computer or a family of computers. A device or program that executes instructions described by that ISA, such as a central processing unit (CPU), is called an ''implementation'' of that ISA. In general, an ISA defines the supported instructions, data types, registers, the hardware support for managing main memory, fundamental features (such as the memory consistency, addressing modes, virtual memory), and the input/output model of implementations of the ISA. An ISA specifies the behavior of machine code running on implementations of that ISA in a fashion that does not depend on the characteristics of that implementation, providing binary compatibility between implementations. This enables multiple implementations of an ISA that differ in characteristics such as performance, physical size, and monetary cost (among other things), but t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relational Database
A relational database (RDB) is a database based on the relational model of data, as proposed by E. F. Codd in 1970. A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is a type of database management system that stores data in a structured format using rows and columns. Many relational database systems are equipped with the option of using SQL (Structured Query Language) for querying and updating the database. History The concept of relational database was defined by E. F. Codd at IBM in 1970. Codd introduced the term ''relational'' in his research paper "A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks". In this paper and later papers, he defined what he meant by ''relation''. One well-known definition of what constitutes a relational database system is composed of Codd's 12 rules. However, no commercial implementations of the relational model conform to all of Codd's rules, so the term has gradually come to describe a broader class of database systems, which at a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corner Case
In engineering, a corner case (or pathological case) involves a problem or situation that occurs only outside normal operating parameters—specifically one that manifests itself when multiple environmental variables or conditions are simultaneously at extreme levels, even though each parameter is within the specified range for that parameter. For example, a loudspeaker might distort audio, but only when played at maximum volume, maximum bass, and in a high-humidity environment. Or a computer server may be unreliable, but only with the maximum complement of 64 processors, 512 GB of memory, and 10,000 signed-on users. The investigation of corner cases is of extreme importance as it can provide engineers with valuable insight into how corner case effects can be mitigated. In the case where automotive radar fails, corner case investigation can possibly tell engineers and investigators alike what may have occurred. Corner cases form part of an engineer's lexicon—especially an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Procedural Code
Procedural programming is a programming paradigm, classified as imperative programming, that involves implementing the behavior of a computer program as Function (computer programming), procedures (a.k.a. functions, subroutines) that call each other. The resulting program is a series of steps that forms a hierarchy of calls to its constituent procedures. The first major procedural programming languages appeared –1964, including Fortran, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/I and BASIC. Pascal (programming language), Pascal and C (programming language), C were published –1972. Computer processors provide hardware support for procedural programming through a stack register and instructions for Subroutine#Jump to subroutine, calling procedures and returning from them. Hardware support for other types of programming is possible, like Lisp machines or Java processors, but no attempt was commercially successful. Development practices Certain software development practices are often employed with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
