Capturing register implementation information in IP-XACT XML

[balasubramanian.g@pmcs.com]

Hi there

 

I couldn't find enough information about capturing whitebox information with respect to a register defined in IP-XACT standard. Could this be done somehow?

The closest that could be found was WHITEBOX information with respect to models.(not registers)

 

Though the register definition can be captured in IP-XACT XML, there isn't proper way to capture RTL implementation of a register in IP-XACT.

Capturing RTL implementation of a register in IP-XACT XML would enable us to stitch UVM_REG backdoor access. (without vendorExtensions) 

We feel the urge/need to enhance IP-XACT standard regarding the same.

 

Requesting thoughts regarding the same. 

 

Best regards

Balasubramanian G

[Richard Weber]

Hello Balasubramanian,

 

I am a contributing  member of both the IP-XACT and SystemRDL committees. The committees are going in different directions with regard to the data model. IP-XACT documents the interfaces of a design, avoids behavior, and is a communication interchange format for EDA tools. SystemRDL is all about register hardware and software behavior, and, it is meant as a human design capture format. The currently active SystemRDL committee is in the process of attempting to add those features of IP-XACT 2009 which are not in SystemRDL 1.0 and other additional features. The IP-XACT committee is currently dormant waiting for the publication of the next standard by the IEEE.

Also, the SystemRDL file would be encapsulated by a IP-XACT component. The IP-XACT meta data would only include the software interface description and the hardware behavior would be captured in the encapsulated SystemRDL file and the corresponding RTL implementation could also be in encapsulated Verilog or VHDL files.  There is no need to duplicate the SystemRDL behavior information in IP-XACT meta data. The IP-XACT committee certainly does not have the resources to duplicate the efforts of other standards.