SV Constraints Failure due to rand variable assigned constant value

[rashmikant.nu@gmail.com]

Hi All,

 

I am using system verilog constraints framework to randomize bunch of registers for my design. Each register has few register fields & all of them are declared as a 'rand' variables.

 

In below case, in my original source-code of constraints, I have declared ABC as 'rand' variable along with XYZ variable. However, when the constraints are getting solved, at the state of failure, ABC is given a value of 1'h1. even though my source code says, 

 

'solve Reg1.XYZ before Reg2.ABC'

 

----------

Source-code:

----

solve Reg1.XYZ before Reg2.ABC;

      Reg1.XYZ.value == 0;

      if(Reg1.XYZ.value == 0) Reg2.ABC.value == 0;

----

 

Error::

-------

Solver failed when solving following set of constraints 

 

 

bit[0:0] Reg2.ABC.value = 1'h1;

rand bit[1:0] Reg1.XYZ.value; // rand_mode = ON 

 

constraint c_RandomizeReg2.ABCType    // (from  (constraint_mode = ON) (rndcfg_constraints_def_gen.sv:3063)

{

   (Reg1.XYZ.value == 2'h0);

   (Reg1.XYZ.value == 2'h0) -> (Reg2.ABC.value == 1'h0);

}

-----------

 

In the above failure, what I am confused about is that why is VCS fixing value of Reg2.ABC set to 1'h1 when value of Reg1.XYZ is not yet assigned even though I have a line which says 'solve .. before ...'

 

I am using below VCS version: 

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Chronologic VCS simulator copyright 1991-2013

Contains Synopsys proprietary information.

Compiler version H-2013.06-SP1-10; Runtime version H-2013.06-SP1-10;  Dec  4 13:48 2014

----------------

 

I don't have any hardcoding done in my code which forces ABC to be value of 1.

 

Another observation I made is, if I do a command-line force of ABC register field to be value of '0', it will pass the constraint as expected giving me the intended result. However when I let the simulator pick the value, it doesn't solve the constraint.

 

Can someone please throw light on how can I go about debugging why is the simulator setting the value of ABC & not honoring solve-before.

 

thanks,

-Rashmi

[apfitch]

It's hard to say, but VCS seems to be saying that Reg2.ABC.value is not declared rand? (i.e. the value member of the ABC class is not declared rand).

 

Alan

[rashmikant.nu@gmail.com]

Thanks for the reply Alan.

 

Actually, 'value' is not a field inside ABC. ABC itself is a field inside Reg2. The only way the VCS lets me assign or reference values 'placed' on random variables is by doing FIELD.value. 

 

[apfitch]

That still sounds odd to me. "value" is a data member in the uvm_reg_field class. If you set the field to be e.g. RO, then it won't be randomized. See this code from uvm_reg_field.svh

   // Ignore is_rand if the field is known not to be writeable
   // i.e. not "RW", "WRC", "WRS", "WO", "W1", "WO1"
   case (access)
    "RO", "RC", "RS", "WC", "WS",
      "W1C", "W1S", "W1T", "W0C", "W0S", "W0T",
      "W1SRC", "W1CRS", "W0SRC", "W0CRS", "WSRC", "WCRS",
      "WOC", "WOS": is_rand = 0;
   endcase

   if (!is_rand)
     value.rand_mode(0);

What types are ABC and Reg2?

 

Alan