UVM register access from a predictor

[mwhite_cp]

In Mentor's cookbook example, a scoreboard accesses UVM model registers through analysis port. This will work but it will not be easy to maintain if the register source changes. Is there a better way to access UVM register from a predictor/scoreboard?

Thanks!

[janick]

Depends on the type of functionality you need out of the register model for the scoreboard.

Why not pass the entire register model to the scoreboard? Of course, that will need changing if the name and structure of the register model changes.

[mwhite_cp]

Janick, thank you for your response.

Yes, my concern is that scoreboard might need changed when a register name definition in spec changes. We have not done this yet, we are looking into generating UVM register code with a tool from the register specification. I need to generate multiple predictors which need to see register values, so all of them need to be updated just because the names in the spec changed. If there is no better way, I guess I just have to live with it.

[janick]

my concern is that scoreboard might need changed when a register name definition in spec changes.

The register model abstracts you from implementation details like physical addresses, bus widths, endianness, field size and offsets. The only thing it does not abstract is the register name because the register name is above the level of abstraction of the register model.

You will indeed have to live with it because you are working at the same level of abstraction as the register model. If you want some level of independence, you need to create some firmware driver layer.