SystemVerilog Language - Advanced
Optimize Verification Workflow with SystemVerilog’s Advanced Features
This advanced SystemVerilog course is designed to enhance your skills in digital verification through hands-on, practical modules that explore transaction-based verification, assertion-based verification, and interprocess synchronization. You'll learn to apply functional coverage modeling and metric-driven verification, essential for achieving high-quality coverage and efficient verification outcomes. Through examples and DPI integration techniques, the course covers sophisticated methodologies for managing process interactions and verifying complex designs. By the end, you’ll be well-equipped to handle high-level verification tasks confidently.
Purchase
Our course syllabus undergoes regular updates to reflect the latest advancements and best practices in the field. Students who purchase lifetime access to this course are entitled to receive these updates for free, ensuring they stay abreast of the most current content. Subscribers, on the other hand, can access the latest content for free as long as they maintain their subscription to the course. This approach guarantees that our students and subscribers always have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information in the field.
Created by EDA Academy
English
Last updated Nov 2024
SystemVerilog Language - Advanced
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USD $149.9
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$69.9
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After this course you will be able to:
- Discover Miscellaneous SystemVerilog Features for Efficient Coding
- Understand and Utilize Key SystemVerilog 2012 Features
- Explore Transaction Based Verification with SystemVerilog Interfaces
- Integrate Functional Coverage into Metric-Driven Verification
- Acquire knowledge of process interaction synchronization methods
- Use SystemVerilog DPI to Expand Verification Capabilities
- Leverage assertions and translate design specifications into assertions
- Verify Design Behavior Using SystemVerilog Assertion Constructs
- Employ SVA for Effective Formal Property Checking
This course includes:
- 9 Modules 33 Lectures
- 5.3 hours on-demand video
- 127 Quiz
- Certificate of completion
- Access on mobile and computer
- Ongoing support from EDA Academy
- Further learning plan
Course Content (Preview)
✓ final blocks, and Unions
- Final Blocks: final
- Understanding Unions
- Union Example
✓ Process Control, Instance Tree Root, Module References, and Nested Modules
- Fine-Grain Process Control
- Instance Tree Root: $root
- Module References in SystemVerilog
- Nested Modules
✓ Mastering $urandom, randsequence, and Random Weights
- Unsigned Random Numbers
- Random Sequence Generation: randsequence
- Random Production Weights
✓ Production Statements, Aborting Productions, and Passing Values between Productions
- Production Statements: case, if-else, repeat
- Aborting Productions: break, return
- Passing Values between Productions
✓ Interface Classes
- SystemVerilog Single Inheritance
- SystemVerilog Interface Classes
- Interface Classes
- Rules for Interface Classes
- Interface Class - Type Access
- Interface Class Inheritance and Implementation I
- Interface Class Inheritance and Implementation II
- Interface Class Inheritance and Implementation III
✓ Hard and Soft Constraints
- Hard Constraints
- SystemVerilog 2012 Soft Constraints
- Soft Constraint Priority Rules
- Soft Constraints and the Constraint Solver
✓ Uniqueness Constraints
- Uniqueness Constraints
- Uniqueness Constraints Limitations
✓ Transaction, and Transactor
- What is a Transaction
- Class-Based Testbenches
- Transaction Based Verification Structure
- Transactor Structure
- Simple Transactor with Interfaces
- The Testbench Drives the Transactor
✓ Modports, Clocking Blocks, and Verification Components
- Defining Views with Modports
- Using Clocking Blocks in Interfaces
- Core Verification Component (VC) Architecture
✓ Virtual Interface
- Virtual Interface Connections
- Virtual Interface Module Example
- Virtual Interface Class Example
- Virtual Interface Limitations
- Benefits of Transaction Based Verification (TBV)
✓ Metric-Driven Verification: Process, Benefits, and Flow
- Metric-Driven Verification Review
- Metric-Driven Verification Flow
- Benefits of Metric-Driven Verification
✓ Comprehensive Coverage: Strategies and Techniques
- Key Coverage Considerations
- Coverage Options Overview
- Metric-Driven Verification Goals
- Integrating Coverage Techniques
- Explicit Coverage in SystemVerilog
- Coverage Placement Strategies
✓ Interface Monitor, and Module Monitor Coverage
- Interface Monitor Coverage Declaration
- Interface Monitor Coverage Trigger
- Module Monitor Coverage
- When to Cover
- Comparing With and Without MDV
✓ Event Trigger, and Event Sequencing
- Blocking Event Trigger
- Nonblocking Event Trigger
- Persistent Event Trigger: triggered
- Event Sequencing: wait_order
✓ Mailboxes
- Mailboxes
- Mailbox Methods
- Process Synchronization with a Mailbox
- Typeless Mailbox
- Mailbox Parameters
✓ Semaphores
- Semaphores
- Semaphore Methods
- Semaphore-Based Process Synchronization
✓ Event Variables, Merging Events, and Reclaiming Events
- Event Variables
- Merging Events
- Reclaiming Events
✓ Introduction to Verilog PLI and SystemVerilog DPI
- The Verilog PLI
- The SystemVerilog DPI
- DPI Characteristics
✓ SystemVerilog DPI-C
- SystemVerilog to C Data Type Mapping I
- SystemVerilog to C Data Type Mapping II
- Importing C Functions and Tasks
- Ensuring Data Type Compatibility
- Import Linkage Name
✓ Importing and Exporting Tasks and Functions
- Task and Function Import in SystemVerilog
- Context Tasks and Functions
- Pure Functions and Simulation Optimization
- Exporting Tasks and Functions
- Export Linkage Name
- Aspects of Task and Function Export
- Imported and Exported Functions Example
- Compilation Options for Linked C Code
- DPI Advantages and Limitations
✓ Disable Handshake
- Disable Handshake Protocol
- Disable Handshake for Functions
- Disable Handshake for Tasks
✓ The Basic Concept of Assertions
- Specifying Properties
- What is an Assertion?
- Defining Assertion
- Assertions Monitor Design Properties
✓ Some Questions about Assertions
- What are Assertions used for?
- What aren’t Assertions used for?
- Why to Use Assertions?
- Who to Write Assertions?
- Where to Use Assertions?
✓ Issues with Assertions
- Issues with Assertions I
- Issues with Assertions II
✓ Concurrent Assertions
- Concurrent Assertions
- Structure of Concurrent Assertions
✓ Defining, Naming, and Clocking Property
- Defining a Simple Property
- Naming and Asserting Property
- Clocking and Evaluating Properties
✓ Assertion Evaluation and Placement
- Assertion and Property Evaluation
- Example of Assertion Evaluation
- Assertion Placement in SystemVerilog
✓ Sequence Implication, Sequence Analysis, Disabling Properties, and Assertion Status
- Sequences
- Same Cycle Sequence Implication: |->
- Next Cycle Sequence Implication: |=>
- Sequence Property Analysis
- Disabling Properties
- Assertion Status
✓ Sequences Repetition
- Cycle Delay Repetition
- Consecutive Sequence Repetition
- Consecutive Repetition with Ranges
✓ Static and Dynamic ABV
- Formal Verification Methods
- Static vs. Dynamic Assertion-Based Verification
✓ Property Checking
- Property Checking Overview
- Property Checking and Simulation Synergy
- Using Property Checking
- Verifying Property Behaviors
✓ Constraints
- Using Input Constraints
- Applying Constraints: Scan Mode
✓ Property Checking Benefits
- Benefits of Property Checking
- Case Study with Property Checking
- Benefits of Adding Assertions
Requirements
Participants should have a solid understanding of fundamental digital design concepts and familiarity with SystemVerilog basics. Prior experience in writing testbenches and using common verification tools is highly beneficial. The course assumes a working knowledge of basic coding principles and the ability to read and understand SystemVerilog constructs. To get the most out of this course, it’s recommended that you meet the following prerequisites:
- Understanding of basic digital design concepts and hardware description languages.
- Familiarity with SystemVerilog syntax and primary data types.
- Experience in developing and running basic SystemVerilog testbenches.
- Basic understanding of coverage metrics and their role in verification.
- Familiarity with simulation tools and test simulation processes.
Who this course is for
- Verification engineers expanding their knowledge of advanced SystemVerilog
- Digital designers looking to apply advanced verification techniques
- Verification professionals aiming to enhance functional coverage strategies
- SystemVerilog users interested in applying transaction-based methodologies
- Technical managers overseeing digital verification processes
- FPGA developers seeking advanced SystemVerilog verification insights
- Design engineers needing expertise in metric-driven verification
- Project leaders wanting a better grasp of verification essentials
- Semiconductor engineers working on complex verification scenarios
- System architects implementing high-coverage testing methods
Description
This course delves into the advanced features of SystemVerilog, tailored for professionals looking to strengthen their digital design and verification expertise. Through a blend of practical examples and focused modules, participants will explore key concepts such as assertion-based verification, transaction-based testing, and metric-driven coverage modeling. Additionally, learners will gain insight into effective process synchronization and leverage the Direct Programming Interface (DPI) to integrate external C code seamlessly. The curriculum emphasizes both the coding flexibility and verification techniques required for professional-level projects, empowering participants with the proficiency needed to handle complex verification scenarios confidently.
This course is designed to offer an in-depth understanding of advanced SystemVerilog concepts, ideal for those who want to enhance their digital verification capabilities. You’ll start with an overview of SystemVerilog's miscellaneous features, diving into flexible coding techniques using final blocks, unions, and fine-grain process controls. The course will then explore how SystemVerilog's 2012 features expand verification methods with interface classes, soft constraints, and non-blocking assignments, giving you tools to manage complex verification scenarios with ease.
Building on these basics, you'll learn transaction-based verification methods, which allow for high-level testing abstractions that reduce dependency on low-level signal details. Functional coverage modeling and metric-driven verification will help you track verification completeness, optimize tests, and focus on achieving high-quality coverage. You’ll discover how to synchronize processes effectively using SystemVerilog’s interprocess synchronization methods, enhancing your ability to manage complex process interactions in digital design.
Finally, the course dives into SystemVerilog assertions, including assertion-based and static verification. You’ll gain expertise in using assertions to validate design properties and apply static verification to ensure reliability without the need for extensive test cases. By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped with a comprehensive skill set in SystemVerilog that will enable you to handle advanced verification tasks with confidence.
Learning Objectives
- Understand and use various advanced SystemVerilog features to improve coding flexibility and functionality. Learn how to apply final blocks to define actions taken when simulation ends, and explore the use of unions for efficient data management. Gain skills in fine-grain process control for precise management of processes. Explore the $root instance to organize hierarchical modules and define nested modules for modular code organization. Use $urandom and $urandom_range for generating unsigned random numbers, and randsequence to create random sequences with customizable production weights, enabling efficient and controlled randomization.
- Understand and apply the key features introduced in SystemVerilog 2012 to enhance verification capabilities. Explore how interface classes help modularize design verification, and learn to use non-blocking assignments (NBA) for flexible updates to class members. Gain practical knowledge on implementing soft constraints to prioritize certain constraints over others without rigid requirements. Use uniqueness constraints to generate sets of unique values effectively, helping improve the accuracy and efficiency of verification tasks. These new features of SystemVerilog 2012 streamline complex verification processes and support sophisticated design verification methodologies.
- Understand the concept of transaction-based verification and how it helps raise the test abstraction level, reducing the need for low-level signal manipulation. Become familiar with the role of SystemVerilog interfaces in acting as transactors, which bridge transactions and signals, enhancing the efficiency of the verification process. Learn to structure transactions effectively and distinguish between using interface methods for simple designs and directly accessing interface signals in complex cases. Additionally, gain insight into creating testbenches that are both portable and reusable, making them adaptable for various architectures and designs.
- Understand how metric-driven verification (MDV) improves verification efficiency by focusing on coverage metrics and reducing unnecessary tests. Learn to apply MDV methodology to monitor coverage in a UVC interface and track the accuracy of the module scoreboard. Use MDV to replace time-consuming test writing with strategic constraint sets that ensure verification completeness while minimizing redundant simulations. By tracking coverage metrics, identify gaps in verification and determine which additional tests are necessary, achieving a clear understanding of verification “doneness” and improving overall test quality.
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of SystemVerilog’s interprocess synchronization mechanisms, covering non-blocking events, event sequences, mailboxes, and semaphores in depth. Develop the ability to use non-blocking event triggers effectively to control execution flow without interrupting ongoing processes. Learn to utilize event variables and sequences to manage complex process interactions and coordinate timing accurately. Understand how mailboxes support synchronized data exchange, leveraging FIFO structures for orderly communication across processes. Further, explore the use of semaphores in managing access to shared resources, with blocking capabilities and request “weighting” mechanisms that help maintain controlled synchronization across multiple processes.
- Gain a solid understanding of the Direct Programming Interface (DPI) in SystemVerilog to facilitate seamless integration of external C functions. Learn to declare and use different data types compatible with both SystemVerilog and C, and explore how to import and export tasks and functions. Understand the difference between pure and context functions and apply this knowledge to choose the appropriate function types for your code. Develop skills to compile and connect C code with SystemVerilog simulations, allowing you to expand verification capabilities and bring additional functionality into your SystemVerilog environment.
- Leverage assertions and translate design specifications into assertions. Assertions are written by various people at various times during the development of a product, from conception through design and implementation, and during verification. Assertions can be written at different levels of abstraction, in various hardware design language contexts. Assertions take some effort to write. At the same time, they can make design verification much more efficient, can simplify debugging, and can significantly improve overall productivity.
- Learn the basics of SystemVerilog assertions and how to construct assertions to verify design properties. Understand how to write a concurrent assertion by creating a Boolean condition, defining when it is checked, and naming the condition as a property. Practice using assertion operators to build conditional statements and create multicycle assertions using sequences. Explore cycle-based repetition to express complex properties over multiple clock cycles, enabling efficient verification of intricate design behaviors. Master the use of sequence operators to simplify the writing of assertions that track behavior over multiple cycles.
- Understand the purpose and applications of formal verification, particularly through property checking. Gain insights into how formal verification differs from dynamic simulation in testing design reliability. Recognize how model checking uses mathematical methods to verify that constraints and properties hold under all specified conditions, without relying on test vectors. Explore the specific advantages of using static verification for proving that properties cannot fail, contrasting with dynamic verification that relies on test stimuli. Familiarize yourself with how to structure constraints and assertions effectively to enhance verification completeness, ensuring that the verification outcomes are as accurate as the property definitions.
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