DAI Comparescan User's Guide
Introducing DAI Comparescan
Introducing DAI Comparescan
Overview of DAI Comparescan Components
DAI Comparescan is a sophisticated tool for performing waveform comparison functions. It is most commonly used during the development of integrated circuits. DAI Comparescan can compare multiple hardware simulation runs or compare different areas of a single simulation run.
It can also perform comparisons between different simulators. It will indicate the differences and, when used with DAI Signalscan, provide waveform viewing of the differences.
DAI Comparescan is a comprehensive comparison tool that can compare single signals or compare complete simulations. It is flexible and programmable allowing a large number of applications, but it is still extremely easy to use.
Features
- Compare SST or VCD files.
- Fully integrated with DAI translators.
- Show errors in window, live while DAI Comparescan is running.
- Error reports intergrated with DAI Signalscan.
- Exact comparison with tolerance window.
- Clocked comparison.
- Setup and Hold checks.
Intended Audience for this Guide
This guide is intended for the engineer who needs to perform comparison functions on simulations.
Applications
DAI Comparescan is used in a number of areas to help verify and analyze simulation results.
Verification applications:
- Comparison of simulations performed at different levels (RTL versus gate or behavioral versus gate)
- Comparison after design optimization (for speed or area)
- Comparison after technology change (shrink or vendor)
- Comparison of simulations performed using different clock rates
- Comparison of simulations for regression test
Test Vector Applications:
- Comparison of best and worst case timing simulations
- Comparison of simulations before and after back annotation
- Comparison after clock tree insertion
Multi Simulator Applications:
- Comparison of different vendor simulators (understand event ordering dependencies)
- Comparison of Cycle based and event based simulations (Verilog versus SpeedSim)
- Comparison of different types of simulators (Verilog versus HSPICE, Verilog versus EPIC, Verilog versus VCS)
Organization of this Guide
The DAI Comparescan User's Guide is designed to help you get up and running with DAI Comparescan as quickly as possible. The following is a brief description of each chapter:
- Chapter 1
- This is a brief introduction to DAI Comparescan, the product. It tells you about the features provided. It also introduces you to the User's Guide and its contents and the conventions used throughout the document.
- Chapter 2
- The Installation and Licensing chapter tells you how to install DAI Comparescan and install the license to run the product in a few simple steps.
- Chapter 3
- The Getting Started chapter will help get you up and running immediately..
- Chapter 4
- The DAI Comparescan Tutorial will guide you through using DAI Comparescan.
- Chapter 5
- The User Interface Description is designed to introduce you to the DAI Comparescan windows. This helps you become familiar with the DAI Comparescan environment.
- Chapter 6
- The Application Examples chapter will help you learn how to use DAI Comparescan to solve your comparison problems. Many different examples are presented.
- Chapter 7
- The Frequently Asked Questions will help you with common problems.
- Chapter 8
- The Rules File chapter will help you design your own rules files.
- Chapter 9
- Interfacing to your Verilog simulator will allow you to add our PLI code to your simulation. Using the PLI you can generate SST files.
- Chapter 10
- The Elan License Manager is described in great detail.
Platforms Supported
Design Acceleration is continually updating the platforms and operating systems supported by the DAI family of products. We recommend that you examine the release note, our World Wide Web site, or the FTP site for the latest information. As of the printing of this manual the following platforms are supported for DAI Comparescan:
Sun Sparc SunOS 4.1.X
Sun Sparc Solaris 2.X
Hp Hp-UX 9.X, 10.X
IBM AIX 3.X, 4.X
SGI IRIX 5.X+
Simulators Supported
DAI Comparescan uses the same database technology as other DAI Products. All products therefore generally support the same set of simulators. The list of simulators supported is updated on occasion. We recommend examining our WWW site or our FTP site for the latest information. As of the printing of this manual the following simulators are supported:
Cadence Verilog-XL
Viewlogic Chronologic VCS
Compass QSIM
Fintronic Finsim
Frontline Pure series
EPIC Timemill
other Verilog and VHDL simulators via VCD files
In addition comparison for ZYCAD and IKOS hardware simulators is also available.
Conventions
The following documentation conventions are used throughout this user guide:
Style Conventions
| Convention | Meaning |
| | Contains important information |
| Italics | Used to identify variable, scope, file, directory, and path names appearing in text |
Courier | Used to identify typed user input, file examples, or screen output |
| Ctrl-x | Indicates that you hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the x or other alpha key. It is also used to indicate a button press. (See p. C-14.) |
| a-->b-->c | Indicates a menu selection. It reads, in menu 'a' select option 'b', then option 'c' from menu 'b'. |
Rules File Language Syntax
| Convention | Meaning |
<abcd> | 'abcd' describes the type of information required |
[abc] | is an optional parameter |
(a | b | c) | one of a, b, or c is required |
(a | b | c)... | selection of a, b, or c can be repeated |
[a | b | c] | one of a, b, or c may be selected |
'('abc')' | syntax characters within single quotes, such as parentheses, are required characters |
Online Documentation
Design Acceleration, Inc. provides documentation for DAI Comparescan in the distribution which you received. Documentation is provided in HTML format and postscript format. The documentation is located in the DAI_HOME directory under <program_name>/doc.
To examine the online HTML documentation open the file index.html in the DAI_HOME directory of your installation. DAI_HOME is typically /usr/local/designacc.
Documentation is also provided online at our World Wide Web site:
http://www.designacc.com.
Contacting Design Acceleration, Inc.
We can be contacted in the following ways:
Design Acceleration, Inc
2105 Hamilton, Avenue, Suite 370
San Jose, CA 95125 USA
PHONE 1-408-559-8500 (USA)
FAX: 1-408-371-5196 (USA)
EMAIL: info@designacc.com (for product information)
sales@designacc.com (for purchases and keys)
support@designacc.com (for technical help)
WEB http://www.designacc.com
FTP ftp://ftp.designacc.com
Newsletter Subscriptions
Periodically we provide an email news letter to our customers who would like one. To subscribe please send an email to request@designacc.com and place the line "subscribe NEWS <your_name>" in the body of the message. You will be added to our email mailing list.
Product Updates
Product updates are provided on the Design Accelerations, Inc. World Wide Web site and on our ftp site (ftp://ftp.designacc.com) for all licensed users to download. A password is not required.
DAI Comparescan User's Guide - Generated 26 FEB 1997
©Copyright 1997 Design Acceleration, Inc. All rights reserved
