Uvmdvgen: Initial testbench auto-generation tool

uvmdvgen is a Python based tool to generate the boilerplate code for a UVM agent as well as the complete UVM testbench for a given DUT. The tool generates all the relevant UVM-based classes including the package and the fusesoc core file to make it quickly plug-and-playable. The packages import the standard utility and library packages wherever applicable, to conform to our existing methodology and style.

When starting with a new DV effort, the user typically goes through a copy-paste exercise to replicate an existing UVM testbench code to the current one and has to go through several debug cycles to get it working. This tool aims to eliminate that. Also, as a part of our DV methodology, we provide utilities and base class structures that contain several pieces of common code which can be reused when setting up a new DV environment.

Help switch (-h)

Running the tool with -h switch provides a brief description of all available switches.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py -h
usage: uvmdvgen.py [-h] [-a] [-s] [-e] [-c] [-hr] [-hi] [-ha]
                   [-ea agt1 agt2 [agt1 agt2 ...]] [-ao [hw/dv/sv]]
                   [-eo [hw/ip/<ip>]] [-v VENDOR]
                   [ip/block name]

Command-line tool to autogenerate boilerplate DV testbench code extended from
dv_lib / cip_lib

positional arguments:
  [ip/block name]       Name of the ip/block for which the UVM TB is being
                        auto-generated

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -a, --gen-agent       Generate UVM agent code extended from DV library
  -s, --has-separate-host-device-driver
                        IP / block agent creates a separate driver for host
                        and device modes. (ignored if -a switch is not passed)
  -e, --gen-env         Generate testbench UVM env code
  -c, --is-cip          Is comportable IP - this will result in code being
                        extended from CIP library. If switch is not passed,
                        then the code will be extended from DV library
                        instead. (ignored if -e switch is not passed)
  -hr, --has-ral        Specify whether the DUT has CSRs and thus needs a UVM
                        RAL model. This option is required if either --is_cip
                        or --has_interrupts are enabled.
  -hi, --has-interrupts
                        CIP has interrupts. Create interrupts interface in tb
  -ha, --has-alerts     CIP has alerts. Create alerts interface in tb
  -ea agt1 agt2 [agt1 agt2 ...], --env-agents agt1 agt2 [agt1 agt2 ...]
                        Env creates an interface agent specified here. They
                        are assumed to already exist. Note that the list is
                        space-separated, and not comma-separated. (ignored if
                        -e switch is not passed)
  -ao [hw/dv/sv], --agent-outdir [hw/dv/sv]
                        Path to place the agent code. A directory called
                        <name>_agent is created at this location. (default set
                        to './<name>')
  -eo [hw/ip/<ip>], --env-outdir [hw/ip/<ip>]
                        Path to place the full tetsbench code. It creates 3
                        directories - dv, data and doc. The DV document and the
                        testplan Hjson files are placed in the doc and data
                        directories respectively. These are to be merged into
                        the IP's root directory (with the existing data and
                        doc directories). Under dv, it creates 3 sub-
                        directories - env, tb and tests to place all of the
                        testbench sources. (default set to './<name>')
  -v VENDOR, --vendor VENDOR
                        Name of the vendor / entity developing the testbench.
                        This is used to set the VLNV of the FuesSoC core
                        files.

Generating UVM agent

The boilerplate code for a UVM agent for an interface can be generated using the -a switch. This results in the generation of complete agent with classes that extend from the DV library. Please see that description for more details.

The tool generates an interface, item, cfg, cov, monitor, driver and sequence library classes. Let’s take jtag as the argument passed for the name of the IP. The following describes their contents in each source generated:

• jtag_if

  This is an empty shell of an interface. User is required to add content.

• jtag_item

  This is an empty transaction packet extended from uvm_sequence_item.

• jtag_agent_cfg

  This is the agent configuration object, it contains the virtual interface handle for jtag_if and is called vif.

• jtag_agent_cov

  This is a coverage component extended from dv_base_agent_cov.

• jtag_monitor

  This is the monitor component extended from dv_base_monitor. It provides the following items:

  • virtual protected task collect_trans()

    This is a shell task within which user is required to add logic to detect an event, sample the interface and create a transaction object and write to the analysis port. This task is called in dv_base_monitor::run_phase.

• jtag_driver

  This is the monitor component extended from jtag_driver which is typedef’ed in the pkg to dv_base_driver with the right parameter set. It provides the following items:

  • virtual task reset_signals()

    This task is for resetting the initial value of the vif signals.

  • virtual task get_and_drive()

    This task is used to get the next item from the sequencer, apply it to the interface and return the response back. This is again, an empty task at the moment.

  If the -s switch is passed, the tool creates jtag_host_driver and jtag_device_driver instead, and their contents are exactly the same.

• seq_lib/jtag_base_seq

  This is extended from dv_base_seq.

• seq_lib/jtag_seq_list

  This is a list of sequences included in one place.

• jtag_agent_pkg

  This is the package file that includes all of the above sources and the imports the dependent packages.

• jtag_agent.core

  This is the fusesoc core file that is used to generate the filelist for the build.

The tool does not create jtag_sequencer or jtag_agent classes separately. Instead, it typedef’s the dv_base_sequencer and dv_base_agent respectively with the right type-parameters in the pkg. The reason for this is having a dedicated sequencer and agent is not required since the dv_base_agent already has all the sub-component instantiations and connections; and dv_base_sequencer already has a handle to the agent cfg object and nothing more is typically needed.

Generating UVM environment & testbench

The boilerplate code for a UVM environment and the testbench for a DUT can be generated using the -e switch. This results in the generation of classes that extend from DV base library. If the -c switch is passed, it extends from CIP base library. With -ea switch, user can provide a list of downstream agents to create within the environment. Please see description for more details.

The tool generates not only the UVM environment, but also the base test, testbench, top level fusesoc core file with sim target, Makefile that already includes the smoke and CSR test suite and more. With just a few tweaks, this enables the user to reach the V1 stage much quicker. Let’s take i2c_host as the argument passed for the name of the IP. The following is the list of files generated with a brief description of their contents:

Switches to indicate whether the CIP DUT contains interrupts or alerts are provided by -hi and -ha respectively. By default, these are set to ‘False’ (don’t create interrupts or alerts). When set, it will create intr_if and alerts_if in the testbench and set them into uvm_config_db for the cip_base_env to pick up.

• env/i2c_host_env_cfg

  This is the env cfg object. It creates the downstream agent cfg objects that were passed using the -ea switch in the initialize() function which is called in the dv_base_test::build_phase(). Since the cfg handle is passed to all env components, those downstream agent cfg objects can be hierarchically referenced.

• env/i2c_host_env_cov

  This is the coverage component class. A handle of this class is passed to the scoreboard and the virtual sequencer so that covergroups can be sampled in the scoreboard as well as sequences.

• env/i2c_host_reg_block

  This is the UVM reg based RAL model. This is created for completeness. The actual RAL model needs to be generated prior to running simulations using the regtool.

• env/i2c_host_scoreboard

  This is the scoreboard component that already creates the analysis fifos and queues for the agents passed via -ea switch. It adds starter tasks for processing each fifo in a forever loop and invokes them in the run_phase using fork-join statement. If the -c switch is passed, it also adds a process_tl_access task that is extended from cip_base_scoreboard. This task provides a tilelink access packet for further processing.

• env/i2c_host_virtual_sequencer

  This is the virtual sequencer used by all test sequences to run the traffic. It adds handles to downstream agent sequencers passed via -ea switch. Sub-sequences can be started on them via the p_sequencer handle.

• env/seq_lib/i2c_host_base_vseq

  This is the base virtual sequence that user can use to add common tasks, functions and variables that other extended test sequences can reuse. For starters, it provides the i2c_host_init() task and do_i2c_host_init knob for controllability.

• env/seq_lib/i2c_host_smoke_vseq

  This is the smoke test sequence that user needs to develop as the first test sequence. It extends from i2c_host_base_vseq.

• env/seq_lib/i2c_host_csr_vseq

  This is the test sequence for the entire CSR suite of tests. It calls dv_base_vseq::run_csr_vseq_wrapper() task which is a complete test sequence. All the user needs to do is run the CSR tests and add exclusions if needed using the add_csr_exclusions() function provided.

• env/seq_lib/i2c_host_vseq_list

  This is a list of test sequences included in one place.

• env/i2c_host_env

  This is the env class that creates the downstream agents passed via -ea switch. It sets their corresponding cfg objects (which are members of env cfg object) into the uvm_config_db. It also makes the analysis port connections in the connect_phase and sets the sequencer handles in the virtual sequencer.

• env/i2c_host_env_pkg

  This is the env pkg file which includes all env classes and imports the dependent packages.

• env/i2c_host_env.core

  This is the fusesoc core file for the env pkg compile unit.

• tests/i2c_host_base_test

  This is the base test class. The base test class it extends from already creates the env and cfg objects, which are available for manipulation in UVM phases. This class’s name would be supplied to UVM_TESTNAME plusarg to run tests using the UVM methodology.

• tests/i2c_host_test_pkg

  This is the test pkg file which includes all test classes and imports the dependent packages.

• tests/i2c_host_test.core

  This is the fusesoc core file for the test pkg compile unit.

• tb/i2c_host_bind

  This is the assertion bind file that is compiled along with the testbench in a multi-top architecture. If the -c switch is passed, it adds the tlul_assert module bind to the i2c_host DUT.

• tb/tb

  This is the top level testbench module that instantiates the DUT along with some of the interfaces that are required to be instantiated and connected and passed on the uvm_config_db since the base DV/CIP library classes retrieve them. The user needs to look through the RTL and make additional connections as needed.

• i2c_host_sim.core

  This is the top level fusesoc core file with the sim target. It adds the RTL and DV dependencies to construct the complete filelist to pass to simulator’s build step.

• i2c_host_dv_doc.md

  This is the initial DV document that will describe the entire testbench. This is equivalent to the template available here.

The VLNV name in the generated FuseSoC core files is set using the --vendor switch for the ‘vendor’ field. By default, it is set to “lowrisc”. It can be overridden by supplying the --vendor <vendor-name> switch on the command line.

Examples

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py i2c -a

This will create ./i2c/i2c_agent and place all sources there.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py jtag -a -ao hw/dv/sv

This will create hw/dv/sv/jtag_agent directory and place all the sources there.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py i2c -a -s -ao hw/dv/sv

This will create the I2C agent with separate ‘host’ mode and ‘device’ mode drivers.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py i2c -e -c -hi -eo hw/ip/i2c/dv

This is an illegal command, it is not allowed to specify that an IP testbench extends from CIP lib or has interrupts without specifying that it should support a RAL model using the -hr flag.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py i2c_host -e -c -hi -hr -ea i2c -eo hw/ip/i2c_host/dv

This will create the complete i2c_host DV testbench extended from CIP lib and will instantiate i2c_agent. It will also create and hook up the interrupt interface in the testbench.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py foo -e -c -hi -ha -hr -ea foo -eo hw/ip/i2c_host/dv

This will create the complete foo DV testbench extended from CIP lib and will instantiate foo_agent. It will also create and hook up the interrupt interface as well as alerts interface in the testbench.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py aes -e -c -hr -ea i2c -eo hw/ip/i2c_host/dv

This will create the complete i2c_host DV testbench extended from CIP lib and will instantiate i2c_agent.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py dma -e -eo hw/ip/dma/dv

This will create the complete dma DV testbench extended from DV lib. It does not instantiate any downstream agents due to absence of -ea switch.

$ util/uvmdvgen/uvmdvgen.py chip -e -ea uart i2c jtag -eo hw/top_earlgrey/dv

This will create the complete chip testbench DV lib and will instantiate uart_agent, i2c_agent and jtag_agent in the env.