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IP-XACT and Eclipse DSPDVPP launch meeting
Anthony Berent
ARM Ltd
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What is IP-XACT? Developed by The SPIRIT Consortium (http://spiritconsortium.org).
Originally developed for delivering IP descriptions of components to EDA tools, and for exchanging IP descriptions of designs between EDA tools: Now starting to be used in other contexts, including the description of debugger
targets.
An IP-XACT description of a design or component consists of a set of XML documents referring to one another: Main document types are:
Design – A high level description of a design
Component – A description of a component type, including interfaces, memory maps, and registers
Bus Definition – A description of a bus type.
References between IP-XACT document are by 4 element identifier (vendor, library, name and version; often abbreviated to VLNV).
IP-XACT also defines an interface for generators, which are utilities called up from Design Environments to process IP-XACT data.
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IP-XACT design descriptions
Main elements of IP-XACT designs: Component instances referencing IP-XACT component documents
Point to point interconnections between bus interfaces of component instances.
Component Y Instance 1
Bus interface S
Component Y Instance 2
Bus interface S
Component X Instance
Bus interface M
Component B (bus component) instance
Bus interface MM
Bus interface MSBus interface MS
Interconnection
InterconnectionInterconnection
Design
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IP-XACT component descriptions Main elements of
components are: Bus interfaces,
referencing bus definitions to describe the bus type
Memory maps, including register descriptions
Physical signal descriptions
Views, referencing non-IP-XACT data or lower level designs.
Component
View A
Reference to associated
data (e.g. RTL model)
View B View C
Reference to associated data (e.g. drivers)
Reference to Lower Level Design (IP-
XACT Design Document)
Physical signal Sig1
Physical signal Sig2
Physical signal Sig3
Bus interface B1
Bus type X
Slave
Bus interface B2
Bus type Y
Master
Signal mapSignal Map
Memory map map1
Register R0
Register R1
Signals
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IP-XACT bus definitions Bus definitions contain:
A list logical bus signals:
Includes signal direction, width, etc.
mapped onto physical signals in components by the signal maps in bus interfaces
Other connection restrictions:
E.g. The maximum number of bus masters and slaves.
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IP-XACT generators Generators are tool independent utilities that process IP-XACT component or design data
Design rule checkers Documentation generators
Sometimes distributed with IP-XACT components (and referenced by them) The Tight Generator Interface (TGI) defines remote procedure calls that run over SOAP
(Simple Object Access Protocol): Programming language independent
Defined using WSDL Provides access to DE’s model No other communication allowed between generator and DE
Design Environment
1. User requests generator invocation Generator
2. DE invokes generator
Other
Output
4. Generator creates other
output 3. Generator makes TGI calls to read and modify
DE’s model of the current
design
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The SPIRIT Consortium membership
Contributing Members
Board ofDirectors
Associate Members
Reviewing Members
MoxonDesign
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IP-XACT versions Most widely implemented version is IP-XACT 1.2:
Released Summer 2006
Only supports RTL component interfaces
There is no IP-XACT 1.3!
IP-XACT 1.4 was released in March 2008: Includes support of transactional component interfaces for ESL
modeling
Some significant enhancements to RTL support
Uses Tight Generator Interface (TGI) for generators
User guide rewritten as formal standard:
Probably easier to follow than 1.2 user guide
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IP-XACT and Eclipse DSPD What is IP-XACT?
IP-XACT for debug, and the IP-XACT editor
VPP and IP-XACT discussion
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Using IP-XACT for embedded debug In the old days embedded systems were simple:
One processor
One bus (maybe two)
A few peripherals
The only debug hardware (if any) was a breakpoint unit on the processor.
Hence easy to describe to debugger
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Using IP-XACT for embedded debug Embedded systems are now much more complicated:
Many processors (sometimes dozens!)
Many buses
Many peripherals
(Sometimes) lots of debug hardware:
E.g. ARM’s CoreSight debug peripherals and buses.
Difficult to describe to debugger
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Using IP-XACT for embedded debug We need a language for describing systems to debuggers. IP-XACT fits well:
Already exists Describes most of what debuggers need to know Hardware and debugger neutral Can be created by hardware design tools. Can be converted to proprietary debugger formats, or used directly by
debuggers as their format.
The SPIRIT Consortium have created a Debug Working Group to support this activity
Eclipse DSDP have chosen to use IP-XACT as their standard way of describing embedded targets.
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Data-flow between Design Teams
IP Components
Softw
are developer
EDA / ESL
Tools
Component I/O and memory map information as a IP-XACT XML File
Other tools:• IP-XACT editor
• Proprietary tools
• Autodetect from SoC
Emulator
PERIPHERALS
DSP
Topology and System Memory Map Description as IP-XACT XML
Reads debug access
descriptions from IP-XACT files
DebuggerReads programmer’s
model from IP-XACT files
IP vendor
System
designer
ARM CPU
ROM, RAM
PERIPHERALS
DAP
ETM
CTI
FUNNEL
DSP
SoC
ETBDAP
ARM CPU
TRACE FUNNEL PERIPHERALS Other IP
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Why develop an editor for IP-XACT? IP-XACT was originally developed as a standard for exchanging data
between EDA tools: Typically large expensive tools (~ $1,000s per seat) Often assume that IP-XACT component descriptions are supplied by IP
suppliers, hence have no tools for component description creation. When IP-XACT used for debug target description:
EDA tools may not be conveniently available. IP-XACT design flow may not be complete. New components and designs may need to be described (or descriptions
enhanced). Hence an IP-XACT editor would be valuable. Also useful for other IP-XACT users:
ARM and other IP vendors: for creating and editing component descriptions.
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What does the IP-XACT editor do? Provides Enhanced and Customized XML editor
Automatically uses IP-XACT schema
Some context sensitive knowledge of IP-XACT semantics, used to give editing hints.
Provides view of IP-XACT library: VLNVs of IP-XACT documents may not correspond to file name or folder
structure.
Library view sorts documents by vendor, library, name and version.
Library objects can be dragged to the editor window to create new references to them:
Components can be dragged into designs to create new component instances
Bus definitions can be dragged into components to create new bus interfaces.
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What does the IP-XACT editor do? Searches for and displays uses of and references to IP-XACT
documents. Includes references window and search window.
Provides Wizards for: Creating new IP-XACT documents
Inserting new elements into IP-XACT documents
Includes IP-XACT semantic checker to check (mainly cross document) rules that are not enforced by IP-XACT schema.
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The IP-XACT Editor
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The IP-XACT editor – current status Initial work contributed to DSDP/DD early 2007
Europa (Eclipse 3.3) includes early preview version: IP-XACT 1.2 only
Other limitations
Ganymede (Eclipse 3.4) includes late preview version: Functionality basically complete
Support for IP-XACT 1.4
Full release (1.0) will be in DSDP/DD November release: Will tidy up and formalize APIs
Intended to make reuse and extension easier.
No significant functional changes from Ganymede version.
All work to date contributed by ARM.
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VPP and IP-XACT discussion What does VPP want to provide for IP-XACT support, and
relationship to needs of DSDP/DD. Possibilities include: API providing some level of abstraction of IP-XACT (what level?)
TGI server, or server framework
TGI library for generator
Improved (graphical?) editing or analysis tools for IP-XACT
How does the IP-XACT work relates to other VPP work?
How do DD's IP-XACT work and VPP's IP-XACT work relate?
Offers of participation in the IP-XACT work.
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