ChipScope Pro Software

What Engineers are Saying FPGA designs are becoming more complex Designs are becoming faster Design times are becoming shorter Debugging and verification are more challenging Debugging and verification consume a significant portion of FPGA design time An FPGA design survey conducted by Xilinx indicates that FPGA debugging and verification accounts for nearly 50% of the FPGA design time Debugging and verification need to be easier and integrated into the FPGA design flow

Logic of Debugging Modify design Probe design Analyze debugging data Identify fix Verify design Create design Debugging is problem solving Break a problem into basic parts Remove or reduce variables and variation Predict and verify Debugging is an iterative process Verification is a component of debugging Confirming no problems remain Reconfigurable nature of FPGAs enables an iterative debugging process

ChipScope Shortens Debugging Works the way you solve problems Divide a problem into basic parts Remove variation introduced by external debugging solutions Enables a very fast, iterative process of prediction and verification Provides what you have requested Reduction of debugging and verification time A powerful tool that is easy to use Focus on solving the problem, not on learning the tool Integrated part of the Xilinx FPGA design flow Final Device Design Implementation Specification 20% of Time ChipScope™ Pro On-Chip Verification and Debugging 40% Shrink overall design time by 25%

The ChipScope Pro Software Use the ChipScope Pro software for Verification and debug Injecting short signal sequences Capturing data for post-bench analysis Do Not Use ChipScope Pro for A replacement for a simulation tool Accessing the System Monitor Testing high-speed I/O Remote diagnostics/monitoring

Optimized Debugging Cores Virtual Input/Output (VIO) Core Virtual inputs and outputs Stimulate logic with pulse trains Virtual Input/Output (VIO) Core Virtual inputs and outputs Stimulate logic with pulse trains Aurora OPB SDRAM User Logic PLB Bus OPB Bus Bridge OPB GPIO Arbiter Virtual Input/Output (VIO) Core Virtual inputs and outputs Stimulate logic with pulse trains Virtual Input/Output (VIO) Core Virtual inputs and outputs Stimulate logic with pulse trains

Core Resources ChipScope™ Pro software cores utilize FPGA resources For what? Block RAM: trigger and data storage Slice logic: trigger comparisons You must leave room for the ChipScope Pro software cores in the FPGA This may require using a larger part in the same package as you will use in production The CORE Generator and Core Inserter tools can estimate block RAM usage, but the design may still end up with too many block RAMs If MAP issues an error, reduce the number of observed signals or the sample data depth to reduce block RAM usage Must be able to route signals to the core No physical pin signals available

Using ChipScope Pro Software Place ChipScope™ Pro cores into the design Attach internal nodes for viewing to the ChipScope Pro core Generate the ChipScope Pro cores by using the Core Generator, Core Inserter tool, or PlanAhead software Place and route the design with the Xilinx ISE™ implementation software tools Download the bitstream to the device under test and analyze the design with the ChipScope Pro software Core Or Core Generator Inserter ChipScope Pro Core Generator Instantiate Cores into Source HDL Connect Internal Signals to Core (in Source HDL) Synthesize Implement ChipScope Pro Core Inserter (into netlist) Download and debugging Using ChipScope Pro software

Adding the ChipScope Pro Cores Use the icon or click ProjectNew Source Select ChipScope Definition and Connection File (CDC) Specify a name for the core Only one CDC file is allowed in the project at a time But multiple CDC files can be stored in the working directory

The ICON Core ICON (Integrated Control) core: This core controls up to 15 capture cores The ICON core interfaces between the JTAG interface and the capture cores Capture cores: Customizable cores for creating triggers and data storage Customizable number, width, and storage of trigger ports ILA (Integrated Logic Analyzer) core: Capture core for HDL designs ATC2 (Integrated Logic Analyzer with Agilent Trace) core: similar to the ILA core, except data is captured off-chip by the Agilent Trace Port Analyzer IBA/OPB (Integrated Bus Analyzer for CoreConnect On-Chip Peripheral Bus) core: Capture core for debugging CoreConnect OPB IBA/PLB (Integrated Bus Analyzer for CoreConnect Processor Local Bus) core: Similar to the IBA/OPB core, except for the PLB bus VIO (Virtual Input/Output core): Define and generate virtual I/O ports

The ILA Core User-selectable, one to four trigger ports Up to 256 channels per trigger port Multiple match units on the same trigger port Up to 16 match units (For example, 4 trigger ports, 4 match units each = 16 match conditions) Trigger condition sequencer Defines complex trigger sequences that include up to 16 states or levels

Things to Know About ILA Cores Integrated Logic Analyzer (ILA) cores can be added with either the CORE Generator or Core Inserter tools or PlanAhead tool A design can contain up to 15 ILA cores Maximum speed of the ILA core varies according to device family and selected features Turning on more “features” generally slows down the performance of the core and causes it to consume additional fabric resources

ChipScope Pro Software VIO Core Insert virtual pins into your design using VIO Inputs are virtual LEDs Driven by internal FPGA signals Different refresh rates are available Outputs are virtual DIP switches Force value or pulse train into the FPGA VIO core can be defined Input or output Synchronous or asynchronous System clock or JTAG clock Up to 256 bits each

Things to Know About VIO Cores Can only be created by the CORE Generator tool Uses no block RAM, only logic Inputs are like LEDs for examining signals Outputs are switches or pushbuttons for driving signals

Core InserterFlow Core Inserter inserts cores directly into the netlist HDL code is untouched Only post-synthesis nodes are available Bypass this tool to remove cores Inserter must perform the first portion of translate Core generation and insertion are done together ChipScope Pro Core Inserter tool is run from within Project Navigator/PlanAhead CORE Generator Synthesize Instantiate Cores into Source HDL ChipScope Pro Core Inserter (into netlist) Connect Internal Signals to Core (in Source HDL) Synthesize Implement Download and Debug Using ChipScope Pro Software

Things to Know About the Core Inserter and PlanAhead Flows It is strongly recommended to set the synthesis option for “keep hierarchy” to “yes” or “soft” Preserves the netlist hierarchy which makes it easier to locate signals for debugging Enables filtering according to the design hierarchy Design implementation will take an extra 2-3 minutes to generate the cores for the ICON and a single ILA Only required if new cores are added or existing cores modified The PlanAhead and Inserter flows are not compatible with the Core Generator flow This flow is not available when in ISE Integration mode Pre-existing debug cores may be viewed, but not changed Only the ChipScope Pro ICON and ILA cores may be created and connected using the Inserter flow Probing inside NGC core files is prohibited Only interface signals are accessible PlanAhead 12, ISE 12, and ChipScope Pro 12 tools must be used with this flow Mixing and matching tool versions is not supported

CORE Generator Tool Flow Generate cores that are instantiated directly into the HDL Allows access to all HDL nodes Requires changes to the code Must comment out cores to remove them Uses standard implementation flow Core generation and insertion done separately Core Generator tool can also be launched from latest 12.1 PlanAhead CORE Generator Synthesize Instantiate Cores into Source HDL ChipScope Pro Core Inserter (into netlist) Connect Internal Signals to Core (in Source HDL) Synthesize Implement Download and Debug Using ChipScope Pro Software

CORE Generator versus CORE Inserter © Copyright 2012 Xilinx

Summary Shorten debug time Break the problem into manageable parts ChipScope™ Pro software enables rapid iteration Add ChipScope Pro software cores at any time Debug in three simple steps Specialized cores allow you to focus on solving problems ILA for viewing results VIO for driving changes Minimal impact to FPGA design Design at system speed Optimized cores consume minimal FPGA resources