Software design specification for SoC

[Bartart]

Hi!

During the R&D work I was faced with the Software design specification for SoC, I have to find the best methodologie to describe software of the SoC system.

Anyone has some experience on how to maka a line between firmware (FPGA part) and softwere (PPC).

Any links or ideas are welcome!


Thx Bart

 

[eda_wiz]

Hi,
When you design an SoC , first we have to think of

the timing constraints of the system.. whatever

things that cant be done in SWis brought into HW
and you expose some addressable registers for the software to use the HW ...FOr desribing the fucionality of software I guess you can use flowcharts.

 

[Ohh2]

Have you tried SystemC?

 

[the_penetrator]

SystemC has the potential to prove good.

It can be used for a) executable specification for the system, b) subsequent refinements of the description for synthesis.

Overall a single language for concept-to-synthesis.

I use VHDL but i'm learning SystemC for these reasons.

the_penetrator©

 

[mgpc]

SystemC is good for transaction level simulation but not realistic for constraining timing. There's quite a bit of coding overhead as well. I think in order for SystemC to be useful as a spec, the hardware engineers will have to understand its syntax and the software engineers will have to understand RTL. This is not unrealistic.

I would use C/C++ for module level simulation/verification and then use SystemC to simulate the system control signals and buses. As for timing closure, I would leave it up to RTL.

MGPC

 

[semicon]

i am using systemc in SoC system design.
From transaction level to RTL