An Algorithmic Methodology for Validation of Mixed Hardware/Software Systems

现代集成系统通常是硬件和软件组件的混合体。这些嵌入式计算机系统的调试和验证需要硬件和软件验证机制的集成。本研究通过验证设计的描述是否具有由一系列输入刺激引起的适当行为，来调查检查嵌入式系统（硬件和软件）设计正确性的方法。这种方法被称为覆盖导向验证，并且正在设计覆盖度量。这些测量由一组功能模拟向量提供的设计验证程度，这些向量计算语句执行计数（可控性信息），并检查是否可以在电路输出处观察到程序刺激激活的可能错误的影响（可观察性信息）。特别是，该项目正在探索有效的方法来计算基于可观察性的代码覆盖度量，该度量可用于嵌入式软件和hdl覆盖。

Modern integrated systems are often a mixture of hardware and softwarecomponents. Debugging and verifying these embedded computer systemsrequires the integration of hardware and software verification mechanisms.This research is investigating methods for checking correctness of anembedded system (hardware and software) design by verifying that adescription of the design has the proper behavior as elicited by a seriesof input stimuli. The approach is called coverage directed validation, andcoverage metrics are being devised. These measure the extent of designverification provided by a set of functional simulation vectors, whichcompute statement execution counts (controllability information), and checkto see whether effects of possible errors activated by program stimuli canbe observed at the circuit outputs (observability information). In particular, the project is exploring efficient methods to compute observability-basedcode coverage metrics that can be used for both embedded software andHDL coverage.