US 7,072,818 B1 · Method and system for debugging an electronic system

Abstract

Techniques and systems for debugging an electronic system having instrumentation circuitry included therein are disclosed. The techniques and systems facilitate analysis, diagnosis and debugging fabricated hardware designs at a Hardware Description Language (HDL) level. Although the hardware designs (which were designed in HDL) have been fabricated in integrated circuit products with limited input/output pins, the invention enables the hardware designs within the integrated circuit products to be comprehensively analyzed, diagnosed, and debugged at the HDL level at speed. The ability to debug hardware designs at the HDL level facilitates correction or adjustment of the HDL description of the hardware designs.

Claims46

Dependent claims

A method for debugging a fabricated electronic system having instrumentation circuitry included therein, wherein the electronic system is described with an HDL description, said method comprising:

as part of the electronic system's design process:
generating the instrumentation circuitry at least by activating certain design visibility, design patching or design control aspects of the instrumentation circuit;
determining configuration information of said instrumentation circuitry based on the certain activated design visibility, design patching or design control aspects;
after the electronic system has been fabricated with the instrumentation circuitry to form an integrated circuit product, configuring the instrumentation circuitry in accordance with the configuration information;
receiving debug data from the configured instrumentation circuitry operating within the integrated circuit product;
translating the debug data into HDL-related debug information;
and
relating the HDL-related debug information to the HDL description.

5 more elements

An article of manufacture including program code which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method for debugging a fabricated integrated circuit product having instrumentation circuitry included therein, the integrated circuit product being designed with a high-level HDL description, said method comprising:

as part of the integrated circuit product's design process:
generating the instrumentation circuitry at least by activating certain aspects of the instrumentation circuitry for examining and/or modifying the integrated circuit product;
determining configuration information of said instrumentation circuitry based on the certain activated aspects;
after the integrated circuit product has been fabricated:
configuring the instrumentation circuitry in accordance with the configuration information;
receiving debug data from the configured instrumentation circuitry operating within the integrated circuit product;
translating the debug data into HDL-related debug information;
relating the HDL-related debug information to the high-level HDL description and thereafter retrieving circuit status information for the integrated circuit product via the instrumentation circuitry;
displaying state information concerning the integrated circuit product based on the retrieved circuit status information.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for debugging an electronic system

Life of this patent

Method and system for debugging an electronic system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims46