Method, system and program product for specifying a configuration of a digital system described by a hardware description language (HDL) model

A program product, comprising:

• a computer usable medium;
• configuration code encoded within said computer usable medium, said configuration code including:
• means for specifying, in at least one hardware definition language (HDL) file, at least one design entity containing a functional portion of the digital system, said at least one design entity logically containing a at least one configuration latch having a different configuration values that each corresponds to a different configuration of said functional portion of said digital system;
• and
• means for associating, with a statement in said at least one HDL file, a Dial entity with said at least one design entity, said Dial entity having a Dial input, a Dial output, and a mapping table indicating a mapping between each of a plurality of possible input values that can be received at said Dial input and a respective corresponding output value for said Dial output, wherein said output value controls which of said different configuration values is loaded in said at least one configuration latch.

A method of specifying a configurable digital system, said method comprising:

• in at least one hardware definition language (HDL) file, specifying at least one design entity containing a functional portion of the digital system, said at least one design entity logically containing at least one configuration latch having a different configuration values that each corresponds to a different configuration of said functional portion of said digital system;
• with a statement in said at least one HDL file, associating a Dial entity with said at least one design entity, said Dial entity having a Dial input, a Dial output, and a mapping table indicating a mapping between each of a plurality of possible input values that can be received at said Dial input and a respective corresponding output value for said Dial output, wherein said output value controls which of said different configuration values is loaded in said at least one configuration latch;
• compiling said at least one HDL file to obtain a simulation model of the digital system including at least one instance of said design entity;
• and
• processing said statement to instantiate at least one instance of said Dial entity in a configuration database for configuring the simulation model, wherein said configuration database is separate from said simulation model.