Determining hardware parameters specified when configurable IP is synthesized

A computer readable storage medium carrying instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method of identifying hardware features of a circuit, the method comprising:

• receiving from a user a value of a type of a hardware feature to be customized in a description to be generated of said circuit;
• receiving from said user additional values of additional types of additional hardware features to be customized in the circuit;
• including in said description said additional hardware features customized to have said additional types of said additional values;
• including in said description a storage unit and additional storage units accessible from a bus outside the circuit;
• synthesizing said description of said circuit, said circuit comprising said hardware feature customized to have said type of said value and said additional hardware features customized to have said additional types of said additional values;
• creating a chip comprising said circuit, using a netlist resulting from said synthesizing of said description;
• retrieving said value and said additional values from said storage unit and said additional storage units in said chip via said bus after creation of said chip;
• and
• selecting a driver to be executed by a processor in using said hardware feature and said additional hardware features, based on said value read from said storage unit and said additional values read from said additional storage units;
• wherein said driver comprises a set of instructions in binary form.

A method of identifying and using hardware features of a circuit, the method comprising:

• receiving from a user a value of a type of a hardware feature to be customized in a description to be generated of said circuit;
• including in said description a storage unit to be accessible from a bus outside said circuit;
• synthesizing said description of said circuit, said circuit comprising said hardware feature customized to have said type of said value;
• fabricating a chip comprising said circuit, based on at least a result of said synthesizing of said description;
• retrieving said value from said storage unit in said chip via said bus after fabrication of said chip;
• using said value obtained from said storage unit, to identify a set of instructions to be executed by a processor in using said hardware feature customized to have said type of said value, from among a plurality of sets of instructions;
• receiving from said user additional values of additional types of additional hardware features to be customized in the circuit;
• and
• including in said description, said additional hardware features customized to have said additional types of said additional values, and including in said description additional storage units accessible from outside the circuit and containing said additional values.