ODETTE Results |
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ODETTE page at OFFIS |
The ODETTE project began in June 2000 and finished in July 2003. All the work in the project is done and all the objectives have been met. The SystemC(TM)-based object-oriented hardware description methodology has been developed and the SystemC(TM)/C++ language subset (OSSS) has been defined. With regard to hardware synthesis, OSSS of course specifies some restrictions on the use of C++, but the benefits of the object oriented approach make this up. Classes and objects can be used as well as the related concepts inheritance, templates, polymorphism and even a high level inter-process communication based on a special kind of shared objects (global objects). Together with the object-oriented hardware description language and design methodology, the ODETTE synthesis tool has been developed. Synthesis means here high level synthesis on top of existing tools like the CoCentric® SystemC(TM) Compiler or Design Compiler®, which is still necessary to perform behavioural and logic synthesis. The promising and flexible software architecture of the tool allows to make fast implementation progress. Currently, the ODETTE Synthesizer is in advanced prototype state and it supports all object-oriented features for synthesis targeted in the ODETTE project work-plan. However, the functionality and features of the ODETTE Synthesizer is further being improved by OFFIS. The SystemC(TM) front-end necessary for parsing and analysing a OSSS description a C++/SystemC(TM) front-end and a VHDL/SystemC(TM) co-simulation solution has been developed and integrated with a commercially avaiable products. Another major project result was the development of the new verification technology that takes advantages of object-orientation in hardware description. The verification methodology has been implemented as High-Level Verification Environment. The actual tool set supports the complete flow from a OSSS description to a SystemC(TM) or VHDL description, including modelling, simulation, verification and synthesis. Also the supporting libraries with general and telecom elements for modelling hardware with OSSS have been developed. The evaluation of the project design methodology and tool environment has been perfomed by the project industrial partners.
List of main deliverables reflecting the project results
Design flow and tool architecture specification Specification of the design flow proposed in the ODETTE project and description
of the architecture of the tools, developed during the project together
with their interplay.
The implementation of the Generic Class Library developed in ODETTE.
The library contains general-purpose components, modelled in OSSS description,
which can be used in hardware modelling and synthesis.
The implementation of the Telecom Class Library developed in ODETTE.
The library contains elements that are often useful in the telecom domain,
covering different types of telecom applications (i.e. for mobile and fixed
networks).
Verification environment High-level verification environment is additonal SystemC(TM) class library
which provides verification techniques specific for object-oriented designs.
It implements the verification methodology developed in the ODETTE project.
Verification environment user's guide To facilitate usage of the verification environment the Verification Environment User's Guide has been created, which:
This document provides the final assessment of the ODETTE design methodology,
including guidelines for system modeling and the definition of a few design
scenarios with the description of the toolset supporting the design flow.
It provides also detailed description and analysis of the ODETTE design
methodology and design flow that implements it.
Verification methodology guidelines This document describes in details the Odette Verification Methodology
that was developed to address the verification needs of the SystemC(TM)
Plus Design Methodology.
SystemC(TM)/C++ front-end tool Implementation of SystemC(TM) front-end tool which is able to process OSSS description. The front-end tool is necesarry for parsing and analysing SystemC(TM)/C++ input description. It transforms input description into intermediate format which can be further processed by other tools like ODETTE Synthesizer.
The VHDL/SystemC(TM) co-simulation environment developed within the project
that allows for co-simulation of a mixed VHDL and SystemC(TM) designs.
Synthesis language subset specification The C++/SystemC(TM) language subset specification (Language Reference Manual) that defines the input language subset for the ODETTE synthesis tool. The developed language subset has been called OSSS (i.e. ODETTE System Synthesis Subset). Using ODETTE synthesis tool, which is capable to process object-oriented SystemC(TM) constructs (OSSS description), hardware can be directly synthesised from object-oriented descriptions. OSSS can be regarded as superset of synthesisable SystemC(TM) subset (which is supported by available SystemC(TM) synthesis tools) and additionally it includes constructs and features which are specific to object-oriented designs (e.g. classes, objects, inheritance, method-based communication, class templates, polymorphism, etc) and other constructs (module templates, fixed-point types, Global Objects, etc). The OSSS Language Reference Manual focuses on the description of a OSSS
(synthesisable subset of C++/SystemC(TM)).
This is a final prototype of the synthesis tool developed in the framework
of the ODETTE project.
User guidelines for synthesis tool This document, besides the usage guidelines, comprises also the information
of the different kinds of problems that may occur during synthesis, and
gives suggestions how to prevent them.
Evaluation report of methodology and tools This project deliverable summarizes the evaluation of the ODETTE tool
suite and the methodology that implements the integration of the ODETTE
toolset in the current design practice. The evaluation process, which was
a base for this report, has been carried on by Bosch and Siemens MC. This
covers also the overview of the modelling examples, which were used in the
evaluation of the methodology and tools developed in the ODETTE project.
Conclusions from high level modelling experiments The evaluation in this report is mainly based on the high-level modeling
experiments made by IBM. It goals are to describe the current state of the
tools and methodology from the point of view of IBM and to identify areas
for improvement.
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