Scheduler schematics

Scheduler schematic#

The scheduling schematics are used to describe the element’s behavior and their interaction with each other. This interaction is described for event execution and its scheduling. It is important to note that Verilog and System Verilog is like a parallel programming language in terms of blocks or process executions.

Before going to the regions we have to know about simulation time and time slot.

The term simulation time is used to refer to the time value maintained by the simulator to model the actual time it would take for the system description being simulated.

A time slot encompasses all simulation activity that is processed in the event regions for each simulation time. All simulation activity for a particular simulation time is executed until no further simulation activity remains for that time slot, that is, without advancing the simulation
time.
“Note that execution of simulation events within a time slot may require multiple iterations through the simulation event regions for that same time slot.”

Events#

Event is used for synchronization between two or more concurrently active processes. Initially, we need to declare the event and then it needs to be triggered by using the -> or -» operator.

Processes can wait for the event by using the @ operator or wait(event_name.triggered). when both @ and wait comes at the same point then a race-around condition occurs in between both.

Create an event:-

event e;

Triggering the event:-

->e;

Wait for the event to be triggered:-

@e;  
or  
wait(e.triggered);

Event regions in verilog:#

verilog_updated

Event regions in system verilog:#

sv region

Explinations.#

Regions that are designed to implement correct RTL functionality:
• Active regions (Active, Inactive and NBA regions).
Regions that are designed to implement correct verification execution:
• Preponed, Reactive regions (Reactive, Re-Inactive, Re-NBA) and Postponed regions.
Regions that are designed to implement concurrent assertion checking:
• Preponed, Observed, and Reactive regions.
Region that should be avoided:
• Inactive region.

Let’s discuss about all the regions of System Verilog

1. preponed region#

The function of this region is to sample values that are used by concurrent assertions. The Preponed region is executed only once in each time slot, immediately after advancing simulation time (there is no feedback path to re-execute the Preponed region).

There is some doubt as to whether an implementation actually must perform the sampling in the Preponed region or if the sampling may be done in the Postponed region of the previous time slot. Because both, Postponed and Preponed are read-only regions.

“The values of variables used in assertions are sampled in the Preponed region of a time slot, and the assertions are evaluated during the Observed region.”

Sampled values are always defined with respect to a clocking expression. Therefore, it is only necessary to sample values in the Preponed region of the time slot in which the clocking expression is triggered, and not in every time slot.

2. Active Region set#

This Active region set includes i. Active region ii. Inactive region and iii. NBA region.

The Active region set is used to schedule blocking and non-blocking assignments included in the module.
All tasks and functions called from a module also scheduled in the active region set.
The Active region set is used to schedule the RTL and behavioral code.

active_set_updated

i. Active region#

The Active region holds the current active region set events being evaluated and can be processed in any order.

The function of this region is to evaluate and execute all current module activity in any order:

• Execute all module blocking assignments.
• Execute all module continuous assignments.
• Evaluate the Right-Hand-Side (RHS) of all non-blocking assignments and schedule updates into the NBA region.
• Evaluate inputs and update outputs of Verilog primitives.
• Execute the $display and $finish commands.

ii. Inactive regions#

The Inactive region holds the events to be evaluated after all the Active events are processed.

If events are being executed in the active region set, an explicit #0 delay control requires the process to be suspended and an event to be scheduled into the Inactive region of the current time slot. so that the process can be resumed in the next Inactive to Active iteration.

Most of the users are continue to use #0 assignments to defeat a race condition that might exist in their code due to assignments made to the same variable from more than one always block. users that follow good coding practices will have no need for #0 RTL assignments and hence, the Inactive region is unused.

iii. NBA region#

The function of this region is to execute the updates to the Left-Hand-Side (LHS) variables that were scheduled in the Active region for all currently executing non-blocking assignments.
The NBA (non-blocking assignment update) region holds the events to be evaluated after all the Inactive events are processed.
If events are being executed in the active region set, a non-blocking assignment creates an event in the NBA region scheduled for the current or a later simulation time.

3. observed region#

The function of this region is to evaluate the concurrent assertions using the values sampled in the Preponed region. Assertions that execute a pass or fail action block, actually schedule a process associated with the pass and fail code into the Reactive regions, not in the Observed region.

This is because concurrent assertions are designed to behave strictly as monitors, they are not allowed to modify the state of the design. But, assertions cannot schedule any Active region events.

4. Re-Active region set#

This Re-Active region set includes i. Re-Active region ii. Re-Inactive region and iii. Re-NBA region.

The reactive region set is used to schedule blocking assignments, #0 blocking assignments and non-blocking assignments included in program code. Any task or function called from a program is also scheduled into the reactive set event regions.
The intended purpose of the reactive region set is to schedule testbench stimulus drivers and testbench verification checking in the same time slot after RTL code has settled to a semi-steady state.

reactive_set_update

i. Re-Active region#

The Re-Active region holds the current reactive region set events being evaluated and can be processed in any order. The code specified by blocking assignments in checkers, program blocks and the code in action blocks of concurrent assertions are scheduled in the Re-Active region.

The principal function of this region is to evaluate and execute all current program activity.

• Execute all program blocking assignments. • Execute all program continuous assignments • Execute the pass/fail code from concurrent assertions. • Evaluate the Right-Hand-Side (RHS) of all program non-blocking assignments and schedule updates into the Re-NBA region. • Execute the $exit and implicit $exit commands.

This region is used to execute the verification processes spawned by program blocks. Because the Reactive region is located towards the end of the time slot, a process that executes at this point in the simulation has access to three key pieces of information:

  1. The current set of steady-state Active region set values – at the start of the current time slot.
  2. The next set of steady-state Active region set values - after clock and signal propagation.
  3. The disposition of all concurrent assertions triggered in this time slot.
    All this information enables more powerful and flexible verification techniques without forcing users to resort to specialized synchronization code.
    The processes that execute when processing the Reactive region typically drive back the stimulus into the design.

ii. Re-Inactive region#

The Re-Inactive region iterates with the Reactive region until all Reactive/Re-Inactive events have completed. Then, within the same time slot, the RTL regions (Active-Inactive-NBA) will re-trigger if the program execution scheduled any events in those regions in the same time slot.

Events are scheduled into the Re-Inactive region by executing a #0 in a program process. However, that recommendation does not apply when dealing with verification code, where it is often useful (and harmless) to add some determinism to the scheduler.

For example, when forking background processes, it is often very useful to allow the newly created sub-processes a chance to start executing before continuing the execution of the parent process. This is easily accomplished with the following code:

iii. Re-NBA region#

The Re-NBA region holds the events to be evaluated after all the Re-Inactive events are processed.
If events are being executed in the reactive region set, a non-blocking assignment creates an event in the Re-NBA region scheduled for the current or a later simulation time.

The principal function of this region is to execute the updates to the Left-Hand-Side (LHS) variables that were scheduled in the Re-Active region for all currently executing non-blocking assignments that were evaluated in the Reactive region.
As currently defined, the Re-NBA region iterates with the Reactive and Re-Inactive regions until all Reactive region set events have completed. Then, if program execution scheduled any Reactive region events that could trigger Active region set events in the same time slot, the Active set regions (Active-Inactive-NBA) will re-trigger and iterate until the Active region set events have completed.

5. posponed region#

The function of this region is to execute the $strobe and $monitor commands that will show the final updated values for the current time slot.

No new value changes are allowed to happen in the current time slot once the Postponed region is reached. Within this region, it is illegal to write values to any net or variable or to schedule an event in any previous region within the current time slot.

This region is also used to collect functional coverage for items that use strobe sampling.

Postponed region PLI events are also scheduled in this region.

There is no feedback path from the Postponed region back into the RTL or Reactive-loop regions, so the values displayed and the coverage collected will be the final values for that time slot.

Blocking and non-blocking statement#

Blocking statement
Blocking statements are assigned with =. It will execute serially in procedural blocks. Blocking statements are executed in a block in a sequential manner but when more than two procedural blocks, these statements will execute parallelly in the blocks and will not block the statements of other procedural blocks.

Syntax -

variable_name(LHS) = expression(RHS);

Non - blocking statement
Non-blocking statements are assigned with the <=. It will not block the execution of a statement inside that particular block. These statements will execute the parallel inside that particular block.

Syntax -

Variable(LHS) <= Expression(RHS) ;