LeCroy Demonstrating SimPASS PE on Cadence Palladium Platforms at CDNLive!
SimPASS(TM) is the comprehensive design validation tool that bridges pre-silicon and post-silicon phases for PCI Express product development
SAN JOSE, Calif., -- CDNLive! -- LeCroy Corporation, a leading supplier of serial data test solutions, today is presenting the SimPASS PE application at Cadence Design Systems' CDNLive! users conference in San Jose, CA. SimPASS PE is a software application that converts vector files generated by a simulation verification platform and allows the user to view the data traffic in industry-standard CATC Trace displays. Based on the existing LeCroy graphical user interface for display and analysis of data traffic, SimPASS PE extends the powerful protocol analysis capabilities commonly used for post silicon testing into the pre-silicon simulation and design verification phases of development. Cadence, a global leader in electronic design innovation, offers an export capability to the LeCroy SimPASS PE from the Cadence Palladium debug platforms. This capability enables Palladium users to export simulation vector files directly to SimPASS PE and take advantage of new enhanced PCI Express debugging analysis capabilities.
SimPASS PE for PCI Express is the first tool to be available in the new LeCroy SimPASS product line. SimPASS PE allows RTL simulation vector files (that describe PCI Express 3.0 I/O traffic in the pre-silicon phase) to be displayed and analyzed in the same way as hardware-derived trace files in the post-silicon phase. By extracting features that show potential flaws in data and transaction packets from the I/O stream, SimPASS enables developers to more completely test and debug the logic design before committing the design to silicon, a major advance in eliminating design flaws that cause expensive and time-consuming redesign. Major issues facing PCI Express 3.0 developers, such as errors in power state transitions within the LTSSM and improper credit flow exchanges, can be quickly identified, tracked to their source, and resolved, resulting in significantly faster time-to-market and lower development costs in new product development.
"Design teams are looking for new ways to simulate I/O more thoroughly. However, this often means more time consuming and extensive testing," said John Wiedemeier, Product Marketing Manager of LeCroy's Interconnect Communications Group. "SimPASS PE provides a new capability for PCI Express verification that will help find protocol errors and performance issues much earlier in the design cycle, where they can be fixed with minimal impact on schedule and budget."
SimPASS works by importing raw PCI Express symbol traffic as captured in an RTL simulation. Developers can export RTL simulation vector files from leading electronic design automation (EDA) PCIe® compliance tools, or from their own internally-developed RTL testbench. The symbol traffic files are directly analogous to a trace file captured from hardware, and can be analyzed by SimPASS with all the power and flexibility of a protocol analyzer, helping to determine potential protocol errors. This provides important advantages in identifying and troubleshooting logic design flaws during the simulation and functional verification process, by using the powerful data displays and "drill down" capabilities of the CATC Trace displays in quickly locating the source of each error. The ability to track down errors using familiar data displays and error identification tools makes the error resolution process simpler and easier for the engineers involved. During any redesign cycle, fixes for bugs (identified in the previous cycle using LeCroy's PETracer trace analysis software) can be verified by testing the fixes during simulation using the SimPASS software.
For a demonstration of SimPASS PE, see LeCroy at Booth No. 6 at the CDNLive! conference in the Imperial Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA.
Availability
For more information about SimPASS PE contact LeCroy at 1-800-5LeCroy (1-800-553-2769) or visit LeCroy's web site at www.lecroy.com.
About LeCroy
LeCroy Corporation is a worldwide leader in serial data test solutions, creating advanced instruments that drive product innovation by quickly measuring, analyzing, and verifying complex electronic signals. The Company offers high-performance oscilloscopes, serial data analyzers, and global communications protocol test solutions used by design engineers in the computer and semiconductor, data storage device, automotive and industrial, and military and aerospace markets. LeCroy's 45-year heritage of technical innovation is the foundation for its recognized leadership in "WaveShape Analysis" -- capturing, viewing, and measuring the high-speed signals that drive today's information and communications technologies. LeCroy is headquartered in Chestnut Ridge, New York. Company information is available at www.lecroy.com.
Editors' Technical Contact:
John Wiedemeier,
Product Marketing Manager,
+1-408-486-7211;
Customer Contact:
LeCroy Customer Care Center,
+800-553-2769
Web Site: www.lecroy.com
