FPgen: A Deep-Knowledge Coverage-Driven Floating-Point Test Generator
FPgen is a test generation framework targeted toward verification of the floating-point datapath. FPgen is a generic tool, which targets architectures that comply with the IEEE Standard 754, however, it can also be used for architectures that deviate from the standard.
FPgen provides a convenient platform for biasing and generating operand data for floating-point instructions.
Constraining the input operands of an operation is relatively straightforward. The main strength of FPgen lies in allowing more complex constraints, including:
- Constraints on the final result
- Constraints on the intermediate result(s)
- Constraints on relations between input operands
- Constraints on relations between inputs and results
- Simultaneous constraints on inputs and results
FPgen's ability to solve such complex constraints is based on a deep understanding of the floating-point semantics.
A floating-point verification plan is an important complement to FPgen's capabilities as a constraint solver. We constructed a generic test-plan (GTP) for floating-point to help verification engineers in the process of FPU verification. This GTP is based on the experience accumulated during the verification of several processors in IBM, along with a deep knowledge and understanding of algorithms and design for the floating-point unit. The GTP contains many interesting cases to be checked in simulation. It is coverage oriented and comprises several coverage models, each targeting a specific part of the FPU, or a particular feature of floating-point. These models are also implemented as input files for FPgen, giving the user a large base with which to begin the verification process.
