( ESNUG 328 Item 3 ) ----------------------------------------------- [9/9/99]
Subject: ( ESNUG 327 #13 ) PrimeTime "transcript" Tcl Translator Is Useful
> Does anybody have a practical method for converting constraints from
> dc_shell to PrimeTime tcl? Basically "transcript" is only useful if you
> want to find commands that don't make sense in PrimTime (one cryptic error
> message at a time).
>
> All I want is actual timing constraints like create_clock, set_load,
> set_drive and set_multicycle_path automatically converted into the
> PrimeTime tcl subset. I don't need a script to tell me set_dont_touch
> doesn't make sense in PrimeTime! DUHH! I need a script that ignores
> useless stuff and *successfully* translates the stuff that does.
>
> The "transcript" program fails on the front end when it encounters useless
> things, then generates erroneous code that fails in PrimeTime... now
> *that's* two features for the price of one!
>
> - Rodney Ramsay
> Ford Microelectronics
From: Yossi Rindner <yossir@isdn.net.il>
Hi, John,
Currently, I'm supporting my customer with a set of DC and PT scripts. The
move to PT scripts was pretty simple, using transcript. The approach I used
was to create two sets of DC scripts:
1. First set for synthesizing all sub blocks and linking them to one huge
entity.
2. Second set to check and time the whole design in DC, you want to have
this set too because it provides you with the ability of checking the
integrity of the whole chip, performing ECO's and verifying their
effects.
Once the whole design was timed in DC (you don't want to do it more then
once, PT is 10X faster then DC!), I used transcript to create PT scripts and
started the iterations with layout tools (timing driven placement and back
annotation of SDF) using PT.
All DC timing related commands (set_multicycle_path, set_input/output_delay,
create_clock, set_false_path, set_resistance, set_capacitance, all_fanin,
all_fanout) were translated correctly.
All variable assignments, dc_shell_status and foreach loops where handled
too.
All DC I/O commands (inclusion of other scripts, read -format WHATEVER,
report -WHATEVER, redirection of reports) were translated correctly, as
well.
When there was a need to modify PT scripts, I first modified the DC scripts
and reran transcript. This way I was able to keep a single source of DC
scripts and keep the maintenance of scripts to minimum.
This approach can be used at any level and the criteria at which level to
apply it shall be based on how long it takes to time with DC.
- Yossi Rindner
ASICserve Israel
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