The Verilog PLI Handbook: A User's Guide and Comprehensive Reference on the Verilog Programming Language Interface

The Verilog programming language interface is a powerful feature of the Verilog standard. Through this interface, a Verilog simulator can be customized to perform virtually any engineering task desired, such as adding custom design debug utilities, adding proprietary file read/write utilities and interfacing bus functional C language models to a simulator. This book serves as both a user’s guide for learning the Verilog PLI and as a comprehensive reference manual on the Verilog PLI standard. Both the TF/ACC (“PLI 1.0”) and the VPI (“PLI 2.0”) generations of the PLI are presented, based on the IEEE 1364 Verilog standard. The second edition of this book adds coverage of the many enhancements added in the IEEE 1364-2001 Verilog standard (“Verilog-2001”). A CD is included, with the C source code, Verilog HDL test cases and simulation result logs for more than 75 complete PLI examples.

Table of Contents

Dedication. About the Author. List of Examples. Foreword. Acknowledgments. Introduction. Part One: The VPI Portion of the Verilog PLI Standard. 1. Creating PLI Applications Using VPI Routines. 2. Interfacing VPI Applications to Verilog Simulators. 3. How to Use the VPI Routines. 4. Details about the VPI Routine Library. 5. Reading and Modifying Values Using VPI Routines. 6. Synchronizing to Simulations Using VPI Callbacks. 7. Interfacing to C Models Using VPI Routines. Part Two: The TF/ACC Portion of the Verilog PLI Standard. 8. Creating PLI Applications Using TF and ACC Routines. 9. Interfacing TF/ACC Applications to Verilog Simulators. 10. How to Use the TF Routines. 11. Reading and Writing Values Using TF Routines. 12. Synchronizing to Simulations Using Misctf Routines. 13. Interfacing to C Models Using TF Routines. 14. How to Use the ACC Routines. 15. Details on the ACC Routine Library. 16. Reading and Modifying Values Using ACC Routines. 17. Using the Value Change Link (VCL). 18. Interfacing to C Models Using ACC Routines. Appendices. Appendix A: Linking PLI Applications to Verilog Simulators. Appendix B: The IEEE 1364-2001 TF Routine Library. Appendix C: The IEEE 1364-2001 ACC Routine Library. Appendix D: The IEEE 1364-2001 VPI Routine Library. Index. About the CD.