The Design And Implementation Of Test Platform For Microprocessor Instructions Based On Ment Carlo

Verification of Instruction correctness is an essential step in microprocessor design. How to automatically generate as comprehensive test programs as probably before the tape-out is always the focus the verification task. Random test program generator is such a kind of important tools to achieve these aims which are used in the test phase of the microprocessor design and implementation.In this article, we introduce a platform based on Monte Carlo algorithm, a platform that use to the functional verification of the processor's instruction set and the analysis of the coverage rate.the Monte Carlo-based test platform for microprocessor instructions is such a platform, It generate the random numbers which consistent with the Monte Carlo random number standard by the Mersenne Twister algorithm, then generate the instruction sequence by the random number.It can generate many kind of combinations of various instruction than other test methods are difficult to generate and achieve a higher test strength and better test coverage rate.It's distinctive feature are:(1)the instruction generation module is designed in modularization so it is very expansibility. Using many kinds of instruction generation to abstract the behavior of the microprocessor, which is very simple and efficient.(2) every functional unit's instruction has a analysis of coverage rate, so it can give the test of boundary conditions and the related conditions a guide and to improve the efficiency of the test program.(3)has a good support to the jump instruction and be able to handle the various situations of the jump instruction.(4)a large number of instruction test and comparison is doing by script.At the same time, the test procedures generated by the platform has the following characteristics:(1) does not have the appearance of an infinite loop, you can control program flow. And it will not make the microprocessor into illegal status.(2)the length of instruction set generate by the platform is variable.(3)each functional unit of the microprocessor has the instruction generating unit and the corresponding analysis of the coverage rate and the functional unit of the platform can increase easily if the microprocessor increase the functional unit.(4)the platform can be generate the multi-issue instruction.In the end, the article gives some of the random test generator test results and related data analysis.The system had got an encouraging result in the simulation and verification of the microprocessor developed by Actichip.