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A List of Free and Open Source Hardware Verification Tools and Frameworks

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Open Hardware Verification

A curated List of Free and Open Source hardware verification tools and frameworks.

The aim here is to curate a (mostly) comprehensive list of available tools for verifying the functional correctness of Free and Open Source Hardware designs. The list can include:

  • Tools which contain or implement verification related functionality
  • Testbench Frameworks which make writing testbenches easier
  • Projects which are good examples of free/open hardware verification efforts
  • Verification Guides and blog posts on how to actually go about verifying a hardware design
  • Conferences where new work on open source hardware verification is talked about

Pull requests and submissions are encouraged!

Some Rules:

This list focuses on Verification and not design. While there are lots of cool new languages and frameworks aimed at making hardware design easier (or at least, not Verilog/VHDL), verification can sometimes get left out in the cold.

While some new design tools/languages claim that "our new design tool X makes verification easier because it is written in high level language Y", it can often be much harder to find evidence of this in terms of re-usable verification IP/frameworks/methods which are written in "new language/tool Y". It might seem mean, but being a new design language which theoretically makes verification easier is not enough to merit inclusion on this list. What's needed is practical demonstration of making verification easier. This can be through libraries or IP which use "new language/tool Y", or in depth tutorials which explain how to use it for proper design verification.

If you're after hardware design tools, these awesome lists are a good place to start:

Further, entries in this list should not only be open source themselves, but be usable by people developing open source hardware using open source tools. For example, if company X releases a set of re-usable verification components written using UVM and SystemVerilog, is there an Free and Open Source SystemVerilog implementation which can make use of them?

Contents

This list has grown a lot lately, and the original taxonomy of tools/frameworks I had is starting to break down. I'll probably switch to a proper website when I get the time to remember how Github Pages works.

Tools

Formal Verification:

Simulation:

Build Systems and Continuous Integration:

  • LibreCores CI
  • FuseSoc - Package manager and build abstraction tool for FPGA/ASIC development.
    • fsva - FuseSoC Verification Automation

Test / Program / Code Generators:

Coverage:

Linting and Parsing:

Testbench Frameworks:

Components / VIPs

Projects

Guides & Blogs:

Conferences:

Tools:

SymbiYosys

"SymbiYosis a front-end driver program for Yosys-based formal hardware verification flows. SymbiYosys provides flows for the following formal tasks: Bounded verification of safety properties (assertions), Unbounded verification of safety properties, Generation of test benches from cover statements, Verification of liveness properties"

SymbiYosys requires Yosys (an open source synthesis tool) and one or more formal reasoning engines (listed hereto work.

MCY

"mcy is a new tool to help digital designers and project managers understand and improve testbench coverage. [...] Given a self checking testbench, mcy generates 1000s of mutations by modifying individual signals in a post synthesis netlist. These mutations are then filtered using Formal Verification techniques, keeping only those that can cause an important change in the design’s output. All mutated designs are run against the testbench to check that the testbench will detect and fail for a relevant mutation. The testbench can then be improved to get 100% complete coverage."

Verilator

Verilator is "the fastest free Verilog HDL simulator". From a verification perspective it supports line coverage, signal toggle coverage and limited specification of functional coverage using SystemVerilog Assertions. It also allows one to write testbenches in C++ or SystemC.

Icarus Verilog

The excellent Icarus Verilog simulator. Slower than Verilator, but it supports full 4-state simulation (i.e. X's and Z's).

LibreCores CI

"LibreCores CI is a service, which provides Continuous Integration of projects being hosted on LibreCores. The objective of the service is to improve the contributor experience and to increase trust to projects by providing automated testing and health metrics of the projects."

AAPG

"Automated Assembly Program Generator (aapg) is a tool that is intended to generate random RISC-V programs to test RISC-V cores."

From the Shakti RISC-V core project. Acts as a way to generate random stimulus for a RISC-V core. Output of the programs can then be checked between DUT and a GRM.

riscv-dv

Similar to AAPG, but this time from Google. Generates randomised RISC-V programs which can then be run by the DUT and A GRM and checked for equivilence. It has knowledge of interesting features like page tables, CSR access and trap/interrupt handling. Can generate randomised instruction streams with features like loops and function calls etc.

This project cannot be used with current free open source HDL simulators since it relies on the object orientated parts of UVM. It is still a useful piece of Verification IP though, and serves as a guide for other similar projects.

covered

"Covered is a Verilog code coverage analysis tool that can be useful for determining how well a diagnostic test suite is covering the design under test." ... "Covered reads in the Verilog design files and a VCD, LXT or FST formatted dumpfile from a diagnostic run and generates a database file called a Coverage Description Database (CDD) file" ... "Once a CDD file is created, the user can use Covered to generate various human-readable coverage reports in an ASCII format or use Covered's GUI to interactively look at coverage results".

svlint

An open source, MIT licensed SystemVerilog linting tool. Built on top of an open source SystemVerilog parser.

sv-parser

An open source, MIT/Apache licensed SystemVerilog parser/ Useful for quickly building custom tools / checkers.

Surelog: System Verilog 2017 Pre-processor, Parser

"This project aims at providing a complete System Verilog 2017 front-end: a preprocessor, a parser, an elaborator for both design and testbench."

"Linter, Simulator, Synthesis tool, Formal tools can use this front-end. They either can be developed as plugins (linked with) or use this front-end as an intermediate step of their compilation flows".

RgGen

"RgGen is a code generation tool for ASIC/IP/FPGA/RTL engineers. It will automatically generate soruce code related to configuration and status registers (CSR), e.g. SytemVerilog RTL, UVM RAL model, Wiki documents, from human readable register map specifications."

EBMC / CBMC

EBMC:

"EBMC is a Model Checker for hardware designs. It includes both bounded and unbounded analysis, i.e., it can both discover bugs and is also able to prove the absence of bugs. It can read Netlists (ISCAS89 format), Verilog, System Verilog and SMV files. Properties can be given in LTL or a fragment of System Verilog Assertions."

Note: Only the binaries for EBMC can be downloaded, no source-code is available. It's included on this list because it is a powerful tool which would otherwise not be available to the open hardware community. For a completely free and open tool with similar capabilities, look at SymbiYosys.

CBMC:

"CBMC is a Bounded Model Checker for C and C++ programs."

"Furthermore, it can check C and C++ for consistency with other languages, such as Verilog. The verification is performed by unwinding the loops in the program and passing the resulting equation to a decision procedure."

FuseSoC

From the project README: FuseSoC is an award-winning package manager and a set of build tools for HDL (Hardware Description Language) code. Its main purpose is to increase reuse of IP (Intellectual Property) cores and be an aid for creating, building and simulating SoC solutions.

My Opinion: If you need a tool to manage you HDL or testbench dependencies, package your IP for easy sharing, or generally just make your hardware design and verification life easier, FuseSoC is a great place to start.

fsva

"fsva (FuseSoc Verification Automation) is a tool that aims to automate the verification process of libraries and HDL design projects managed with FuseSoc build tool/system."

FORCE-RISCV

"FORCE-RISCV is an instruction sequence generator (ISG) for the RISC-V instruction set architecture. It can be used to generate tests for design verification of RISC-V processors. FORCE-RISCV uses randomization to choose instructions, registers, addresses and data for the tests, and can generate valid test sequences with very little input from the user. However, FORCE-RISCV provides a set of APIs with extensive capabilities which gives the user a high level of control over how the instruction generation takes place."

This makes it similar to riscv-dv, but you don't need a SystemVerilog simulator to run it. It is maintained by the OpenHW Group

Feature set:

  • RV64G - (RV64I, MAFDC). (V extension support planned)
  • RISC-V privileged ISA, including full support for the U, S, and M privilege levels.
  • RISC-V traps and exceptions basic handling.
  • Support for non-trivial exception handlers is planned.
  • Full support for the v48 virtual memory systems, including 4KB, 2MB, 1GB and 512GB page sizes.

Details:

RISC-V-TLM

"This is another RISC-V ISA simulator, this is coded in SystemC + TLM-2. It supports RV32IMAC Instruction set by now."

Details:

Frameworks:

Cocotb

"cocotb is a coroutine based cosimulation library for writing VHDL and Verilog testbenches in Python."

python-uvm

"This is a port of SystemVerilog (SV) Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) 1.2 to Python and cocotb. [...] UVM is not currently supported by any open source/free tools. cocotb offers excellent solution to interact with any simulator (free/commercial), so testbenches can be written in Python as well. uvm-python tries to offer an API similar to the original SV version. This means that many UVM verificaton skills are transferable from SV to Python very easily."

Cocotb Coverage

Functional Coverage and Constrained Randomization Extensions for Cocotb.

This package allows you to use constrained randomization and functional coverage techniques known from CRV (constrained random verification) and MDV (metric-driven verification) methodologies, available in SystemVerilog or e. Such extensions enable the implementation of an advanced verification environment for complex projects.

There is also a DVCon'17 presentation.

Cocotb IPs

Listed here are various cocotb plugins for common interfaces or modules:

Interface / Module Author License
AXI Bus Alex Forencich MIT
Ethernet Alex Forencich MIT
PCIe Alex Forencich MIT

fvutils/pyvsc

"PyVSC is a Python library that implements random verification-stimulus generation and coverage collection. [...] Currently, the Python-embedded domain-specific language supports similar features to those supported by SystemVerilog. Not all SystemVerilog features are supported, but in some cases features not supported by SystemVerilog are also supported. Please see the following section PyVSC Features"

riscv-formal

A re-usable formal verification framework for RISC-V CPU designs. Uses the Yosys/SymbiYosys tools.

UVVM

"Open Source VHDL Verification Library and Methodology - for very efficient VHDL verification of FPGA and ASIC - resulting also in a significant quality improvement"

There is also an accompanying library of user contributed VIPs: UVVM_Community_VIPs.

Chisel Verify

From the project README: This repo is for the project to explore the combination and interaction of Chisel and UVM. The ultimate goal is a verification framework within Scala for digital hardware described in Chisel also supporting legacy components in VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.

OSVVM

"Open Source VHDL Verification Methodology (OSVVM) provides an ASIC level VHDL verification methodology that is simple enough to use even on small FPGA projects. OSVVM offers the same capabilities as those based on other verification languages:"

The GitHub organisation includes some AXI4 Verification IP

VUnit

"VUnit is an open source unit testing framework for VHDL/SystemVerilog [...] It features the functionality needed to realize continuous and automated testing of your HDL code. VUnit doesn’t replace but rather complements traditional testing methodologies by supporting a “test early and often” approach through automation."

Based partially on OSVVM

V3

"V3 is a new and extensible framework for hardware verification and debugging researches on both Boolean-level and word-level designs. It is a powerful tool for users and an elaborate framework for developers as well."

Academic project, looks unmaintained since 2014.

  • Written In: C++
  • Write Testbenches In: Unclear?
  • License: Non-commercial
  • Supports: formal methods based approaches using AGIER / SAT Solving over verilog input files. Not entirely clear how one specifies correctness properties.
  • Link: https://github.com/chengyinwu/V3

ROHD Verification Framework

"The ROHD Verification Framework (ROHD-VF) is a verification framework built upon the Rapid Open Hardware Development (ROHD) framework. It enables testbench organization in a way similar to UVM. A key motivation behind it is that hardware testbenches are really just software, and verification engineers should be empowered to write them as great software. The ROHD Verification Framework enables development of a testbench in a modern programming language, taking advantage of recent innovations in the software industry. With ROHD and ROHD-VF, your testbench and hardware execute natively in Dart in a single fully-debuggable process. "

  • Written in: Dart
  • Write Testbenches In: Dart with ROHD
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Supports: Organizing testbenches in a way similar to UVM; natively executing, debugging, and simulating hardware and the testbench in Dart; all features of ROHD including a fast event-based simulator
  • Link: https://github.com/intel/rohd-vf

Components / VIPs

uvm_axi

A bus functional model for ARM's AXI bus protocol. Looks like it has been written as a standard UVM Verification Package. Being written in SystemVerilog (using all of its object orientated, behavioural modelling features) makes it hard to re-use with the current set of FOSS simulators. It is still a good example of re-usable verification IP.

Last commit in 2013, so likely un-maintained.

AXI Bus Formal VIP

A set of formal properties for checking for correct protocol behaviour in an AXI bus. Used as part of a Wishbone-AXI bus bridge, but usable with any AXI bus. There is a great blog post on it's use here from ZipCPU. It works with SymbiYosys.

AXI Bus Functional Model - tvip-axi

Bus function model for AMBA AXI protocol. Supports master and slave agents, AXI4 and AXI4-Lite protocols. Configurable address/data/id widths. Supports in/out-of-order responses, delayed responses and read interleaving.

AXI SystemVerilog Modules and Verification Infrastructure

SystemVerilog modules, testbenches, and test classes for AMBA AXI4 and AXI4-Lite. Provides parametrizable and synthesizable implementations of many common AXI modules (e.g., crossbars, data width converters) and testbenches for them. Provides test classes (drivers and monitors) to write custom testbenches. Provides protocol-compliant multiplexers and demultiplexers to simplify the implementation and verification of custom AXI modules.

APB Bus Functional Model - tvip-apb

Bus function model for AMBA APB protocol

Antmicro USB Test Suite

"This is a Cocotb based USB 1.1 test suite (to be extended to cover higher versions of the standard) for FPGA IP, with testbenches for a variety of open source USB cores."

Guides:

Dan Gisselquist Formal Verification Blogs

A set of posts on experiences using Symbiyosys/Yosys for formally verifying a CPU design. Includes lots of useful insights and guides for specific and general use cases.

Verification Gentleman Blog

Written by Tudor Timi: "I started the Verification Gentleman blog to store solutions to small (and big) problems I've faced in my day to day work. I want to share them with the community in the hope that they may be useful to someone else."

Bits Bytes and Gates

This is Matthew Ballance's (author of fvutils/pycsv) blog, full of "Musings on hardware and embedded software design and verification, and the EDA tools and methodologies that support them."

There's some good stuff on using Python for coverage, constrained random stimulus generation and verification / EDA generally.

Projects

OpenHW Group Functional Verification

The OpenHW group are a not-for-profit focused on "development of open-source cores, related IP, tools and software."

This particular repository contains their functional verification efforts for their open source RISC-V CPUs. It's a good place to look at how a large verification project is planned and organised.

LowRISC Style Guides

These are the style guides used by the LowRISC project for writing both RTL and UVM based testbenches.

Conferences:

ORCONF

"ORConf is an annual conference for open source digital, semiconductor and embedded systems designers and users. Each year attendees are treated to an ever-impressive array of presentations from all corners of the open source hardware space."

OSDA

"Workshop on Open Source Design Automation (OSDA)"

"This one-day workshop aims to bring together industrial, academic, and hobbyist actors to explore, disseminate, and network over ongoing efforts for open design automation, with a view to enabling unfettered research and development, improving EDA quality, and lowering the barriers and risks to entry for industry. These aims are particularly poignant due to the recent efforts across the European Union (and beyond) that mandate 'open access' for publicly funded research to both published manuscripts as well as any code necessary for reproducing its conclusions."

CHIPS Alliance Workshop on Open Source Design Verification

*"The workshop invites contributions from industry, academia and hobbyists, either as talk or tutorial. Proposals should cover open source design simulation and verification, for example in the following categories (but not limited to):

Open source simulation tools
Open source design verification tools
Open source rapid prototyping tools and methodologies
Open source libraries for design verification
Open source standards and methodologies for design verification
Industry case studies of usage and integration of the aforementioned

Most importantly, your submitted proposal should cover the open source aspect."*

Workshop on Open-Source EDA Technology (WOSET)

"The WOSET workshop aims to galvanize the open-source EDA movement. The workshop will bring together EDA researchers who are committed to open-source principles to share their experiences and coordinate efforts towards developing a reliable, fully open-source EDA flow."

Often has verification related tools, presentations and papers Submissions (2-4 pages) can include:

  • Overview of an existing or under-development open-source EDA tool.
  • Overview of support infrastructure (e.g. EDA databases and design benchmarks).
  • Open-source cloud-based EDA tools
  • Position statements (e.g. critical gaps, blockers/obstacles)

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