Q098FreeDesign Verification

Verify a bounded step-sequence counter

Difficulty: Medium
Topic: Reference Models
Language: SV

Interview prompt

Question

Verify a single-request block that counts ordered sequences of one-step and two-step advances for distances from zero through 24. Supply the oracle and check_sample body in the complete checker module. MAX_LATENCY is positive; step_ways is called only for legal distances 0 through 24. Inputs are interpreted at rising-edge samples before that edge's nonblocking updates; the harness drives them before the edge. Sample reset low before the first request. Reset, start, busy, and done are known at sampled edges; request fields used at acceptance are known. An accepted request is start && !busy. Its completion must be sampled 1 through MAX_LATENCY edges later, inclusive; a missing completion reports on the next edge. Completion is processed before a same-edge new acceptance. Adjacent high done samples are legal when they retire distinct previously accepted requests; a request cannot complete twice or complete on its own accepting edge. Busy-time starts do not change the pending prediction. Reset cancels pending ownership and age. The supplied diagnostic helper accumulates reports across resets.

Candidate starting point

Implementation scaffold

module step_sequence_checker #(parameter int MAX_LATENCY = 28) (
  input logic clk, rst_n, start,
  input logic [4:0] steps,
  input logic busy, done, request_error,
  input logic [31:0] ways
);
  bit pending = 0;
  int unsigned age = 0;
  bit expected_error;
  int unsigned errors = 0;

  // Supplied diagnostics; reports accumulate across sampled resets.
  function void report_error(string message);
    if (errors != '1) errors++;
    $error("%s", message);
  endfunction
  function int unsigned error_count(); return errors; endfunction
  initial begin
    if (MAX_LATENCY <= 0) $fatal(1, "MAX_LATENCY must be positive");
  end
  logic [31:0] expected_ways;

  // Called only with n in 0 through 24.
  function automatic longint unsigned step_ways(int unsigned n);
    // TODO: compute the bounded recurrence.
  endfunction
  task automatic predict_steps(
    input int unsigned n,
    output bit expected_error,
    output logic [31:0] expected_ways
  );
    // TODO: predict the complete error/result pair.
  endtask
  task automatic check_sample();
    // TODO: track acceptance, reset, completion ownership, results, and deadline.
  endtask
  always @(posedge clk) check_sample();
endmodule

Reviewed example

Trace one case

Input

request steps=5; then request steps=25

Expected output

steps 5: ways=8,error=0; steps 25: ways=0,error=1

The legal request follows ways(5)=8, while 25 is above the supported bound and returns the defined zeroed error result.

What to cover

Requirements

Predict ways(0)=1, ways(1)=1, and ways(n)=ways(n-1)+ways(n-2).
Return request_error with ways zero for values above 24.
Snapshot steps on acceptance and require exactly one sampled completion within the bounded latency.
Ignore busy-time starts and cancel all pending completion obligations on reset.

Continue practicing

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module step_sequence_checker #(parameter int MAX_LATENCY = 28) ( input logic clk, rst_n, start, input logic [4:0] steps, input logic busy, done, request_error, input logic [31:0] ways ); bit pending = 0; int unsigned age = 0; bit expected_error; int unsigned errors = 0; // Supplied diagnostics; reports accumulate across sampled resets. function void report_error(string message); if (errors != '1) errors++; $error("%s", message); endfunction function int unsigned error_count(); return errors; endfunction initial begin if (MAX_LATENCY <= 0) $fatal(1, "MAX_LATENCY must be positive"); end logic [31:0] expected_ways; // Called only with n in 0 through 24. function automatic longint unsigned step_ways(int unsigned n); // TODO: compute the bounded recurrence. endfunction task automatic predict_steps( input int unsigned n, output bit expected_error, output logic [31:0] expected_ways ); // TODO: predict the complete error/result pair. endtask task automatic check_sample(); // TODO: track acceptance, reset, completion ownership, results, and deadline. endtask always @(posedge clk) check_sample(); endmodule

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Implementation scaffold

Trace one case

Requirements

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