Debugging Gets Assertive

March 31, 2003

The Verdi debugging system now supports assertion-based verification.

With an eye toward accommodating assertion-based verification flows, Novas Software's latest Verdi debugging platform was extended to support assertion languages and the results of assertion-based tools.

Launched last year, Verdi provides automatic analysis of cause-and-effect relationships and the ability to visualize design behavior over time. Coupling Verdi with assertions broadens the platform's debugging capabilities. Users can browse and trace assertion source code along with hardware-description-language (HDL) source and see the results of assertion evaluation annotated in the source view as well as the waveform view. It allows designers to quickly search backward in time from a value or transition to locate and isolate its cause.

Verdi's assertion language compilers initially support the OpenVera Assertions (OVA) language. Support of additional Accellera assertions is on the roadmap as standards settle out. Now available for customer beta testing, the Verdi debug platform with assertion-driven capabilities starts at $14,000 for a one-year subscription license. Verdi licensees on maintenance will be upgraded at no charge.

Novas Software Inc.
www.novas.com

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About the Author

David Maliniak | MWRF Executive Editor

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.