NanDigits Design Automation

1. GofCall Overview
2. Run in Graphical mode
3. Run in Text mode
4. Run script in batch mode
5. APIs list
6. Use cases

4.1 GofCall Overview:

GofCall provides a script programming interface to call integrated Netlist Processing APIs. It creates a powerful programming platform for ASIC designers. The API call has borrowed Perl syntax, which is very popular in ASIC design scripting. GofCall has covered the gap between simple GUI ECOs GofECO providing and complicated ECOs involving more gates and hierarchies.

GofCall API has very simple syntax, but with powerful processing capability. It relieves designer from paying attention to detail connections, but focusing on the real logic changes. The main features it provides

• Simple syntax, ECO script has same syntax as Perl.
• Hierarchical ECO, ports automatically added.
• New instances, wires have name automatically assigned.
• Nested ECO changes, multiple gates added in one line.
• ECOs are reversible.
• The result can be loaded in schematic on the fly.
• Integrated commands to browser netlist and check design status.

For example, an metal only ECO needs to change a flop's D input pin by NANDing of two signals. But the NAND gate is not available in the module the flop is in. The gate has to be borrowed from other hierarchical module like spare module. The following three lines are to borrow a NAND gate from spare gates module across hierarchies.

• change_pin("u_sapres/s0/A", "gte_344/U101/Y");
• change_pin("u_spares/s0/B", "gte_344/U143/Y");
• change_pin("gte_344/gte_con_reg/D", "u_spare/s0/Y");

The designer has no need to specify detail new wires name and ports created. Only the real logic change portion is focused.

The other advantage GOF provides is the schematic after ECO. It verifies if the ECO change are what the designer expects. 

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