Easier SoC integration for IP block interfaces

Easi-Studio version 2.1 is the latest release in the Easi-Tools family from Beach Solutions.

Easi-Studio version 2.1 is the latest release in the Easi-Tools family from Beach Solutions.

Easi-Tools comprise a range of modules for the automatic generation and support of Embedded Application Systems Interfaces (Easis) for the development of complex SoCs and reconfigurable platforms.

Easi-Studio version 2.1 provides a fully functional integrated application environment to capture and check IP block interfaces, integrate them into an SoC structure, and automatically generate associated hardware, software and documentation.

A GUI-based environment is available to capture and maintain information about each IP block's memory mapped registers into a centralised XML database.

A database can contain a library of one or more IP blocks which can be integrated into an SoC in the same or alternative database.

This ability, together with import and export IP capabilities, ensures IP data needs capturing only once but can be packaged in XML form and re-used across multiple projects.

Easi-Studio automatically creates the output files required to synchronise data between all members of a development team.

Crucially, however, all the information captured by Easi-Studio, whether at the IP block level or for the complete system, is error checked while it is being saved to the central database, ensuring that all the automatically generated files can be used reliably by their recipients.

Easi-Studio Version 2.1 ensures that common human errors such as naming inconsistencies, over-lapping of registers and illegal register accesses in software are avoided.

Design consistency is guaranteed as all components are created from one common specification.

Data import and export through XML gives an open interface for interoperability with other leading industry tools.

Furthermore, the Easi-Studio family includes generators for C and C++ interface libraries, test suites, IP and SoC reference manuals (in RTF and HTML) and bus interfaces in both VHDL and Verilog.

Beach's enhanced portfolio of tools addresses a very real problem facing the modern day design engineer, namely the definition and maintenance of the hardware/software interface.

The complexity of system-on-chip devices increasingly results in no one individual within a development team being able to manage the complete definition of the hardware/software interface without specialised tool support.

This is the case even with designs that are approaching thousands of registers, which is now commonplace.

"This level of complexity requires that the information on the device structure itself is saved in a centralised location where it can be easily accessed by the different functional elements of the product development team", states Terry McCloskey, CEO of Beach Solutions.

"The Easi-Tools family satisfies this need, removing the error prone tasks of maintaining consistency across the different forms of this information required for software, hardware, test and documentation development".

Riffat Amin, VP of Sales and Marketing for Beach Solutions adds: "Despite the current market downturn, we have seen an increased level of interest in our Easi-Tools amongst leading industry players.

This demand is being driven by the needs of these companies to keep control of their product development costs and ensure that they are released in a timely manner.

Easi-Tools are enabling them to achieve this goal".

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