designs/asap7/minimal: getting started README.md

Signed-off-by: Øyvind Harboe <[email protected]>

Author: oharboe

flow/designs/asap7/minimal/README.md

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+Report on a design prior to setting up a configuration
+======================================================
+
+This configuration allows running synthesis and floorplan
+to extract some basic information useful when setting
+up a config.mk file from scratch.
+
+Below, instructions are given to run synthesis, floorplan, placement and
+global route, then examine the results in the GUI to see what a
+realistic floorplan and settings might be for your Verilog files.
+
+The example below uses the designs/src/aes/*.v Verilog files, but
+the Verilog files do not have to be located in the OpenROAD-flow-scripts
+git repository, adjust the VERILOG_FILES argument to point to your Verilog
+files:
+
+    make DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/minimal/config.mk DESIGN_NAME=aes_cipher_top VERILOG_FILES="$(ls designs/src/aes/*.v | xargs)" clean_synth synth gui_synth
+
+Where, the exploratory config.mk file to be replaced
+by a design specific config.mk file is:
+
+    DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/minimal/config.mk
+
+Verilog files that to be investigated are specified by:
+
+    VERILOG_FILES="$(ls designs/src/aes/*.v | xargs)"
+
+The Verilog top module name is specified by:
+
+    DESIGN_NAME=aes_cipher_top
+
+Synthesis cleaned and re-run by:
+
+    clean_synth synth
+ 
+The GUI is opened by the makefile target:
+
+    gui_synth
+
+`make gui_synth` OpenROAD GUI information
+-----------------------------------------
+
+![Alt text](gui_synth.png)
+
+The module hierarchy can here be examined to give a sense of
+area required for the default placement density.
+
+`make gui_floorplan` OpenROAD GUI information
+---------------------------------------------
+
+Next to iterate on floorplan settings:
+
+    make DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/minimal/config.mk DESIGN_NAME=aes_cipher_top VERILOG_FILES="$(ls designs/src/aes/*.v | xargs)" clean_floorplan floorplan gui_floorplan
+
+A few more things can be learned from looking at this minimal floorplan:
+
+- The pins are placed randomly on the edges and at least there
+  is enough space on the edges to fit the top level pins
+- Check that the floorplan size is not completely unreasonable and
+  at least there is a chance that this design could go through
+  placement with this density.
+
+![Alt text](gui_floorplan.png)
+
+`make gui_place` OpenROAD GUI information
+-----------------------------------------
+
+Next to iterate on placement settings:
+
+    make DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/minimal/config.mk DESIGN_NAME=aes_cipher_top VERILOG_FILES="$(ls designs/src/aes/*.v | xargs)" clean_place place gui_place
+
+![Alt text](gui_place_heatmap.png)
+
+![Alt text](gui_place_module.png)
+
+From placement more information about how to set up the config.mk
+file can be learned:
+
+- Examine estimated routing congestion to get a sense if there
+  is a chance that the design can be routed.
+- Get a sense of size and location of modules
+
+CTS(Clock tree Synthesis)
+-------------------------
+
+After placement, CTS (clock tree synthesis is run). However the minimal design does
+not have a clock, so CTS runs quickly, but does nothing.
+
+`make gui_grt` OpenROAD GUI information
+-----------------------------------------
+
+For non-trivial designs, some more work will need to be done in floorplan and
+placement before there is a chance that global routing will complete:
+
+    make DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/minimal/config.mk DESIGN_NAME=aes_cipher_top VERILOG_FILES="$(ls designs/src/aes/*.v | xargs)" clean_place place gui_place
+
+![Alt text](gui_grt.png)
+
+Global routing congestion heatmap can be examined in the GUI.
+
+Next steps
+----------
+
+Start creating a config.mk file for your design, write an .sdc file to
+examine timing and find reasonable values for the CORE_UTILIZATION
+and PLACE_DENSITY for your design considering routing congestion.
+
+Building from your own git repository
+=====================================
+
+ORFS, OpenROAD-flow-scripts, supports setting up a config.mk file
+in your own git repository without the need to fork ORFS. It is
+also possible to perform some preliminary builds of your Verilog
+files to examine the results in the OpenROAD GUI.
+
+To build from your own git repository:
+
+    FLOW_HOME=~/OpenROAD-flow-scripts/flow make --file=~/OpenROAD-flow-scripts/flow/Makefile DESIGN_CONFIG=config.mk ...

flow/designs/asap7/minimal/config.mk

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+export DESIGN_NICKNAME = minimal
+export SDC_FILE = designs/asap7/minimal/empty.sdc
+export PLATFORM = asap7
+# Faster build and more information in GUI with hierarchical synthesis
+export SYNTH_HIERARCHICAL ?= 1
+# Keep all modules so we can examine the full hierarchy
+export MAX_UNGROUP_SIZE ?= 0
+
+# Set the core utilization to 10% for the minimal design to
+# maximize chances of getting an initial floorplan. This
+# provides a generous area, yet not so big as to make making
+# floorplan problematic
+export CORE_UTILIZATION ?= 10
+# Low placement density to maximize chances of getting a floorplan
+export PLACE_DENSITY ?= 0.20
+
+# This won't work with an empty .sdc file
+export SKIP_REPORT_METRICS = 1
+

flow/designs/asap7/minimal/empty.sdc

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+# Creating a basic .sdc file is beyond the scope of
+# simple configuration, much as writing Verilog is.