BFM vs Driver

SystemVerilog
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In reply to mukul1996:

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[] A BFM is a Bus Functional Model.
Any device has a behavior and it interacts with the outside world thru interfaces or “busses” (of length 1 or more signals for its inputs and outputs.
A BFM reflects the behavior of that device at a level higher than gate level; it could be RTL or even a higher level. As the design progresses, that BFM can be replaced with the actual design. Thus, I can design a BFM for a FIFO, a processor, or even a standard bus interface (e.g., HDMI bus). Those BFMs are used to test your design. For example. if I am designing a cable box ASIC that interfaces with a CPU IP and a HDMI interface I’ll need 2 BFMs, one for the CPU and another one for the HDMI.
[]A Driver is the software that drives the BFM. FOr the above example, my chip is exposed to a HDMI and a CPU. Those 2 BFMs respond to my chip and they also send commands to my chip to do things. For example, the CPU may want to command my chip to do X tasks. That command and responses to my chip come my CPU driver. Note the driver is not a just one-way communication because it reacts with the actual design. If the design says, HOLD, NOW GIVE ME MORE, the driver of the BFM has to react accordingly.
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Botom line, they are not the same thing though a BFM has a driver.
Ben Cohen
http://www.systemverilog.us/ ben@systemverilog.us
For training, consulting, services: contact Home - My cvcblr

** SVA Handbook 4th Edition, 2016 ISBN 978-1518681448
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