Software-Driven Testing of AXI Bus in a Dual Core ARM® System

Here we present an architecture for verifying proper operation and performance of a complex AXI bus fabric in a dual-core ARM® processor system using a combination of SystemVerilog and C software-driven test techniques. Specifically, we describe deployment of an advanced graph-based solution that provides the capability for checking full protocol compliance, an engine for continuous traffic generation, precise control and configurability for shaping the form and type of traffic needed to test the fabric. These characteristics were easier to construct, easier to analyze and review, and were more efficient in terms of achieving coverage using a graph-based approach than constrained-random or directed OVM sequences. For us, this architecture yielded successful completion of the verification process ahead of schedule.