System for frame-based protocol, graphical capture, synthesis, analysis, and simulation

摘要

A system for specifying, synthesizing, analyzing, simulating, and generating circuit designs for frame protocols. A GUI allows a user to specify a frame protocol and to edit and browse frame protocols. The GUI also allows the user to analyze an intermediate virtual circuit resulting from the protocol and to check the syntax of the protocol specification. In addition, the GUI allows the user to generate a High- level Description Language (HDL) file for the protocol. After the HDL is generated, the user can, through the GUI, simulate the operation of the HDL. The present invention includes a "SIMPLUG" feature that specifies a standard interface for GUI software 110, allowing the GUI to operate with a variety of simulators. The present invention also "back annotates" the virtual circuit to provide information in the virtual circuit that is used during simulation to indicate information about individual frames in the protocol. The present invention also optimizes both the virtual circuit and intermediate state transition graphs in accordance with the level of optimization specified by the user.