Getting Started with PLS

The project is developed based on icarus iverilog. Special thanks to Stephen Williams (steve@icarus.com).

PLS is a Verilog simulator, compiles verilog into a much faster optimized model, which executes about 20-100x faster than interpreted Verilog simulators such as icarus iverilog vvp.

Performance

PLS performance versus the closed-source Verilog simulators is about [0.5, 10] in typical test. In decoder cases, it executes about 1-10x over closed-source simulators, average 3.85x. In uap cases, it executes average 0.72x versus closed-source simulators.

1. Install From Source

1.1 Compile Time Prerequisites

You need the following softwares to compile PLS from source on a UNIX-like system:

• GNU Make
• CMake optional
• ISO C++ Compiler
• bison and flex
• gperf 3.0 or later
• readline 4.2 or later
• termcap
• bash

1.2 Compilation

Unpack the tar-ball and compile the source with the commands:

  cd pint_iverilog
  sh autoconf.sh
  ./configure
  make -j8
  sudo make install

2. Simulation example

For simulation, we use the following design as an example:

  module main;
  initial
    begin
      $display("Hello, World");
      $finish ;
    end
  endmodule

1. Arrange for the above program to be in a text file, hello.v.
2. Compile the program with the pls command:

   pls hello.v

3. The results of the verilog compile modle is put into the ./a.out file.
4. execute the compile modle:

   ./a.out
   Hello, World

3. Execute in cpu mode

If your environment is not equipped with a PINT accelerator card and not install the pint_sdk, then it will default compile and execute in cpu mode:

```bash
pls hello.v
./a.out
```

4. Execute in pint mode

The PLS verilog compile model is also designed to support parrallel processing, which can further accelerate the simulation.

4.1 Local device

If your environment is equipped with a PINT accelerator card and installed the pint_sdk, then it will default run the simulation in pint mode, you can also use './a.out cpu_mode' to execute in cpu mode.

```bash
pls hello.v
./a.out
```

4.2 Remote server

If your environment is not equipped with a PINT accelerator card but installed the pint_sdk, then it will default compile the pint model, you can also use './a.out cpu_mode' to execute in cpu mode.

```bash
pls hello.v
./a.out compile_only
```

then you can use the PINT PLS remote server to run the simulation. For details, see the PINT PLS Remote Server Manual for RTL Simulation on: http://www.panyi-tech.com/