Protocol-Inspired Hardware Testing

Citation

He J & Turner KJ (1999) Protocol-Inspired Hardware Testing. In: Csopaki G, Dibuz Sarolta S & Tarnay K (eds.) Testing of Communicating Systems: Methods and Applications. IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, 21. The IFIP 12th International Workshop on Testing of Communicating Systems (IWTCS'99), Budapest, Hungary, 01.09.1999-03.09.1999. Amsterdam: Springer Verlag, pp. 131-147. http://www.springer.com/computer/communications/book/978-0-7923-8581-3?detailsPage=toc

Abstract
The relevance of protocol conformance testing techniques to hardware testing is discussed. It is shown that the ioconf (input-output conformance) approach used in protocol testing can be applied to generate tests for a synchronous hardware design using its formal specification. The generated tests are automatically applied to a circuit by a VHDL testbench, thus giving confidence that the hardware design meets its high-level formal specification. Case studies illustrate how the ideas can be applied to standard hardware verification benchmarks such as the Single Pulser and Black-Jack Dealer.