VERITOOLS   F. A .Q.
   





Undertow:
Question: Does Undertow support Jitter measurement, analysis?:
Answer: An menu item is provided in "Analog Tools", "Plot Jitter versus Time" for any selected signal that is selected on waveform, this plots jitter over a signal versus time. Eye Diagram showing jitter as an eye diagram for any given signal. The fold over time, eye width, and even a threshold, (signal, value) for the fold time over can be specified. Perl scripts, Perl is built into Undertow, which can be used to get any number of Jitter measurements. These are some of the measures that can be provided: Absolute Jitter, assumes an oscillator at a constant frequency where the jitter will always return to the period of the oscillator Relative Jitter, assume the tracing PLL had locked on to the most recent clocking point and measures the jitter from this point to the next jitter point. PLL jitter, uses the algorithm of the PLL that is tracking the signal that has jitter and measures the jitter from the clocking point as determined by the PPL algorithm. This will tell the designer if his PLL has the re



Undertow:
Question: Does Undertow support compilation of Vendor VHDL libraries ?:
Answer: Yes,it does,using Veritools' vtcom compiler.These (pre)compiled libraries and files can then be used in the Undertow and simulated.



Undertow Assertions:
Question: Does Undertow support System Verilog Assertions?:
Answer: Undertow supports System verilog assertions with waveform evaluation using 'Assertion Analyser'



Undertow :
Question: What are the waveform formats supported by Undertow?:
Answer: Undertow currently supports the following Analog file formats: Hspice Hspice raw files TR0 AC Sweep DC Sweep FT0 CSDF TR0 ACSweep DC Sweep FT0 Pspice Nutmeg Format Nanosim .out format Native Format via the API Powermill/Timemill/Railmill .out Mentor Eldo .cou, .dou Smartspice raw files Sweeps IBM GRF1 format Starsim Output fast files Specture WSF PSF Undertow currently supports the following digital file formats: VCD VCD Extended Mentor .wlf PLI 1 and PLI 2, VPI Compression of 650 to 900 times Fast formats, almost any file compressed by 650-900 times via vdump FLI VHDL PLI, VPLI Veritools API, optimized format, Compression of up to 900 times using the Veritools API WGL test format This includes virtually all analog and digital simulators including VHDL, Verilog, and SystemC. Veritools’ customer support includes feature requests and upgrades, as well as requests for adding new formats.



Undertow Simulators:
Question: What simulators are supported by Undertow:
Answer: Undertow supports Digital,Analog and Mixed-Signal simulators including: Verilog TIMEMILL POWERMILL HSpice VHDL (VSS, LEAPFROG, MENTOR, and ModelTech) Anagram



Undertow :
Question: Does Undertow suite have FSM capabilities?:
Answer: Yes,Undertow Suite has a fully integrated FSM analyser with features including state-viewing,state-stepping over multiple cycles. This tool makes use of advanced flow graph techniques and formal methods



Undertow Compiled Simulators:
Question: Does Undertow support Compiled simulators?:
Answer: Yes,Undertow supports both Compiled simulators and Non-compiled simulators. Some of the compiled simulators that we support include: Cadence Verilog NC Synopsys VCS Fintronic FinSim Frontline SimLine Modeltech Verilog Modeltech VHDL Optimizing Tool (FLI) Modeltech VHDL VCD File and also Non-compiled simulators like Cadence Verilog-XL



Undertow Schematics:
Question: Does Undertow suite have Schematic capabilities?:
Answer: Yes,Undertow suite has a built in RTL/gate level schematic viewer with hierarchical navigation capability,at the mere click of a mouse. This tool comes packed with very practical features including driver/load tracing capabilities,transition-type locator etc



Undertow:
Question: Does Undertow suite have source-code debug capabilities?:
Answer: es,Undertow has a source-code debugger that comes equipped with a hierarchical browser,signal selector,command-line-interface to the simulator and a host of other powerful features including time,event trackers, simulation-stepper,load/driver tracer etc



Undertow:
Question: How fast is the Source code-FSM-Schematic set of tools?:
Answer: Undertow suite's source-code debugger,FSM analyzer, Schematic viewer are tightly intgegrated and updated in real-time.Any change in one of these is instantly reflected in the others with no delay.



Undertow PSL Assertions:
Question: Does Undertow support PSL Assertions?:
Answer: Undertow offers PSL assertion support using waveform evaluation with assertion analyzer



Undertow Speed:
Question: Is there a faster way to load and display waveforms?:
Answer: Yes,by performing waveform file compression using the vdump utitity,you can load and view waveforms faster. This utility performs a 1300x compression,enabling you to load and view files of size xGigs instantly.



Undertow Scripting:
Question: Can I perform scripting with Undertow?:
Answer: Undertow comes bundled with Perl/Tk. Tk is the Perl module which provides GUI services.Undertow provides all of the regular Perl language keywords and operators and also some Undertow specific scripts.Users can add their own scripts in addition to this.



Undertow PLI:
Question: Can I use my own PLI?:
Answer: Undertow comes with a Optimizing Tool which is a Veritools PLI routine. You can also use your own PLI.It does not affect your results in any way.



Undertow Platforms:
Question: What Operating Systems are supported by Undertow?:
Answer: Undertow currently supports Solaris 32 bit,64 bit, Red Hat Linux 7.2,Mandrake Linux,SuSe Linux,AMD 64 opteron, Windows 2000/XP



License:
Question: Do I have to install a license key on each machine ?:
Answer: No,Undertow uses the easy to use FLEXlm license server and the distribution comes bundled with the necessary FLEXlm software license tools like lmgrd,lmutil etc So it is enough to install the license in on central location and access it remotely.



Undertow:
Question: Does Undertow have a trace-back feature?:
Answer: f the simulator you are running has a trace feature available and is enabled,Undertow can make use of it to trace back and forth through he simulaation



Undertow:
Question: Does Undertow support waveform viewing between different hierarchical levels of the design?:
Answer: Yes,using Undertow's hierarchical browser,one can navigate through the design and at the same time select signals,variables for viewing from any hierarchy



Undertow:
Question: Can third-party-tools be integrated with Undertow?:
Answer: Veritools supports Undertow integration with third party simulators including Cadence Verilog-XL,NC Verilog,Antrim



Undertow:
Question: How many waveforms can I view in a session?:
Answer: Any number of waveforms can be viewed using Undertow waveform viewwer in a session.



Undertow:
Question: How many window panes can I view in a session?:
Answer: Any number of panes can be viewed using Undertow waveform viewwer in a session.



Undertow License:
Question: How many Undertow sessions can I invoke from a machine using a single license?:
Answer: You can invoke any number if Undertow sessions with a single license by using the File=>Start New Undertow=> feature



Undertow :
Question: Can I use Undertow after compiling and simulating a design?:
Answer: Yes, to use Undertow in Interactive mode,it is enough if the design is compiled.



Undertow :
Question: Does Batch-mode operation of Undertow use-up a simulator license?:
Answer: No,this is one of the best advantages. Undertow in Batch mode does not use a simulator license



Undertow :
Question: When I invoke Undertow in the interactive mode,I get a message saying 'Simulator has exited'?Whats happening?:
Answer: This is due to one of the following reasons: Your simulator environment variables are not set correctly Undertow isnt able to check out simulator license(contact your system admin) Undertow environment variables are not set correctly.



Undertow :
Question: Can I compare multiple waveforms?:
Answer: Yes, you can compare as many waveforms as you want,by loading them all into Undertow



Undertow compressed file:
Question: I have a compressed .fast file from a previous session of Undertow.However,Undertow does not recognize it now.Why?:
Answer: This is due to one of the following reasons: The earlier session got 'hung' and had to be forcefully exited,rendering the earlier created fast file useless. The earlier created fast file was moved from one directory location to another



Undertow compressed file:
Question: I have a compressed .fast file from a previous session of Undertow.However,Undertow does not recognize it now.Why?:
Answer: This is due to one of the following reasons: The earlier session got 'hung' and had to be forcefully exited,rendering the earlier created fast file useless. The earlier created fast file was moved from one directory location to another



libstdc++ C++ vtcom ut2004 libstdc++ libstdc libstdc++.so.5:
Question: Here's an error message I get when I launch vtcom. I think I got this before but I don't remember what fixed it.
ld.so.1: vtcom: fatal: libstdc++.so.5: open failed: No such file or directory:
Answer: You need to have C++/G++ libs installed on your machine. You can download these libs from veritools ftp site in the outgoing directory.



FTP :
Question: How can I download files from your FTP site ?:
Answer: ftp veritools.com, login as anonymous, for password use your email. For download cd pub/veritools/outgoing, enter bin mode by typing bin and get . For upload do the same but cd into pub/veritools/incoming and use put instead of get.



Using two PLI's:
Question: Can I use use Undertow PLI and our own PLI(or any other PLI) together?:
Answer: Yes, you can. You use as many PLI's you want together. Since ncverilog can only recognize libpli.so as the default PLI, we recommend users to reserve that name for the last PLI that will be linked. To use our PLI please follow the steps: depending on the LDV version you are using, copy the appropriate libpli.so from $UT_ROOT_DIR/PLI to the local work directory and rename it as SSI.so Then, on the command line invocation of ncverilog use ncverilog +loadpli1=SSI:my_bootstrap . Here, the SSI stands for the prefix of the local .so file in your work directory my_bootstrap is the name of our bootstrap function.



Perl libraries:
Question: Cannot find strict.pm:
Answer: Perl looks for any module in its include directories. The list of include directories were defined when you installed perl and it is in the @INC array. --> You can see it by typing perl -V (Your strict.pm should be in one of these directories, if it isn't then it's somewhere else or missing and then I would make sure to donwload the perl libs from our site.)



PERL strict.pm:
Question: How do I know if strict.pm is installed with my Perl:
Answer: Run this command: perl -le ' map {print "strict.pm exists in $_" if (-e "$_/strict.pm") } @INC '



perl library strict.pm:
Question: I get a message "Cant locate strict.pm" when I try running any perl script in the script-tool of Undertow. How can I resolve this?:
Answer: Undertow script tool needs the path to strict.pm perl module. This can be set in the script ahead of any perl command, using the syntax #ENV{PERLLIB} "path_to_perl_libraries";



License manager problem:
Question: I am unable to start the license daemon. I get a message saying lmgrd is unable to talk to vendor daemon verid, status 39:
Answer: lmgrd command has to be preceded by file descriptors ulimit. Type the following in a script and run it



License manager problem:
Question: I am unable to start the license daemon. I get a message saying lmgrd is unable to talk to vendor daemon verid, status 39:
Answer: lmgrd command has to be preceded by file descriptors ulimit. Type the following in a script and run it #!/bin/sh <\n> ulimit -n 1024 <\n> ulimit -H -n 1024 <\n> ./lmgrd -c ./license.dat -l log.txt <\n>



Undertow license and other flexlm license:
Question: Is there a special requirement when hosting Undertow's flexlm license and other flexlm-based EDA licenses?:
Answer: If using lmgrd v10.8 or above for Synopsys Common Licensing or Cadence Common Licensing, please place Veritools' vendor daemon line ahead of all other daemon lines in the license file