Using EDA Databases:

Milkyway & OpenAccess

Enabling and Using Scripting Languages with Milkyway
and OpenAccess
Don Amundson
Khosro Khakzadi
2006 LSI Logic Corporation

Outline

History
Choice Of Scripting Language
When To Use Scripting Language
When Not To Use Scripting Language
Python For OpenAccess & Milkyway
Summary
Something Completely Different
Backup Slides

History
Internal CAD
Commercial CAD

2006 LSI Logic Corporation

History
Flexstream LSI Internal CAD
LSI Proprietary CAD system
Data base API written in C
Data base functions return error code that must be checked after
each function call
Global variables, Memory management

LSI Internal Common API

Written in C++
Use C++ exception rather that check return code
Abstraction layer to hide the data base
Main objective was to substantially reduce porting cost of internal
tools when data base changes
Python wrappers written for the common API
To provide rapid prototyping capability
Ease of use for Engineers

LSI Proprietary CAD system flavor of this API developed

Python wrappers are basically free
Implementation is a number of #include s
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History
Third party CAD
Synopsys (Avant!)

Same characteristics as LSI Proprietary CAD system

Data base API (Milkyway) written in C

Data base functions return error code
Applications must manage memory allocated by API
At the time certain operations not available in C (scheme only)

Milkyway Flavor of LSI Common API

Same motivation as LSI Internal Common API

-

Written in C++
Object oriented
Use C++ exception rather that check return code
Abstraction layer to hide the data base
Substantially reduce porting cost of internal tools

Python wrappers are basically free

- Implementation is a number of #include s

Other Flavors Of LSI Common API

Minor porting cost

This allowed existing programs written for LSI Proprietary CAD system
to port by simply including new header files and recompiling.
Minor changes to the program startup and run time environment
specific code.

History
Third party CAD

API Based Applications

API Layer (App side)

GUI Forms

API Layer (DB side)

API

API

OpenAccess
V1

3rd Party
Database

LSI Database

Utilities

Tcl/Tk

History
Third party CAD

API Based Applications

OpenAccess 2.0
GUI Forms
Decided to Natively
Adopt OA 2.x
As Common API

Utilities

Tcl/Tk

Choice of Scripting Language

PYTHON
TCL
JAVA

2006 LSI Logic Corporation

PYTHON

Choice of Scripting Language

PYTHON
Python Reasons LSI chose Python
More proficient in python than Tcl.
Python is an object oriented language, this results in a easy
and clean mapping to class based languages such as C++
Easy to learn thus ideal to use by engineers who may not be
interested in hard core programming
Python provides you with a good environment for quickly
developing an initial prototype http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/advocacy

http://www.python.org/workshops/2000-01/proceedings/papers/elkner/pyYHS.html

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Choice of Scripting Language

TCL
TCL Reasons LSI chose Python
Like Python, Tcl is usable as an application extension
language, as well as a stand-alone programming language.
However, Tcl, which traditionally stores all data as strings, is
weak on data structures http://python.fyxm.net/doc/essays/comparisons.html
Better suited for pure script programming and good choice
for command interpreters.
Tcl scripts can be useful and efficient if they grow to no
larger than a few pages, and if they manage a relatively
small amount of data. http://www.networkcomputing.com/unixworld/tutorial/005/005.html#Others

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Choice of Scripting Language

JAVA
Java Reasons LSI chose Python
Java was in its infancy. (Circa 1996)
Java will be the choice for LSI in the future.
Java's design is friendlier to glue languages than C. Both
Java's type safety and the existence of a reflection API make
it reasonably easy to automatically generate wrappers that
allow Python programmers to access Java packages.
http://www.python.org/workshops/1997-10/proceedings/hugunin.html

With availability of open source development tools such as

Eclipse we believe JAVA will become the scripting language
of choice at LSI.
Eclipse http://www.eclipse.org/
- Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused
on providing an extensible development platform and application
frameworks for building software.

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When To Use Scripting Language

Data Base Conversion
Data Base Browser
Prototype Software
Small Tasks
2006 LSI Logic Corporation

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When To Use Scripting Language

Milkyway To OpenAccess
MW to OA Python App 5:50 min

OA to MW Python App 16 sec

In Memory
Interpretive
Translators

Python
Interface

Python
Interface

Milkyway
File Based
Compiled
Translators

DEF
Interface

OpenAccess

DEF
Interface

DEF
Interface

DEF
Interface

DEF
File

75k gates +
3 rams

5:15 min
DEF

DEF

File

File
3:02 min + HAND edits

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Milkyway

CHIP CELL
OpenAccess

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When to use scripting language

Browse Milkyway

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17

When to use scripting language

Browse OpenAccess

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When Not To Use Scripting

Language
Complex Data Structures
Complex Algorithm
Maintenance

2006 LSI Logic Corporation

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When not to use scripting language

Cycle intensive programs such as
DRC, Placement or Routing.
These may be prototyped in a
language like python but will not
be useful in production

FlexStream 1.0

Example
Flexstream to Milkyway
Not the same problem as
Milkyway to OA
Different connectivity model
requires converting edge
connected shapes to center line
connected shapes
DRC algorithm

Avant!

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When not to use scripting language

Flexstream to Milkyway
Insert
WIRE

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Python For
OpenAccess & Milkyway

2006 LSI Logic Corporation

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Python For Milkyway

Milkyway Flavor of LSI Internal Common AP
Difficult to write Python wrappers for Milkyway API
Common API makes writing python wrappers relatively easy
string AvantNet :: Name() const {
if (!ObjectId() )
return string(); // Return empty String
char * name = NULL;
// Milkyway MWXDb_Get_name() will allocate memory
// for the net name, so this method is responsible for the memory
int32 rc = MWXDb_Get_Net_name ( CellId(), ObjectId(), &name );
if ( !AvantApiMWXError(rc,"Find Net Name") ) // throw exception or issue error message
return string(); // if in message mode
string result = name;
free(name); // Further, certain names (i.e. layer names) may not be freed.
return result ;
}

Python wrappers ( for the Common API )

Usable for any data base
static PyObject* PySdbNet_get_name(PySdbNetObject *ob,PyObject* args) {
if (!PySdbLibraryObjectValidate(ob->v.Container().Library()))
return NULL;
return PyString_FromCString(ob->v.Name());
}
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Python For Milkyway

Python Wrapper (Milkyway Flavor of API)
#define PDPY_AVANTI_API
#include "so_sdb_avant.H
#include "pdpy_net_c.H

(#define SdbNet AvantNet)

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Python for OpenAccess

Code is auto-generated directly from header files
We considered SWIG and BOOST PYTHON
Reduce maintenance with code updates

Each OA type maps to a real Python type

Python API matches C++ API as much as possible

API Header
Files

Code Generator

Hint
Information

Extension
Code

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SUMMARY

2006 LSI Logic Corporation

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SUMMARY
PYTHON & TCL Are used extensively at LSI

Both provide an interpreted high-level programming

environment.
Widely available and well supported.
Free
Python has been historically used as the primary scripting
language for programs performing complex operations on large
data bases
Familiarity.
Easy to manage large programs.
Rapid prototyping
Component gluing
Flexibility, Interactivity, Debugging, Testing, etc.
TCL has been historically used as embedded command
processor for applications.
Works well when program is small, the amount of data being
managed is small & the data structures map well to strings.
Not particularly easy to code programs that need to perform
complex operations on large data bases, using complex data
structures.
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SUMMARY
JAVA
LSI Common API was developed when JAVA was in its
infancy
JAVA is very well supported and its feature set is growing at
a much faster rate than Tcl or Python.

Productivity gains achieved through Eclipse are such

that we may not have a choice but to move to JAVA.

LSI is considering developing JAVA wrappers for
OpenAccess 2.2.x.

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THANK YOU

2006 LSI Logic Corporation

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And Now For Something Completely Different

Can you guess the following language?

Hint : ! English

class HELLO_WORLD
create
make
feature
make is
do
io.put_string ("Hello, world!%N")
end
end

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