Functional validation of system level static scheduling

Increase in system level modeling has given rise to a need for efficient functional validation of models above cycle accurate level. This paper presents a technique for comparing system level models, before and after the static scheduling of tasks on processing elements of the architecture. We derive a graph representation from models written in system level design languages (SLDLs) and define their execution semantics. The notion of functional equivalence of system level models is established using these graphs. We then present well defined rules for reduction of such graphs to a normal form. Finally, we show how to check for functional equivalence of two system level models by isomorphism of their normal graph representations. A checker built on the above concept is used to automatically validate the functional correctness of the static scheduling step. As a result, the models generated for various scheduling decisions do not have to be reverified using costly simulations.