Coverage, Events and Assertions

Summary

In this chapter, we introduced the Functional Observation Principle that is fundamental to the verification process’ ability to observe (white-box testing) and measure (coverage) functional behavior.

In addition to the principle presented in this chapter, a simple and effective coding technique for embedding event monitors and assertion checkers directly into the RTL was our main focus. This coding technique provides a mechanism for (a) measuring functional coverage, (b) increasing verification observability, and (c) defining verification targets for block-level simulation and model checking.