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Forums > Digital IC > Floorplanning, Place and route

Subject: Global Placement in Encounter 6.2
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pradfernando
Posts: 4
Online: User is Offline
4/07/2008 3:38 PM  
Hi all, I am relatively new to the Encounter tool. I am using Encounter v6.2 to place a simple design. I am trying to access the results of Encounter's global placement (before overlap removal) but am not sure if I can run just Global Placement using any of the text commands. I am assuming that Encounter does placement in 2 steps - global and detailed, as the text command reference manual mentions these stages. I noticed a "-fp" option and tried it. It seems to place the macros but does not show the standard cells in the core, although the log shows Wire-length and Area statistics. Can anyone tell me what is the result of "placeDesign -fp" command? Is it the result of global placement (Quadratic WL-optimization w/o overlap removal) using NanoPlace? Thanks a lot, Prad.
Kari
Posts: 81
Online: User is Offline
4/07/2008 3:46 PM  
Hi Prad,

I assume you mean the -fp option of setPlaceMode and not placeDesign itself. The -fp switch runs a quick placement to guage the feasability of the netlist. It's considered a prototyping mode. It's not timing-driven and does not put cells in legal locations. So it's not really a global placement per se, but I suppose you could interpret the results that way. I don't know of any way to just run the global phase of placement. What is it that you are trying to do? Maybe there is another way to get the information that you want.

Hope that helps,

- Kari
pradfernando
Posts: 4
Online: User is Offline
4/08/2008 8:10 AM  
Hi Kari,

Yes, I did mean the -fp option of [i]setPlaceMode[/i]. I used [i]checkPlace[/i] and found that it have violations. What I want is a global placer so that I can test a detailed placer/legalizer that I am developing. I was hoping to use Cadence Encounter so that I can also perform other tasks such as timing analysis and congestion estimation.

But I'm not sure how good an [i]initial global[/i] placement I am getting with the "-fp" option! Also, [i]checkPlace[/i] reports orientation violations too (not sure what these are). Ideally I'd like a global placer that produces a wire-length, congestion optimized placement with overlaps to gauge my detailed placer/legalizer. Any suggestions anybody?

Thanks,
Prad.
eminemshow
Posts: 75
Online: User is Offline
4/08/2008 8:26 AM  
Posted By pradfernando on 4/08/2008 8:10 AM
Hi Kari,

Yes, I did mean the -fp option of [i]setPlaceMode[/i]. I used [i]checkPlace[/i] and found that it have violations. What I want is a global placer so that I can test a detailed placer/legalizer that I am developing. I was hoping to use Cadence Encounter so that I can also perform other tasks such as timing analysis and congestion estimation.

But I'm not sure how good an [i]initial global[/i] placement I am getting with the "-fp" option! Also, [i]checkPlace[/i] reports orientation violations too (not sure what these are). Ideally I'd like a global placer that produces a wire-length, congestion optimized placement with overlaps to gauge my detailed placer/legalizer. Any suggestions anybody?

Thanks,
Prad.

Prad, please try 'setPlaceMode -noRPlace'. It is a hidden parameter in SOCE52, I thinks it will work in other versions. Last time I uses it to gauge the displacement of legalized instances. Can I have your email, I am very interested in your current research topic, cos I am a fan of EDA algorithms (just a fan, hoho). My current jobs is Physical Design Engineer.
pradfernando
Posts: 4
Online: User is Offline
4/08/2008 10:30 AM  
Hi eminemshow,

What does the option "noRPlace" do? Is it specifically to perform global placement without legalization? It seems to work but I am not sure if I can increase the congestion optimization effort. It also seems to have problems with any hard macros in the design, placing them in default(?) locations!! Regarding my email address, I'm not sure if it is safe and acceptable to give away my email address in a forum. If it is allowed in this forum, I shall provide the same in my next post.

Thanks,
Prad.
eminemshow
Posts: 75
Online: User is Offline
4/10/2008 5:32 AM  
Posted By pradfernando on 4/08/2008 10:30 AM
Hi eminemshow,

What does the option "noRPlace" do? Is it specifically to perform global placement without legalization? It seems to work but I am not sure if I can increase the congestion optimization effort. It also seems to have problems with any hard macros in the design, placing them in default(?) locations!! Regarding my email address, I'm not sure if it is safe and acceptable to give away my email address in a forum. If it is allowed in this forum, I shall provide the same in my next post.

Thanks,
Prad.

Hi, Prad, '-noRPlace' means 'no refine placement'. Just means no legalization. It is exactly what you want, since you want to test you own placement legalizer.

For the hard macros, you must set all the hard macros to a 'FIXED' placement status. then the placer in SOC Encounter will not move them and keep them where they are.

BR
pradfernando
Posts: 4
Online: User is Offline
4/10/2008 12:36 PM  
That is what I was guessing too.

Thanks a bunch,
Prad.
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Forums > Digital IC > Floorplanning, Place and route > Global Placement in Encounter 6.2


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