Overview
This workshop shows you how to maximize your productivity when using PrimeTime. Topics include:

• preparing for STA on your design, including investigating and analyzing the clocks that dictate STA results
• identifying opportunities to improve run time
• performing static timing analysis
• providing ECO fixing guidance to downstream tools

Hands-on labs follow each training module, allow you to apply the skills learned in lecture. Most labs apply the command-line interface, with one lab giving you the opportunity to explore the Graphical User Interface, which can be a valuable debugging aid.

• Interpret the essential details in a timing report for setup and hold, recovery and removal, and clock-gating setup and hold
• Generate timing reports for specific paths and with specific details
• Generate summary reports of the design violations organized by clock, slack, or by timing check
• Validate, confirm, debug, enhance, and execute a PrimeTime run script
• Create a PrimeTime run script based on seed scripts from the RMgen utility
• Identify opportunities to improve run time
• Create a saved session and subsequently restore the saved session
• Identify the clocks, where they are defined, and which ones interact, on an unfamiliar design
• Reduce pessimism using path-based analysis
• Use both a broad automatic flow for fixing setup and hold violations, and a manual flow for tackling individual problem paths

Audience Profile
Design or verification engineers who perform STA using PrimeTime.

Prerequisites
To benefit the most from the material presented in this workshop, students should have:

• A basic understanding of digital IC design
• Familiarity with UNIX workstations running X-windows
• Familiarity with vi, emacs, or other UNIX text editors

• Does your design meet timing?
• Objects, Attributes, Collections
• Constraints in a timing report
• Timing arcs in a timing report
• Control which paths are reported

• Summary Reports
• Create a setup file and run script
• Getting to know your clocks
• Analysis types and back annotation

• Additional checks and constraints
• Path-Based Analysis and ECO Flow
• Emerging Technologies and Conclusion

• PrimeTime 2009.12