[RFC] [VTA] [TSIM] Enabling Cycle-Accurate Hardware Simulation for VTA #3009

[vegaluisjose]

RFC in #3009

[jroesch]

Do we need to commit the Verilog code? isn't it generated?

[tqchen]

See additional reviews in the comment

[tqchen]

High-level structural comments, given that dpi part(verilog shell and c file) of the codebase is compiled with the verilator. We should consider a distinct folder structure. Here is one possible recommendation. cc @jroesch @tmoreau89

/vta
/vta/dpi  
      - VTATSimMemHost.v
      - vta_tsim_dpi.h 
      - vta_tsim_dpi.cc
      - README.md
/vta/include/vta
     - dpi_module.h (the common dpi module defs that can be re-used)
/vta/src
     - dpi_module.cc (consider links to vta instead of tvm runtime, import vta will import the dpi)

[tqchen]

@jroesch @tmoreau89 please help to review this PR

[vegaluisjose]

Ok I have addressed most of the issues, except for unsigned long long complains cpplint is giving on arguments for DPI functions. The reason why I used this type is because this is the same type used by Verilator when it compiles 64-bit hardware types to C.

EDIT: I fixed this by creating a type for dpi-arguments and lint-off that. This is easier to modify in the future.

[tqchen]

@tmoreau89 can you review again and https://docs.tvm.ai/contribute/code_review.html#approve-and-request-changes-explicitly?

[tmoreau89]

In order not to confuse adopters of TSIM, who would like to use TSIM to simulate any hardware instead of VTA itself, can we have a guide that is not part of the install.md file aimed at VTA developers?

Once VTA can be simulated by TSIM we can merge it back.

[tmoreau89]

I've approved the changes @vegaluisjose @tqchen. There seems to be an issue with the pr-merge CI; perhaps the branch should be re-based?

[tqchen]

@tmoreau89 the ci is now green

[liangfu]

Thanks @vegaluisjose and all the reviewers ! This is a great start for us to develop, evaluate and integrate chisel3 based implement of VTA.

[SharpTVRepairDubai]

Great discussion, learned a lot. Thanks,
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[lyxcliang]

Hi, I download the example at https://github.com/apache/tvm-vta/tree/main/apps/tsim_example, and install Verilator(4.216 2021-12-05 version) on Ubuntu18.04. when i make it(run_verilog), i got the fllowing error, how should i do?

[vegaluisjose]

I think the DPI interface changed (the verilog files here), and the example (chisel) has to be update it to take into account that.

[lyxcliang]

use https://github.com/apache/tvm-vta/tree/87ce9acfae550d1a487746e9d06c2e250076e54c/apps/tsim_example was OK. but when run "python3 tests/python/verilog_accel.py", it reported: libhw.so: undefined symbol : VTASimDPI

the generated code is:

why?

[vegaluisjose]

The implementation of VTASimDPI does not seems to be loaded, perhaps a path issue in CMAKE files.

[lyxcliang]

the build command is: verilator build included the "VTASimDPI.v"

[vzyknc]

the build command is: verilator build included the "VTASimDPI.v"

I have the same problem. Do you have any solution?