Patent ID: 7526419
Filing Date: 2009-04-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer implemented method for accessing an alias from an alias file used in simulating an integrated circuit, the method comprising: by a simulation model generator, flattening a simulation model of the integrated circuit during a build and optimizing equivalent nets out of the simulation model; generating by an alias file generator an alias file for the simulation model containing locations for the equivalent nets that were optimized out of the simulation model; simultaneously with generating the alias file, generating by an alias index file generator an alias index file for the generated alias file by, for each entry of the alias file, receiving a net name, record length, and a position of an alias in the alias file, creating an alias index entry for the alias, and storing the created alias index entry; searching by a simulator a simulation model for a particular net name; in response to failing to find the particular net name in the model, automatically searching by an alias index access system an alias cache for the particular net name to attempt to determine an alias for the particular net name; in response to failing to find the particular net name in the alias cache, automatically, searching by the alias index access system the generated alias index file for an alias index entry associated with the net name, the alias index entry having a net name, a record length, and an associated position in the alias file; in the event the net name entry is found, accessing by the alias index access system from an alias file an alias associated with the net name; fetching by the alias index access system the alias associated with the net name from the alias file; and inserting by the alias index access system the alias into the flattened simulation model.