Patent ID: 6134705
Filing Date: 2000-10-17
Classification: G01R,G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
In a compiler that compiles an electronic design for implementation on a target hardware device, a method of identifying a changed portion of a changed electronic design which is changed from an original electronic design that was previously compiled, the changed electronic design including an unchanged portion which is unchanged from the original electronic design and the changed portion which is changed from the original electronic design, the method comprising:(a) identifying one or more new logic nodes in the changed electronic design that have been directly changed from the original electronic design; and(b) tracing a signal propagation path in a netlist forward between at least one output of the new logic nodes and one or more external nodes and backward between at least one input of the new logic nodes and one or more external nodes, which external nodes include hard register and I/O pins, such that nodes encountered on the signal propagation path are designated as affected nodes;wherein the changed portion of the changed electronic design includes both the new logic nodes and the affected nodes.