The changes in #2476 ensured that function inputs like `input x;`
retained their single-bit size when instantiated with a constant
argument and turned into a localparam. That change did not handle the
possibility for an input to be redeclared later on with an explicit
width, such as `integer x;`.
Similar to the treatment of black boxes, splitting processes into two
scheduling nodes adds sufficient freedom so that netlists with
well-behaved processes (e.g. those emitted by nMigen) can immediately
converge.
Because processes are not emitted into edge-triggered regions, this
approach has comparable performance to -O5 (without -noproc), which
is substantially slower than -O6.
The exact shape of C++ code emitted by CXXRTL has a critical effect
on performance, both compile-time and runtime. CXXRTL's performance
greatly improved when it started localizing and inlining wires, not
only because this assists the optimizer and register allocator, but
also because inlining code into edge-triggered regions cuts the time
spent in eval() by at least a factor of two.
However, the logic of netlist layout has always been ad-hoc, fragile,
and very hard to understand and modify. After commit ece25a45, which
introduced outlining, the same logic started being applied to two
distinct netlists at once instead of one, which barely worked.
This commit does four major changes:
* There is now a single unambiguous source of truth (per subgraph)
for the layout of any emitted wire.
* Netlist layout is now done entirely during analysis using well
known graph algorithms; no graph operations happen when emitting.
* Netlist layout now happens completely separately for eval() and
debug_eval() subgraphs.
* Unreachable (within subgraph scope) netlist nodes are now neither
emitted nor considered for wire inlining decisions.
The netlist layout code should also now closely match the described
semantics.
As a part of this large cleanup, it includes many miscellaneous
improvements:
* The "bare minimum" debug level introduced in commit dd6a761d was
split into two levels; -g1 now emits debug information *only* for
inputs and state wires, and -g2 now emits debug information for
all public members. The old behavior matches -g2. This is done
to avoid bloat on low optimization levels.
* Debug aliases and inlined connections are now handled separately,
and complex RHS never interferes with inlined connections.
* Aliases to outlined wires now carry a pointer to the outline.
* Cell sync outputs can now be emitted in debug_eval().
* Black box debug information now includes comb/sync driver flags.
* The comment emitted for inlined cells is now accurate.
* Debug information statistics now has less noise.
* Netlist layout code is now much better documented.
Due to more precise inlining decisions, unmodified (i.e. with no
Yosys script being used) netlists now have much more logic inlined
into edge-triggered regions. On Minerva SoC SRAM, this improves
runtime by 20-25% across compilers and optimization levels.
Due to more precise reachability analysis, much less C++ code is now
emitted, especially at the maximum debug level. On Minerva SoC SRAM,
this improves clang compile time by 30-50% depending on options.
gcc is not affected.
On Minerva SoC SRAM compiled with clang-11, this change cuts commit
time in half (!) and overall time by 20%. When compiled with gcc-10,
there is no difference.
whitequark
Zachary Snow
umarcor
Yosys Bot
Claire Xen
Miodrag Milanović
Larry Doolittle
StefanBruens
Marcelina Kościelnicka