What is Jove?

Jove is a set of Java APIs and tools to enable Verilog hardware design verification using the Java programming language. It contains components that accomplish the following:

• Verilog simulator interaction (via PLI 2.0, aka VPI)
• standalone behavioral simulation (i.e. a discrete event simulator)
• thread and event synchronization
• design verification abstractions (e.g. clock-relative signal access, mailboxes, semaphores)
• constraint-based randomization
• Verilog shell generation

In other words, it provides facilities similar to Synopsys Vera, Cadence Testbuilder, and (formerly) Verisity Specman.

Why Jove?

Verification has become a very software-intensive task, and Jove is intended to leverage Java's strengths as a robust software engineering environment to deal with very large, complex verification codebases.

• Jove leverages the Java language, a standard, well-defined, high-productivity object-oriented programming language. Alternative tools introduce proprietary languages, or use more complex, less productive languages, like C/C++ or Perl.
• Jove leverages Java libraries, including the extensive Java runtime library, the JUnit test framework, and thousands of third-party libraries. Java libraries tend to be much easier to integrate than libraries in earlier mature languages, such as C/C++.
• Jove leverages Java tools, such as Javadoc and Eclipse. The Eclipse IDE, for instance, provides Jove users with a free, powerful GUI debugger.
• Jove leverages Java Virtual Machine technology, arguably the most mature, high-performance VM technology available, with performance rivaling compiled languages in most cases.
• Jove leverages the experience of a software-oriented team executing the complete lifecycle of a very complex ASIC verification project. It addresses the limitations encountered using other tools during that project.

What is the status of Jove?

Jove should be considered relatively stable and mature (though like most free software, it carries no warranties of any kind; see the license for details). It has been in production use for the verification of Newisys' Horus ASIC, running a verification codebase of over 400K lines of Java source, since February 2005 and has proven exceptionally stable.

What platforms does Jove support?

Most of Jove is written in the Java 5.0 language, and should therefore work on any platform with a Java 5.0 JDK. Specifically, Java-only behavioral simulations should work on any Java platform. However, the Verilog simulator support is written in C++ and therefore tends to need tweaking to work on new platforms. The table below lists platforms that Jove has been tested on so far.

What Verilog simulators does Jove support?

Jove is designed to be easily ported to any simulator supporting PLI 2.0 / VPI. It has been tested with the simulators listed in the table below. We hope that support for other simulators will be forthcoming.

How is Jove licensed?

Jove is licensed under the Open Software License. For more information, see the FAQ.