Release the memory by skill 

Hi everyone,

 I write a skill code to generate a lot of pcells,but the speed of the generation become slower and slower.

And I think it may be generated large memory by the code,so how can I release these memory to improve the the speed of generation?

Tks a lot~

Hi Nidon

I think in general, you can try disabling "undo" and using dbClose on unused cellviews to reduce memory consumption of skillscripts. It is a little hard to know the cause of the actual problem without looking at the codes. : )


Best regards
Quek

Ths for your reply,quek

In the fact,I have been used dbClose/dbSave and undoLimit in my code,but it seems doesn't work.And the whole code as follow:

procedure(LeeGenResdrc(parampath list_pdk)
    let((gen_process num_model numbers_of_inst res_log cellId respath inres list cricut
         second forth param_begin_w param_end_w param_begin_l param_end_l list_multi grid multi_num
         z aaa bbb list_fingers j factor step param_add param_adda param_addb list_param_w list_l
         num_l i value list_connection list_boolean num_con num_boolean num_fingers list_w 
         total_num num_row num_col calu value_key row beg end ref_x ref_y para counts model_list
         list_pa ele_pa ele_aa list_aa ele_nw)

         gen_process=hiCreateWindow(nil "text" "Generate Process File")

;         hiDisplayWindow(gen_process)

;        hiSetWindowName(gen_process strcat(runDir libName_gds ".log"))
 
         num_model=length(list_pdk)
         numbers_of_inst=1
 
         res_log=strcat(ddGetObjReadPath(ddGetObj(LibName)) "/../pdk_miss.log")
         miss_list=list_pdk
        
         hiSetUndoLimit(0)
         foreach(bjt list_pdk
             cellId=dbOpenCellViewByType(LibName strcat(bjt "_pdk_drc_all") "layout" "maskLayout" "w")
             respath=strcat(parampath bjt "/")
             inres=infile(strcat(respath "cell.cdf"))
             list=ncons(nil)
             model_list=ncons(nil)
             cricut=t
 
             while(cricut
                cricut=gets(line inres)
                list=append1(list line))
             close(input)
             list=remove(nil list)
         
             counts=1
             foreach(para list
                 list_pa=parseString(para "(")
                 if(counts<=2 then
                    foreach(ele_pa list_pa
                       list_aa=parseString(ele_pa " ")
                       if(list_aa=='("cdfCreateParam") then counts++ )
                       if(length(list_aa)>=1 then
                           foreach(ele_aa list_aa
                              if(ele_aa=="?choices" then
                                  list_bb=parseString(para " '(\"")
                                      foreach(ele_nw cdr(remd(car(last(list_bb)) list_bb))
                                                   ; remove the first and last element for list_bb
                                           model_list=append1(model_list ele_nw)
                                              ) ; for
                              ) ; if ele_aa
                            ) ; for
                          ) ; if
                        ) ; if
                      ) ; if
                    ) ; for extract the model choices from each bjt model parameters
            model_list=remove(nil model_list)
            printf("%L\n" model_list)
 

            list_multi=nil
            grid=0.005u
            multi_num=20
            z=0
            while(z<multi_num
                    z=z+1
                    aaa=sprintf(nil "%n" z)
                    bbb=list(aaa)
                    list_multi=nconc(list_multi bbb)
                   )
            list_col=list_multi
            list_row=list_multi
            list_param=nil
            param_num=60u
            j=0
            param_begin=3u
            factor=10
            while(j<=factor
                    step=float(param_num)/factor
                    param_add=float(param_begin)+j*step
                    param_adda=PasCeiling(param_add grid t)
                    param_addb=list(param_adda)
                    list_param=nconc(list_param param_addb)
                    j=j+1
                   )
            list_w=list_param
            list_l=list_param
            num_col=length(list_col)
            num_row=length(list_row)
            num_w=length(list_w)
            num_l=length(list_l)
            num_model=length(list_pdk)
            total_num=num_col*num_row*num_model
            num_col=fix(sqrt(total_num))
            num_row=round(total_num/num_col)
            i=1
            value=1
            spa_cell=250
            numbers_of_inst=1
            foreach( model_name model_list
 
                    foreach( col_choice list_col

                        foreach( row_choice list_row

                                calu=(i-1)/num_col
                                key=fixp(calu)
                                value=(if key then calu else value)
                                value=float(value)
                                value_key=float(1)+value*num_col
                                row=float(round(i/num_row))
                                beg=1+row*num_col
                                end=(row+1)*num_col
                                ref_x=0
                                ref_y=0-(value-1)*spa_cell
                                if( i==value_key then

                                instId=dbCreateParamInstByMasterName(cellId target_pdk bjt "layout" get_pname(concat("bjt_list" "_" i)) 0:0 "R0" 1
                                                  list(
                                                       list("model" "string" model_name)
                                                       list("col" "string" col_choice)
                                                       list("row" "string" row_choice)
                                                       )
                                       )
                                cdfGetInstCDF(instId)    
                                    rodAlign(
                                        ?alignObj           rodGetObj(sprintf(nil "bjt_list_%n" i) cellId)
                                        ?alignHandle        'lowerLeft
                                        ?refPoint           list(ref_x ref_y)
                                    )

                                ) ;end if

                                if( i!=value_key then

                                    dbCreateParamInstByMasterName(cellId target_pdk bjt "layout" get_pname(concat("bjt_list" "_" i)) 0:0 "R0" 1
                                        list(
                                            list("model" "string" model_name)
                                            list("col" "string" col_choice)
                                            list("row" "string" row_choice)
                                        )
                                    )

                                    rodAlign(
                                        ?alignObj           rodGetObj(sprintf(nil "bjt_list_%n" i) cellId)
                                        ?alignHandle        'lowerLeft
                                        ?refObj             rodGetObj(sprintf(nil "bjt_list_%n" i-1) cellId)
                                        ?refHandle          'lowerRight
                                        ?xSep               100
                                        ?maintain           nil
                                    )

                                ) ;end if

                                i++
                    ) ;end foreach

                ) ;end foreach

                numbers_of_inst++
            ) ;end foreach

                 dbSave(cellId)
                 dbClose(cellId)

                 miss_list=remove(bjt miss_list)
                 setq(port outfile(res_log))
                 foreach(mis_res miss_list
                 fprintf(port "%s\n" mis_res)
                        )
                 close(port)
                 numbers_of_inst++

         ) ;end foreach

         deleteFile(res_log)
 
         file_path=strcat(ddGetObjReadPath(ddGetObj(LibName)) "/../")
         hiSaveViewfile(gen_process strcat(file_path "Generate_Process_File" ".log"))
  ) ; let
) ; procedure

LeePdkPathCheck()

 Does ‘dbClose’ really purges cells  form memory?
I always use ‘dbClose’ in combination with ‘dbPurge’, to be on the save side.

…
dbSave(cellId)
dbClose(cellId)
dbPurge(cellId)
…

Bernd

Thank you~

But I used the dbPurge,it seem still doesn't work

And the code will become slower and slower~

 Hi there,

Reading the 1st post looks like it is not 100% sure that the problem is memory.

Better  to try the the skill profiler (license is needed).
You can check with it which procedures are slow, but also you can check the memory used by each one.
If you do not have license available for profiler you can try to monitor the process to see the allocated memory,
with a command like `top' ; available on most unix flavors.

Any how looking at the code.

I do no know how large are your list, but a code like:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             list=ncons(nil)
 ....
             while(cricut
                cricut=gets(line inres)
                list=append1(list line))
             close(input)
             list=remove(nil list)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

can be translated to
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             list = nil  ;; actually your list is already nil
 
             while(cricut
                cricut=gets(line inres)
                list=cons(line list)
             close(input)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The idea is that cons is much faster than append1 when huge list is involved;
cons() adds the element at the begining of the list.
If the elements order matters you can do a
     list = reverse(list)

Or you can try directly to use tconc() structure ;

I personally I'm to lazy to use it :D - every time I should check the manual.

You ca do the same thing with the other list where you also use append1.



BR,
Marcel