Overview

Best-in-class NVM Express® Verification IP for your IP, SoC, and system-level testing.

The Cadence® Verification IP (VIP) for NVMe is part of Cadence's storage interface VIP portfolio. It provides a mature and highly capable compliance verification solution for the NVM Express (NVMe) protocol. It is applicable for IP, SoC, and system-level verification. The VIP is compatible with the industry-standard Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) and runs on the Cadence Incisive™ Enterprise Simulator as well as on third-party simulators.

The Cadence VIP for NVMe seamlessly integrates with Cadence VIP for PCI Express® for all generations (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0), it supports NVMe over AXI verification and NVMe stand-alone verification.

Supported specification: NVMe Specification Revisions 2.0, 1.4, and 1.3.

NVMe VIP Host diagram
NVMe VIP Host
NVMe VIP Subsystem diagram
NVMe VIP Subsystem

Product Highlights

  • Support testbench language interfaces for SystemVerilog and UVM
  • Generates constrained-random bus traffic with predefined error injection
  • Allows verification modes in standalone NVMe, over PCIe or over AXI
  • Callbacks access at multiple TX and RX queue points for scoreboarding and data manipulation
  • Provides extensive coverage in SystemVerilog
  • Packet tracker creation for easy debugging

Key Features

The following table describes key features from the specifications that are implemented in the VIP:

Feature Name

Description

Admin Command Set
  • Supports all of the mandatory Admin Command set, which defines the commands that can be submitted to the Admin Submission Queue

NVM Command Set
  • Supports all of the mandatory NVM command set, which is a specification-defined I/O command set used with an I/O queue pair

I/O Queue
  • Configurable I/O submission/completion queues:
  • Up to 64K queues
  • Each queue supports up to 64K outstanding commands

Admin Queue
  • Configurable Admin submission/completion queues

Controller-Level Reset
  • CC.EN transitions from '1' to '0'

Subsystem-Level Reset
  • Supports NVM Subsystem Reset

Command Arbitration
  • Configurable command arbitration schemes:
  • Round robin
  • Weighted round robin
  • Vendor specific

Interrupt Support
  • Pin based
  • MSI (single and multiple message)
  • MSI-X

Multi-Path I/O
  • Supports two or more completely independent PCIe paths between single host and namespace

Namespace Sharing
  • Supports two more hosts to access common shared namespace

Namespace Management
  • Supports Namespace Management command used to create/delete namespace

Modes
  • Standalone NVMe mode
  • NVMe over PCIe
  • NVMe over AXI

NVMe 1.3

PRP Entry and List
  • Supports physical region page (PRP) entry that points to physical memory page

Scatter Gather List
  • Supports scatter gather list (SGL)

Sanitize (optional)
  • Supports sanitize operation in which all user data in the NVM subsystem is altered such that recovery from any cache or the non-volatile media is not possible

Directives (optional)
  • Supports the directives mechanism that allows the exchange of information between host and NVM subsystem or controller

Boot Partitions
  • Boot partition support by controller

Telemetry
  • Device reports telemetry opaque data that is initiated by either the host or controller

Virtualization
  • Supports virtualization management command

Device Self-Test
  • Supports device self-test command to start or abort self-test operation

Host-Controlled Thermal Management
  • Supports thermal management actions

Timestamp
  • Enables host to set timestamp value in the controller

Emulated Controller Performance Enhancement
  • Supports doorbell buffer config command

NVMe 1.4

Verify Command
  • Supports Verify Command implementation

NVMe Set
  • Supports NVMe Set feature

Endurance Group
  • Supports Endurance Group feature

NVMe 2.0

PI Enhancement
  • Added PI enhancement for enhanced data protection

Key Per I/O
  • Supports Key Per I/O feature

Zoned Namespaces
  • Added support to handle Namespaces divided into multiple Zones

Copy Command
  • Support added for Copy command

Simulation Test Suite

Extensive testsuite, coverage model and verification plan with clear linkage to the specification for simple and fast compliance testing.

TripleCheck Test Suite

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