Topic: dsn project and stellar IP library  (Read 5932 times)

sdr_ita June 27, 2014, 05:13 AM

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Dear 4dsp,
this is to signal a weird behaviour of stellar IP.
I have two folders with different designs (actually different svn releases of the same design). Let's call them folder_A/ and folder_B/.
Both folders contains the same structures of files and of course a different .dsn file.
If I generate (ctrl+g) the design from either folder_A/ or folder_B/, I get the same result in the output folder, same vhd and constraint files.
After a while I realized that in particular I was getting the results for that folder where stellarIP was taking the stellar library.
In manage library, I had to manually delete the current library, add the new one (local to the folder I was generating the design for), to let stellarIP use the correct files for the current design. In fact, vhd files are taken for generation from the same folder of the library in use.
To me, this behaviour is quite weird and almost dangerous. I would like the generation of the output files to be linked only to the dsn file in use and not to the library. In fact, the library can be shared between projects like in my case (compilation of different svn releases).
Another option could be to automatically clear the current library once a new design is opened.
Indeed, stellar IP automatically detects local libraries, but in my case I have 3 local libraries (taken from different extracted firmwares) and the tool finds only one of them, it does not allow me to select the correct one; as a result, I cancel the library import message at start-up. May be this is another aspect to improve.


I hope this note can be useful to improve the next releases of stellar IP.
Best Regards,
Massimo

arnaudNL June 27, 2014, 07:00 AM (#1)

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Dear Massimo,


Thank you for your feedback. I think here we have a issue with the way you are using StellarIP. In our point of view, StellarIP users are using a global library. We have that one called mainlib and this mainlib is part of our SVN repository. All our firmware engineer, about a dozen are using the same main library.


There is a library merge utility in StellarIP that is able to merge any library into one main library, I assume this is what you missed here, you could create one library at of as many libraries you have and then only have one local library.


When you are prompted to load the local library, you can answer NO and check the box about not asking me again, you will not be prompted after anymore.


As a side note, after merging the libraries you will need to copy subfolder (relatives to the .tclib) into your main library.


Let me know if this helps!


Arnaud


 

sdr_ita June 27, 2014, 11:12 AM (#2)

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Dear Arnaud,
thank you for the clarification.
Please, find below my comments.
Best Regards,
Massimo
Dear Massimo,Thank you for your feedback. I think here we have a issue with the way you are using StellarIP. In our point of view, StellarIP users are using a global library. We have that one called mainlib and this mainlib is part of our SVN repository. All our firmware engineer, about a dozen are using the same main library.

> Yes, this is my goal too. However, I am versioning the library too, since I am developing my stars and so the library is evolving. For this reason, I ended up in having 2 library, since for debug reasons, I had to do a fresh check out from my repository of a release that I knew to be stable. At that point, the tool was still pointing to the last library and not to the one I just check-out. Hence I got the issue that I described in my first post.
There is a library merge utility in StellarIP that is able to merge any library into one main library, I assume this is what you missed here, you could create one library at of as many libraries you have and then only have one local library.

> Yes, thank you, I used the merge function at very beginning to merge stars coming in different libraries. When you are prompted to load the local library, you can answer NO and check the box about not asking me again, you will not be prompted after anymore.As a side note, after merging the libraries you will need to copy subfolder (relatives to the .tclib) into your main library.
> OK. Let me know if this helps!
> Yes, thank you. I have a further question. If I have one single library located somewhere in my file system, and several design folders, the compilation of a certain .dsn includes the vhd files that the tool spots in the star_lib/ folder contained on level of hierarchy below the design file .dsn? I ask this because this is what I would need to have in the end.



Arnaud

arnaudNL June 30, 2014, 04:25 AM (#3)

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Dear Massimo,


We have 14 engineers working on the same library spread of two design sites. They all work on the same tclib and subfolders which is on a SVN server.


Our SVN firmware repository has many folders, one per constellations and one star_lib folder with all the known stars in there and this is is what every engineers are using. When they are done with their project, they will commit both constellation and library folder, right after merging their changes to the latest tclib in the SVN.


The only risk here is to have a star getting not compatible anymore breaking old designs. This is why we have an rule, we never change interfaces of a star. If we have to do that we are going to rename the star.


Discussing our release procedure is far beyond the scope of technical support but this is the way we are generating more than hundred firmware are year.


Best Regards,
Arnaud



sdr_ita June 30, 2014, 11:39 AM (#4)

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Dear Arnauld,
thank you very much for the clarification.
Indeed, I was changing the interface of my star, since it was being developed through different releases.
Here came my problem I think.
Thank you again,
Massimo

arnaudNL July 01, 2014, 04:03 AM (#5)

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Dear Massimo,


Please note that your comments were forward to the main engineer working on StellarIP.


Best Regards,
Arnaud

arnaudNL July 01, 2014, 04:04 AM (#6)

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This topic is being closed because the issue is considered as resolved by 4DSP. Feel free to create a new topic for any further inquiries.