RE: [sv-ec] Re: Mailbox - null return

Dave,

 

You write in this item:

It would be a gross simulation error if there are not enough resources
to allocate an object.

I disagree. Running out of memory is not a simulation error. A trivial
user coding error can cause the system to run out of memory, and the
simulator cannot guarantee that it will always have enough resources to
satisfy the request. For example, the following snippet will eventually
cause the system to run out of memory:

 

   mailbox m[$];

   always @(clk) begin

      mailbox m1 = new();

      m.insert( 0, m1);

   end

 

As Steve Sharp pointed out, a mailbox is a class and there is no reason
why its allocation should be handled differently from any other
dynamically allocated object. The only alternative would be to turn
allocation failures into a hard error for all dynamic objects, and I'm
not sure that is warranted.

 

            Arturo

 

________________________________

From: owner-sv-ec@eda.org [mailto:owner-sv-ec@eda.org] On Behalf Of
Rich, Dave
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 9:00 AM
To: sv-ec@eda.org
Subject: RE: [sv-ec] Re: Mailbox - null return

 

Mehdi,  Now you do need to take action.

 

Submitted as http://www.eda.org/svdb/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0001459
with a proposal.

 

________________________________

From: owner-sv-ec@server.eda.org [mailto:owner-sv-ec@server.eda.org] On
Behalf Of Brad Pierce
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 6:38 PM
To: sv-ec@server.eda.org
Cc: Maidment, Matthew R
Subject: [sv-ec] Re: Mailbox - null return

 

In http://www.eda.org/sv-bc/hm/4469.html , Dave explains to the SV-BC
about an apparent mailbox erratum found by Cliff.  But mailboxes are an
SV-EC issue.

 

Could the SV-EC please look into this issue, and if, as Dave
convincingly argues, it is truly an erratum, take ownership of it?

 

Thanks,

 

-- Brad