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: Executable Extensions of the Bookshelf

DARPA. DARPA. : Executable Extensions of the Bookshelf. Igor Markov University of Michigan, EECS. Outline. A three-slide version of the talk motivations + proposal + how it will help Basic use models users and interfaces restrictions Existing VLSI CAD Bookshelf

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: Executable Extensions of the Bookshelf

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  1. DARPA DARPA : Executable Extensions of the Bookshelf Igor Markov University of Michigan, EECS

  2. Outline • A three-slide version of the talk • motivations + proposal + how it will help • Basic use models • users and interfaces • restrictions • Existing VLSI CAD Bookshelf • Efforts related to our proposal • Details of the proposal • Sample flows, screenshots and conclusions

  3. Motivation • Experiences from education • e.g., undergraduate courseson algorithms and architecture • infrastructure for evaluation: auto-graders • Infrastructure for collaborative research • can also benefit from automation • must support sharing, modularity and reuse • must scale, must be industry-compatible • Modularity in implementation platforms

  4. Bookshelf.exe • Dynamic version ofthe [existing] Bookshelf • Implementations+benchmarks = algo evaluations? • Flow composition and high-level scripting • Related efforts • SatEx, PUNCH, NEOS, OmniFlow • Proposed solution: ``Bookshelf.exe’’ (bX) • Application Service Provider • Interfaces • Online reporting of simulation results • Support for optimization-specific concepts • Power versus ease-of-use and modularity

  5. Why We Need Bookshelf.exe? • Design flow prototyping • SW maintenance: automation (cf. SourceForge) • HW/SW incompatibilities, lack of CPU cycles • Standardization, consolidation and sharing • Many published results cannot be reproduced • Simplified sharing and CAD IP re-use • Lack of high-level, large-scale experiments • Web-based scripting, distributed execution • Open-source flows (with or w/o o.-s. components)

  6. Basic Use Models • Users (over the Web) • “anonymous” • registered (more features) • User interfaces • HTML forms (including downloads, uploads,high-level scripting and job control) • email notification • XML-RPC for contributed remote CPUs and data • NFS (where available) for file sharing

  7. Restrictions • Uploaded files must match existing formats • Interface for adding new formats • Execution in a “sandbox” • Cannot make network connections • Visible file-system restricted by the chroot() call • Configurable resource limits (memory, etc) • Access permissions • Registered users can keep their results private • Benchmarks or solvers behind firewalls

  8. The VLSI CAD Bookshelf • Contents fairly popular: downloads & contributions • benchmarks, implementations and comparisons • algorithm descriptions and analyses • evaluation methodologies (in English) • New slots, benchmarks, codes added regularly • ICCAD, DAC, ISPD publications use the bookshelf • IEEE Design and Test, May/June 2002 • A static collection • Manual addition of material • No automatic evaluation, reporting of results

  9. Other Efforts Related to “.exe” • SatEx http://www.lri.fr/~simon/satex/satex.php3 • Specialized in satisfiability problems • PUNCH http://punch.ece.purdue.edu • Very broad selection of software (from StarOffice to Capo) • Local to Purdue • NEOS http://www-neos.mcs.anl.gov/neos • Open-source, distributed architecture • Used primarily for linear and non-linear optimization • OmniFlow: DAC 2001, Brglez and Lavana • http://www.cbl.ncsu.edu/OpenProjects/OmniFlow • Distributed Collaborative Design Framework for VLSI • GUI-based flow control, chaining of design tools

  10. SatEx • Continual evaluation and ranking of codes • Results produced and posted automatically • Intuitive interface • Popular • 93,707 hits March, 2000 – September 2001 • 23 SAT provers, 32,610 runs – September 2001 • Limited scalability • Oneworkstation (2yrs ofCPU time) • Specialized to one application

  11. Very general execution framework • From VLSI CAD to GUI-based office applications • Custom-designed file-system (Purdue hosts only) • 241,458 runs in 5 years (8,152 in VLSI CAD ) • 20+ publications • Only maintainer can add executables • No support for eval’n and chaining (flows) • No stats for results of runs (cf. SatEx top 20) • No MIME-like data types • Difficult to use when multiple tools are involved

  12. Open-source, distributed framework • Wide use, solid code base • Adding new implementations requires maintainer intervention (< on PUNCH) • Each new code must come with a host • Distributed maintenance • Loose data typing • No type system for data and implementations • Compare to MIME

  13. NEOS: what can be improved • Independent eval. and verification of results • e.g., PUNCH offers a WL-eval. from the bookshelf • Real-time on-line reporting of results + stats • High-level scripting and flow design • Scripts to control the execution and evaluation flows • Pairing solvers with benchmarks • SatEx-like evaluation, but for multiple data types

  14. OmniFlow • Context: collaborative VLSI Design • sharing computational resources, but not results • Distributed over multiple hosts • Provides GUI-based flow control • supports chaining of design tools • several hard-coded conditions for flow control • no support for execution conditional on results • no scripting language; limited by GUI • Cannot dynamically add hosts

  15. Bookshelf.exe (1) • Best ofSatEx, PUNCH, NEOS and OmniFlow • Reporting style similar to SatEx (+ alternatives) • The versatility of PUNCH • Scalability and distributed nature of NEOS (or better) • Flow control as in OmniFlow or better • New features • MIME-like data types and optimization-specific concepts • Automatic submission of binaries and source code • Chaining of implementations; scripting for flow control • Support for use models with proprietary data or code

  16. Bookshelf.exe (2) • Scalability • Computation is distributed (unlike in SatEx) • Maintenance is automated (unlike in NEOS) • Support for multiple use models • “adapts to users” • Multiple levels of expertise • Multiple levels of commitment • Sharing of public data • Hiding/protection of proprietary data • “Screen-saver” mode, cf. SETI@Home, Entropia, etc

  17. Sample Scenario (IWLS 2002 Focus Group 3) • Question: is it possible to massage the logic of the netlist to improve routing congestion? • Proposed research infrastructure: • IWLS benchmark API (Andreas Kuehlman) • Interface to Bookshelf formats • Layout generation (available in the Bookshelf) • Placement (several placers available in the B.) • Congestion maps (next slide)

  18. Interface Issues • Transparent error diagnostics • Greatly improve learning curve • Ownership, privacy, resource limits:sample policy questions • Chaining jobs owned by different users • What jobs can be launched anonymously? • Script composer versus programming • Flexibility versus learning curve • GUI implemented using HTML forms(converts clicks and fill-in-the-blanks to scripts)

  19. Script Composer • Built on top of a scripting language • Based on PERL (PERL functions available) • Basic flows designed with HTML forms • Start with one ‘step’ and add more steps • API funcs: e.g.,“run ‘optimizer 2’ + store results” • Support for conditionals and iteration • Scripts sent to back-end for execution as jobs • Scripts can be saved, posted, reused

  20. Language-Level Support • Type system for submissions, resultsand intermediate data • Algorithm implementations • Deterministic and randomized optimizers, etc. • Input data, results, status info (runtime, memory,…) • Common benchmarks • Rules for matching submission types • E.g., match a placer with a LEF/DEF benchmark • Violations are reported to user as fatal errors

  21. Data Models • Consistent data models needed for serious data flows and high-level experiments • e.g., integrated RTL-to-layout implementation • Plan to useOpenAccess 2.0 • Specs published in April 2002 • Implementation and source expected next year • Adjustments within bookshelf expectedin terms of open-source design flows • E.g., for industry SP&R integration

  22. bX: Structure • bX front-end: mostly Web-based(+ email) • bX back-end • Main server (job scheduling, reporting of results, etc) • Client software on computational hosts • Network communications: XML RPC • RPC standard • XML data encoding • HTTP network transport • Compatible with C/C++, Perl, Python, etc.

  23. Implementation Status • So far main focus on the back-end • Back-end ver 0.1 functional on Linux • BX state maintained in a database • Persistence, etc • Simple one-job demo (1 binary & 1 benchmark) • Security features and basic policies • Sandbox execution and data type checks • Front-end supports one-job demo • Next mile-stone: “10X10” demo (cf SAT 2002) • Jobs automatically distributed and results posted

  24. Conclusions • Bookshelf: popular, but can be improved • Bookshelf.exe: executable extensions • Goals • Automate routine operations • Create open-source flows • Facilitate high-level, large-scale experimentation • We plan to assimilate best features from related works + add new ones • Started bottom-up implementation • Basic version of bX is working

  25. If we missed anything important, let us know Thank you

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