Adaptive test program generation: Planning for the unplanned

Abstract

Simulation of automatically-generated test programs is the primary means for verifying complex hardware designs and random test program generators therefore play a major role in the verification process of micro-processors. The input for a test program generator is typically an abstract specification-a template-of the tests to be generated. Due to randomness, generators often encounter situations that were not anticipated when the test specification was written. We introduce the concept of adaptive test program generation, which is designed to handle these unforeseen situations. We propose a technique that defines unexpected events together with their alternative program specifications. When an event is detected, its corresponding alternative specification is injected into the test program.