SYF(1)

📦 version 5.1.1, in fedora 43, fedora 44

🦋 SYF(1) — ✨ NAME ✨

okay so bestie, SYF is the Finite State Machine synthesizer 💖 and this page lives in the CAO-VLSI Reference Manual. no cap, that's the whole vibe of the name section. slay.

🌈 ORIGIN 🌈

This software belongs to the ALLIANCE CAD SYSTEM, developed by the ASIM team at the LIP6 laboratory of Université Pierre et Marie CURIE, in Paris, France 🇫🇷✨

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

syf -a|j|m|u|o|r [-CDEOPRSTV] input_name [output_name]

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

syf is a Finite State Machine synthesizer. it literally lets you generate a VHDL Data Flow description (peep vbe(5) for that one) fast from a VHDL Finite State Machine description (that's fsm(5), iykyk). 🦋

the input FSM spec can use an internal STACK. and yes, both MOORE and MEALEY FSMs can be synthesized, with output registers if you want them ✨

for a MOORE FSM specifically, there's a timing-optimized implementation that emulates a ROM with microsequencer — iconic behaviour honestly. and a scan-path for the state registers can also be implemented. 💅

🍓 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 🍓

  • MBK_WORK_LIB(1) — this one indicates the path to the read/write directory for the session. basically where the files come and go, bestie. 📁

✨ OPTIONS ✨

okay this is the part everyone skips and then wonders why nothing works. not us. we read all of them. 🫶

  • -a — Uses "Asp" as encoding algorithm.
  • -j — Uses "Jedi" as encoding algorithm.
  • -m — Uses "Mustang" as encoding algorithm.
  • -u — Uses an encoding given by user through the <input_name>.enc file. in that file, a line started by a # character is a comment. a valid line contains one state name followed by its hexadecimal code. ✍️
  • -o — Uses the one hot encoding algorithm.
  • -r — Uses distinct random numbers for state encoding. 🎲
  • -C — Checks the transition's consistency.
  • -D — With this option syf doesn't optimize unused, i.e Don't Care, codes. 🙈
  • -E — Saves the encoding result in the <output_name>.enc. this file has the same syntax as the <input_name>.enc file which is used by the -u option. cute little matching pair 💖
  • -O — With this option syf places registers on the outputs.
  • -P — Implements a scan-path for the state registers, stack registers and possibly output registers. the scan-path mechanism is directly included in states decoder. users should use scapin(5) for a correct insertion of a scan-path in a netlist. please check fsm(5) for information about scan-path descriptions. ⚠️ fr, don't skip that last bit.
  • -R — This option is only available for MOORE FSM. with this option, syf emulates a ROM with micro-sequencer implementation: there is no combinatorial logic between the state registers and the FSM outputs. this can be mandatory for external timing constraints. see fsm(5) and grog(1) for more on ROM descriptions. 👑
  • -S — With this option syf doesn't take into account the cost of the transitions to compute an encoding.
  • -V — Verbose mode on. each step of the FSM synthesis is displayed on the standard output, along with some statistics. 📊 the way it tells you everything it's doing… main character energy.

🧚 EXAMPLE 🧚

Environment variables:

setenv MBK_WORK_LIB /alliance/tutorials/dlxm

syf is called as follow (the dlx_ctrl.fsm is already created in /alliance/tutorials/dlxm) :

syf -sE dlx_ctrl

Two files will be generated, a states encoding file dlx_ctrls.enc and a VHDL data flow file /alliance/tutorials/dlxm/dlx_ctrls.vbe 🌸

two whole files out of one tiny command?? it's giving efficiency, honestly.

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

fsm(5), vbe(5), vhdl(5), boom(1), boog(1), loon(1), scapin(1), asimut(1), proof(1), MBK_WORK_LIB(1).

💀 BUG REPORT 💀

This tool is under development at the ASIM department of the LIP6 laboratory. We need your feedback to improve documentation and tools.

not me begging you to send feedback 💀 they literally need it bestie, go tell them what's broken.

that's the whole page! ASIM/LIP6, dated October 1, 1997 — yeah, she's vintage, and she's still serving 💅✨ mwah, go synthesize something gorgeous 🦋💖

📦 where this page comes from