ALINT-PRO: static analysis of HDL designs

Some failures appear in simulation only when precisely the right situation occurs. Static analysis examines certain properties directly in the design description. ALINT-PRO is relevant to teams that want to check rules and structural risks repeatably and assess the results transparently.

Choose analysis levels deliberately

Aldec documents unit linting for individual units as well as analysis of an integrated hierarchy. The product offering includes design rule checking and, with suitable rule libraries, analysis of clock and reset domain crossings. Analysis uses HDL and relevant constraints. The actual rules and options must fit the licence scope.

A rule set is an engineering decision

Start with the risks that matter to the project. Agree on severity levels and responsibility for waivers. Blanket suppression of inconvenient messages can hide real problems; conversely, acting on every cosmetic message without assessment consumes time. Document why each rule is enabled and how its results are evaluated.

HDL + project modelConstraints & assumptionsRules & severity levels

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Understand the findingReview the affected location, design intent and analysis assumptions together.

Correct the causeFor a design or modelling error, address the specific cause.

Justify an exceptionFor an intentional deviation, record the reason and ownership; do not disable an entire rule class indiscriminately.

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Rerun and preserve the stateKeep the rule configuration, exceptions and report together. Assess new findings against the agreed criteria.

Rules and options must match the agreed product scope. Assessment still depends on correct project assumptions and complements functional tests.

A realistic pilot

1. Choose a bounded block with known clocks, resets and interfaces.
2. Take the file set, libraries and parameters from the real project.
3. Explicitly check constraints and black-box assumptions.
4. Assess the initial diagnostics together with someone who knows the block.
5. Repeat the run through a script and preserve the rule version, waivers and reports.

Limits of static findings

The significance of the results depends on correct modelling and assumptions. An unjustified waiver or missing clock information can distort the outcome. Static checks also do not replace a testbench for the required timing behaviour. Use the results as part of a shared verification plan.

Use in a team workflow

For repeated checks, Aldec describes Tcl and batch workflows. Before integrating with CI, define which new findings cause a run to fail and who approves deviations. Automation addresses this results interface.

For an ALINT-PRO consultation , an overview of clock domains, resets, target technology, existing rules and the desired analysis level is helpful.