ok this is gonna be a long post.
I decide to do the process all over again this morning to make sure I was understanding everything.
I open innovus and load my design files along with constraints, lefs, etc.
Then I issue the flooPlan command to set the area I need for the ASIC.
I then proceed to specify the partition. One thing I noticed this time. I went to the partition menu and select specify partition. I fill the instance name with the name of the module I wanted as a partition and then click ok.
I noticed that the console gave me the error I mentioned on the previous posts but it still create the partion on the floorplan view (see following image)
I reshape the partitions and drag them into the core area to get the result that is visible on the next image
After this I do power planning (add power rings, stripes and special route)
Then I go again to the partition menu and specify my partitions and this time no error is issued by the console (I can not understand this at all)
then, as I am following the "Partitioning the Design" chapter of the innovus user guide i do the placement using placeDesign command.
The cells from each partition are placed inside the predefined area as expected.
Another thing I noticed was that the partitioned manually specified by me changed color. What does that mean? (image below)
I proceed with the steps given in the user guide and perform trial route
so far so good...
then I go and assign the partition pins using the partition menu and selecting assign pin... option (image below)
I select all the pins of my module and click ok.
the console says that the operation concluded with success but I can not see any change on the design
then I run trial route again with the -honorPin option.
then the user guide says to validate the pin assignment results. What does that mean? I use the check pin result operation under the partition menu
the next step in the user guide is to budget the timing for the block. I used the derive timing budget option on the partition menu (image below)
then I partion the design using the partion command which commits my partition (image below)
finally i save the partition using the file->save->partition menu (image below) (I went for the innovus data type, should I select OA?)
no errors on the console and the directory with the partition was created.
I close innovus and change to the partition directory and run innovus from there.
Here is the view of the files presented in the directory. the only tcl script there is the viewDefinition.
I run innovus and then do import design and chose the tdl.v.gz presented on the directory of the partition and pass the lef file and the mmmc constraints file. (I dont know of another way to do it since i dont see the tcl script you mentioned)
I then proceed to change the size of my partion, specify the place in which I want the pins to be and do place, CTS and route operations. (I dont do power planning here because I am assuming that the top module is the one responsible for handling that right?)
After finishing in the partion i do:
saveDesign patitionName_ready.enc
and exit innovus
I go to the top partion directory this time and run innovus and try the assembleDesign command you sugested but i got an error saying that an unknow issue happen and that the problem can not be identified without further investigation (IMPTCM-83).
So I went to my main directory and run innovus and restore the design to the point were I was when I defined the partion. I try to load my partition using the File->load->partition menu.
I successfully load my partition with the pins the the right place, but I noticed that some of them are out of the boundaries of my partition. I guess I have to define very well the shape I want to the partion because I will not be able to change it later.
The place used will also be the one defined in the partion because even if you do place in the top module, it will only place the cells not belongging to a module right?
sory for the long post