Generating Platform Configuration from Netlists

Abstract

Most system software needs information about the platform they are running on. System configuration can take different forms. Creating system configuration can be tedious and error-prone. Netlists are a way to represent the connectivity of circuits. In this work we explore how we can utilize the information stored in netlists. We create an algorithm which traces wires through a netlist to determine how different parts are connected. With this connectivity information we can validate and generate pin assignments of designs for field programmable gate arrays. An algorithm for identifying devices on an I2C bus shows that also more complex structures can be extracted form a netlist. To implement these algorithms a rust program was created.