Reconvergence Debug: Review Checklist

Review checklist

Review Checklist for Reconvergence Debug focuses on hazard reproduction success, debug cycle time, recurrence rate. The goal is to convert issue observations into mechanism-backed closure decisions.

• Crossing and reset intent are explicitly classified.

• Protocol assumptions are documented and checked.

• Critical issues have owners and dates.

• Waivers include mechanism, containment, and expiry.

• Regression matrix includes stress and milestone modes.

• Owners signed: DV owner, CDC owner, integration owner.

Signoff ownership

OWNERSHIP MAP — Reconvergence Debug

artifact                  owner
----------------------    -------------------------
design intent           DV owner
verification evidence   CDC owner
signoff decision        integration owner

Every open CDC/RDC issue needs one accountable owner before waiver or fix.

CDC/RDC deep dive

Reconvergence failures are timing + logic coupling hazards.

Concept diagram

RECONVERGENCE

branch A sync --                 -> merge logic -> illegal combination window
branch B sync --/

Metric graph

HAZARD REPRODUCTION RATE

before fix: 1/2000 runs
after fix: 0/100000 runs

Reports and artifacts

• reconvergence warnings

• gray transition checks

• hazard replay traces

• multi-bit strategy map

Mini case study

Gray pointer was legal, but downstream merge decoded mixed-era values during burst stress.

Debug branches

• Trace fanin cones

• align event windows

• verify decode assumptions

Senior review question

Ask: what evidence proves this risk is closed for silicon, not just tool-clean?

Key takeaways

• State crossing class, assumptions, and owner with every issue.

• Run structural and dynamic regressions after each fix.

Common pitfalls

• Treating all warnings as equivalent risk.

• Waiving issues without containment evidence.

• Skipping reset and reconvergence stress after CDC fixes.

Principal CDC/RDC review addendum

Reconvergence failures are intermittent and mode-dependent; debugging requires path correlation, event alignment, and protocol state reconstruction.

Metric: hazard reproduction success, debug cycle time, recurrence rate