Abstract Shells have two fundamental advantages over standard full-static checkpoints:
- Compile time for new Reconfigurable Modules is reduced for child runs, as Vivado implementation tools do not need to load or consider much of the information contained in the static part of the design.
- Static design information, including licensed IP, is hidden from view in an Abstract Shell, enhancing design security and reducing IP license requirements. This benefit is currently only viable for AMD UltraScale+™ and Versal non-project flow users,
Project mode for Abstract Shells leverages the first benefit but not the second. The entire design is always resident in a DFX project so there is no mechanism to hide any details about the static part of the design.
Versal users working with the RTL-based Modular NoC solution, or Versal users who do not include NoC resources in dynamic regions can take advantage of both benefits by building Abstract Shell child runs that can be implemented outside the IPI project. This is what is required to avoid sharing the full parent environment (including sources) with secondary users. IP-only features such as SmartConnect IP usage, CIPS and AXI NoC IP usage and any other capability that cannot be resolved to a fixed-port netlist must be avoided in order to build Abstract Shells for non-project mode usage.
For more information on the Abstract Shell flow, see the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Dynamic Function eXchange (UG909).