Subject: LEVELS OF SUPPORT

From: [email-masked] ( Bob Ross)
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 09:49:31 PDT

To IBIS Committee:

IBIS Version 2.0 will represent a substantial increase in functionality
over Version 1.1.  All of the proposed advances really do relate to the
real modeling challenges we are facing.  IBIS Version 2.0 will be very
valuable for specifying the format for the advances.

I am glad to see "levels of support" on the agenda.  I expect that most
simulators are not structured to handle ALL of the planned extensions.

For guidance, I would proposed that all Version 2.0 compliant parsers
be able to read files with ANY of the FINALIZED Version 2.0 extensions.
They MUST be able to work with LEVEL 1 extensions.  They MAY work with
ANY of the LEVEL 2 extensions or take some alternative action including
doing nothing, issuing a warning message, or substituting a Version 1.1
compliant action (e.g., use [Ramp] instead of using non-linear waveforms).

Here are my thoughts at classifying the approved and pending BIRDS and EGGS
into level 1 and 2 categories.

Category of Functionality                       Status      Level

1.  IBIS VERSION 1.1                            APPROVED      1

2.  FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONALITY ADDITIONS

  BIRD 3 - MULTIPLE POWER SUPPLY LEVELS         APPROVED      1
  
  BIRD 4 - ECL EXTENSIONS                       APPROVED      1

  BIRD 7.2 - OPEN SPECIFICATION COMPLETION      APPROVED      1 

  BIRD 9.2 - TERMINATOR SPECIFICATION           PENDING       2
  
3.  MULTIPLE PIN RELATIONSHIPS

  BIRD 5.2 - PIN_MAPPING FOR GROUND BOUNCE      APPROVED      2 
             SIMULATION

  BIRD 6.2 - DIFFERENTIAL PIN SPECIFICATION     APPROVED      2 

  BIRD 10.1 - DESCRIBING COUPLING EFFECTS       PENDING       2
              IN PACKAGE MODELS

5.  SPECIFICATION REFINEMENTS

  BIRD 2.2 - REQUIRING VIH VIL THRESHOLDS       PENDING       1
             FOR INPUT DEVICES

  BIRD 8 - SPECIFICATION OF V/I DATA            PENDING       1
           MONOTONICITY

  BIRD 11.2 - IMPROVING COMMON ERROR DETECTION  PENDING       1 
              IN IBIS_CHK PROGRAM

6.  DATA DETAIL EXTENSIONS   

  BIRD 12 - NON-LINEAR DRIVER WAVEFORMS         PENDING       2

  EGG 3 - CLARIFY SOME CONDITIONS OF            PENDING       2
          MEASUREMENT

Bob Ross,
Interconnectix, Inc.

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From: "Hobbs, Will" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 13:28:20 PDT

Bob,

Thanks for posting this to prime a discussion.  You picked up on what the agenda
item is about.  For anyone that didn't pick up on the gist of the subject, in 
our December 3 meeting, we dicussed dividing new IBIS features into levels so we
wouldn't raise the entry bar too high for new simulators.  This is an 
appropriate time to re-open that discussion.

Will Hobbs

To IBIS Committee:

Bob Ross,
Interconnectix, Inc.