Radio Free CAD CAE The Electronic Newsletter for Users of Electronic Design Automation ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Issue #4 News & Traffic for the EDA InfoBahn 11 May 1994 Cleaning the Virtual Pneumatic Tubes to the USE/DA E-Mail List ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [4.0 READ.ME] 4.1 JUST THE FAQ'S <16 lines> 4.1.1 USE/DA E-mail addresses 4.1.2 Current Officers of USE/DA 4.2 USE/DA's Booth/BOF <45 lines> 4.3 Have Modem, Will Surf 4.3.1 List of Net resources for EDA User <46 lines> 4.3.2 Auto-Reply From Benchmarks@mcnc.org <130 lines> 4.3.3 Reply From hpcmarket@Ceram.com <48 lines> 4.4 "Small Standards" <51 lines> This issue is a scouting report from the medians of the InfoBahn. I pulled on my orange plastic jacket, grabbed my pointed stick, and found some useful info for the EDA User...A reminder to catch the USE/DA Wave at DAC '94 (take our on-line survey, be eligible for the "Good Guys Wear White Polo Shirts" drawingg)...Last but not least, Bruce Grugett has come up with some excellent suggestions for "Small Standards" in section 4.4; please email him your feedback...Details as they frolic in plain view but beyond understanding, like the invisible ineffable cues that a school of fish use to synchronize their movements. /SeanM [4.1 JUST THE FAQ'S] 4.1.1 USE/DA E-mail addresses useda@netcom.com (the CB Radio of the EDA Highway) moderated reflector to USEDA membership. useda-bod@netcom.com ("Open Channel D") reflects to the Board of Directors of USEDA. useda-subscribe@netcom.com (Subscription Desk) request adds, deletes, help on mailing list. skmurphy@netcom.com (E-mail minion) send items here for the Radio Free CAD CAE Newsletter. 4.1.2 Current Officers of USE/DA Prexy Jim King king@shula.enet.dec.com Veep Sean Murphy murphy@cisco.com Treasurer Pat Pistilli pat@dac.com Secretary Mike Zeglin mzeglin@interim.com [4.2 USE/DA'S DAC BOOTH/BOF] by Sean Murphy (murphy@cisco.com) Are you tired of leading a life of quiet desperation, trying to get your EDA vendors to work together? If Henry David Thoreau were here he would advise you to come and be heard at the USE/DA '95 Birds of a Feather (BOF). The BOF will be held at the San Diego Marriott in Torrey Rm 3 on Wednesday June 8, between 6 and 7:30pm. As your attorney, I advise you to hear Steve Schulz on the results of the "EDA Users Survey on Standards" and tell us what projects we (Oh and by the way, "We" is "You.") need to complete by DAC 95. If you can't make the BOF, or you just want to give us a preview of coming attractions, drop by the USE/DA booth and give a member of the USE/DA Board of Directors your play for the USE/DA '95 season. Copies of the USE/DA Standards Survey will be available at no charge to USE/DA members. "Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods has acknowledged himself to be at the end of his rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which anyone can get into." -- J. Ogden Armour --------------------------------------------- Your Guide to Catching The USE/DA Wave at DAC --------------------------------------------- Exhibit Hours: USE/DA's on-line survey, Radio Free CAD Check out CAE Archives, Session Papers (yes, all of USE/DA on them thanks to SIGDA), MUGazines, ESNUG highlights, DACnet SIGDA Gopher highlights, and E-mail from home (maybe). Exhibit Drop by our booth in the lobby for updates Hours: of our on-line DAC Survey, join USE/DA (or USE/DA give current email membership ID) and Booth get a copy of the 93 standards survey. Session 9 "Partnering with Your EDA Vendor: Tips, Tue 4pm Techniques, and the Role of Standards" Wednesday USE/DA Bird of a Feather: 94/95 USE/DA 6-7:30pm Initiative Planning and Recap of the 1993 Marriott Standards Survey. Please note: no alcohol Torrey Rm 3 or firearms will be permitted at the BOF. If you want to help out with the USE/DA booth, please contact: Steve Roman (smroman@ihpds1.att.com) at +1 708 979 1791 [4.3 HAVE MODEM, WILL SURF] 4.3.1 List of Net Resources for the EDA User by Sean Murphy (skmurphy@netcom.com) Please note that this list is only a beginning and subject to much improvement. If I have overlooked a source that you find useful please drop me an email. I am still patrolling the median of the EDA InfoBahn, so please send me net resources you rely on. gopher kona.ee.pitt.edu 70 for SIGDA Archives e-mail acmhelp@acm.org for ACM (SIGDA parent) membership info ftp ftp.ieee.org for IEEE membership info gopher gopher.ieee.org for IEEE membership info e-mail info.index@ieee.org for IEEE membership info e-mail cfi@cfi.org for Cad Framework Initiative Membership Info e-mail jcooley@world.std.com for a subscription or back-issues to the E-Mail Synopsys User Group ftp ftp.erc.msstate.edu for the Mentor User Group Archives rn alt.cad for a news on general issues in CAD rn comp.cad.cadence for news on Cadence tools rn comp.cad.compass for news on Compass Design Automation tools rn comp.cad.synthesis news on synthesis issues; frequently Synopsys issues are posted here. rn comp.lang.verilog news on verilog as a language rn comp.lang.vhdl news on VHDL as a language rn comp.lsi news on IC issues and CAD, frequently crossposted to comp.lsi.cad and vice versa. rn comp.lsi.testing news on LSI test issues; also attracts a fair number of "Test, please ignore" posts. rn comp.org.acm Newsgroup for ACM info; rn alt.sys.intergraph Intergraph users news; seems to have obsoleted/superseded comp.sys.intergraph. rn comp.sys.mentor Mentor User Group news; rn ieee.announce announcement from IEEE telnet asic.com 2110 to subscribe to ASIC & EDA Magazine (step by step entry of sub qualification form) e-mail benchmarks@mcnc.org generates a reply outlining the benchmarks available via ftp from MCNC. A summary of the automatic reply message appears in section 4.3.2 of this issues of Radio Free CAD CAE. ftp mcnc.mcnc.org for benchmarks from past IEEE/ACM sponsored conferences. e-mail dilbert-request@internex.net to get on Scott Adams (scottadams@aol.com) Dilbert mailing list. Make the first line of e-mail read: subscribe dilbert_list first-name last-name e-mail hpcmarket@ceram.com: see section 4.3.3 e-mail skmurphy@netcom.com to add to this list. 4.3.2 Reply from benchmarks@mcnc.org To: Sean Murphy Subject: Benchmarks Message Acknowledgment This is an automatic reply from benchmarks@mcnc.org. We welcome your inquiry about design automation benchmark sets available for public access from MCNC. If you need assistance, the benchmark administrator will respond to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, please review the most recent copy of the README file below for information on access to these benchmarks and the most recent updates. You can access additional information on benchmark updates on the MCNC's ftp server (mcnc.mcnc.org, IP number 128.109.130.3 or 128.109.131.1) by looking for the most recent copy of the Benchmark Newsletter in the directory "pub/benchmark/NEWS/". Your Benchmark Administrator: Maitreya Sengupta MCNC, Center for Microelectronic Systems Technologies 3021 Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12889 Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709 Phone: 919-248-1454 Fax: 919-248-1455 Email: sengupta@mcnc.org Contents of pub/benchmark/README file (1) List of Current Benchmark Directories and Updates (2) Table of Contents of most recent Benchmark Newsletter posted on pub/benchmark/NEWS/. (3) Benchmark Access and Distribution Policies (4) An Example of How to Retrieve Files via ftp (if you Internet access) (1) List of Current Benchmark Directories >From the International Symposium on Circuits and Systems: * ISCAS85 * ISCAS89. >From the High-Level Synthesis Workshops: * HLSynth89 * HLSynth91 * HLSynth92. >From the Logic Synthesis Workshops: * LGSynth89 * LGSynth91 * LGSynth93. >From the IC Layout Related Workshops: * Compaction86 * PRWorkshop88 * Modgen89 * LayoutSynth90 * PDWorkshop91 * LayoutSynth92 * PDWorkshop93. >From the Circuit Simulation and Modeling Workshop: * CircuitSim90. >From the Design Automation Conference, DAC '93: * Partitioning93 New releases, updates and addendums as of June 1993: * ISCAS85/Irredundant/ * ISCAS89/ADDENDUM/ * HLSynth92/pending/ * LGSynth93 * PDWorkshop93 * Partitioning93 (2) Benchmark Newsletter 93.06 -- Table of Contents Notes from the Editor List of Current Benchmark Directories Benchmark Access and Distribution Policies Benchmark Statistics and Directory Updates A Panel Discussion at DAC'93 on ACM/SIGDA Design Automation Benchmarks Notes on HLSW'92 and HLSW Benchmarking Activity A Pending Update to the HLSynth92 (HLSW) Benchmark Directory New Benchmarks for Partitioning into Multiple Devices Under Heterogeneous Device Capacity, Terminal, & Price Constraints A New Release of the Layout Synthesis Benchmark Directory A New Release of the Logic Synthesis Benchmark Directory Addendum to the ISCAS85 Benchmark Directory Addendum to the ISCAS89 Benchmark Directory Note: The June 1993 edition of the Benchmark Newsletter is too large (over 20 pages) to be reproduced here in it's entirety. However, if you have not seen a copy of this Newsletter, then we would strongly recommend that you obtain a copy by ftp from the "pub/benchmark/NEWS/" directory at mcnc.mcnc.org. (3) Benchmark Access/Distribution Policies A large and expanding set of benchmarks is being maintained for free electronic distribution to all bonefide members of the DA community. The costs of maintenance & computer services are being covered by a grant from the Association of Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Design Automation (ACM/SIGDA). Users may copy and distribute the benchmarks further as long as they don't charge for these services. These are NOT "MCNC benchmarks" and all users of these benchmarks are kindly requested to refer to them in presentations and publications as named in the respective directories (e.g. ISCAS'85, LayoutSynth92, etc.), while acknowledging the distribution and maintenance support of ACM/SIGDA. If you send e-mail to benchmarks@mcnc.org you will receive an automatic reply. You will be instructed on current status of all benchmarks directories, and the methods to gain access to these benchmarks. The most effective and convenient method is by way of ftp. If you are successful in retrieving the benchmarks with ftp, we encourage you to e-mail your full address (including full name, postal address, telephone/fax number, country, etc.) to benchmarks@mcnc.org, registering as a benchmark recipient. By registering with the administrator, you will be mailed news of any updates and the Benchmark Newsletter automatically. In view of the logistic difficulties, both at the transmitting end as well as the receiving end, we are discontinuing benchmark transfers by e-mail. Also, we can no longer support free mailing of magnetic tapes. To obtain a copy of all current benchmarks on a tape, you must submit a check payable to ACM/SIGDA and drawn on a U.S. bank for $50 if you are an ACM/SIGDA member (member number required) or $150 if not an ACM/SIGDA member. Your request and check should be mailed to: Benchmark Administrator c/o Franc Brglez MCNC 3021 Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12889 Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709 We do have a limited budget to waive the tape fee in cases of hardships for ACM/SIGDA members upon receiving a substantiated request for the waiver. The different types of tapes available are: 9-track reel tapes, 8mm cartridges, TK50 cartridges (DEC), and 1/4" (QIC-24) cartridges (Sun). We will send you the benchmark files in TAR format. Contact benchmarks@mcnc.org or Maitreya Sengupta at (919)-248-1454 for details. (4) Example of How to Retrieve Files via ftp {Example deleted. Anonymous FTP is supported for anyone who has internet access: E-Mail benchmarks@mcnc.org for complete details} 4.3.3 Reply from hpcmarket@ceram.com Date: Fri, 25 Mar 94 12:27:37 MST From: hpcmarket@Ceram.COM (Ceram Information) Subject: Ceram Catalog Welcome to the Ceram Email Marketplace. We offer on-line price quotes, a wide selection of products, worldwide delivery, and complete pre- and post-sales technical support. We are authorized resellers for Integrix, Ross, Weitek, DEC, Axil, and others. The Ceram Email Marketplace is operated by CERAM Inc., 2260 Executive Circle, Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Phone +1 719 540 8500 Fax +1 719 540 8855 To use the service, simply send a blank message to one or more of the listed email accounts @ceram.com. Ceram E-Mail Account Descriptions Name Product Line, or Utility/Service sunclone Ala-carte menu of all the components required to build a SPARC based workstation. suncpu Complete listing of CPU upgrade options for SPARC based computers. sundram Memory upgrades for Sun workstations. pcdram Memory upgrades for most PC systems hpdram Memory upgrades for HP workstations. decdram Memory upgrades: DEC Alpha workstations sgidram Memory upgrades for SGI workstations macdram Memory upgrades for Apple Macintosh ibmdram Memory upgrades for IBM workstations terms Standard terms and conditions credit On-line credit application, for customers requesting net 30 day credit terms. order The Ceram order line. Corporate purchases require authorized PO number. techsupport The Ceram techsupport line. For pre and post sales support info General information line. This is human monitored. Please include your questions in your message. Note: all accounts are @ceram.com Note: I have no blood relatives, friends, acqaintences, money invested, or in-laws at Ceram. I have included them in this issue as an example of the kind of new information sources and sales channels that the InfoBahn is enabling. My inclusion of them here does not in any way constitute an endorsement of their services on my part. I am not aware of any problems with their service. It's just data A word to the wise. The successful placement of "Trojan" listening software on many of the major Internet service providers host machines in the last few months enabled person or persons unknown (and still unknown today) to capture the passwords for thousands of Internet accounts. Please do not send any credit card information over e-mail unless it has been seriously (e.g. PGP, DES, RSA,...) encrypted. [4.4 "SMALL STANDARDS"] by Bruce Grugett (bgrugett@harris.com) I applaud the efforts of the people involved in USE/DA and I agree that there is much to be gained throughout the industry by facilitating the interoperability of EDA tools. In addition to addressing the "big issues" that arise in playing various EDA tools together, I believe that a lot of benefit could be realized throughout the user community if EDA vendors could standardize a number of "small issues". The first thing that comes to mind: it would be great if the EDA industry could agree on a standard way of naming things. In developing EDA tools, developers adopt a number of conventions for use with their tool. Across the industry these conventions differ from tool to tool. In most cases, the conventions used are just arbitrary choices. Other than the fact that each tool developer has already implemented his choice for conventions, there is no reason that the same conventions could not be followed throughout the EDA industry. If we could promulgate a number of small standards for these mostly arbitrary conventions, I believe the EDA user community could realize a significant benefit. Here are some thoughts for some things which might standardized: 1) Simple names: for example, we might say that names should be composed of upper and lower case letters, numerals and some separator type character like underscore; and names should begin with a letter. 2) Bus (wire bundles) names: for example, buses should be named using square brackets and a colon. The highest number would correspond to the MSB and would be given first e.g. a[3:0]. 3) Hierarchical names: for example, we could use a slash "/" to express hierarchy. e.g. U1/ADDER/U2. 4) ASIC Library cell names: for example, two input nand gates should be named nand2. 5) Tabular vector file format: we would want to specify inputs and expected outputs and adopt some way of dealing with bi-directional signals. 6) Scan test vectors. This would have to be some sort of compressed format due to very large file sizes. These are just some ideas for the kinds of small things that might be standardized that could save users significant effort. I'm sure that we could think of many more similar things. For these examples, I wouldn't care what convention was adopted, I would just like to see these things handled consistently across tools. I am very interested in comments and suggestions, please email me and I will summarize responses in an upcoming issue of Radio Free CAD CAE. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ End of Issue #4 of RADIO FREE CAD CAE 11 May 1994 The Electronic Newsletter for Users of Electronic Design Automation Email useda-subscribe@netcom.com to subscribe ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++