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From: [email protected] (Michael Altarriba)
Newsgroups: comp.lsi,comp.lsi.cad,news.answers,comp.answers
Subject: comp.lsi.cad Frequently Asked Questions With Answers (Part 2/4) [LONG]
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CADDY
- Karlsruhe University, Germany
- behavioral synthesis using VHDL as the input/output language, based on
data-flow analysis; automated component selection (allocation), scheduling,
and assignment. Different architechture styles are supported, such as
multiplexers vs busses and two-phase vs single phase clocks.
- Camposano, R.: "Synthesing Circuits From Behavioral Descriptions", IEEE
Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 8, No. 2, February 1989
Rosenstiel, W., Kraemer, H.: "Scheduling and Assignment in High-Level
Synthesis", in 'High-Level VLSI-Synthesis' R. Camposano, W. Wolf Ed.
Kluwer, 1991
Gutberlet P., Mueller J., Kraemer H., Rosenstiel W.: "Automatic Module
Allocation in High-level Synthesis", Proc. of 1st EURO-DAC, 1992

CALLAS
- Siemens, Germany
- highlevel, algortihmic and logic synthesis (contains CADDY, see
above)
- Koster, M. et al.: "ASIC Design Using the High-Level Synthesis
System CALLAS: A Case Study", Proc. IEEE International Conference on
Computer Design (ICCD '90), pp. 141-146, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Sept. 17-19, 1990

CAMAD
- Linkoping University, Sweden
- scheduling, data path allocation and iteration from a Pascal subset
- Peng, Z.: "CAMAD: A Unified Data Path/ Control Synthesis
Environment", Proc. of the IFIP Working Conference on Design
Methodologies for VLSI and Computer Architecture, pp. 53-67, Sept.
1988.

CARLOS
- Karlsruhe University, Germany
- multilevel logic optimization for CMOS realizations
- Mathony, H-J.: "CARLOS: An Automated Multilevel Logic Design System for
CMOS Semi-Custom Integrated Circuits", IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided
Design, Vol 7, No 3, pp. 346-355, March 1988

CATHEDRAL
- Univ. of Leuve, Phillips and Siemens, Belgium
- synthesis of DSP-circuits from algorithm descriptions
- De Man, H.: "Architecture-Driven Synthesis Techiques for VLSI Implementation
of DSP Algorithms", Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 78, NO. 2, pp. 319,
February 1990

CATREE
- Univ. of Waterloo, Canada
- scheduling and data path allocation
- Gebotys, C.H.: "VLSI Design Synthesis with Testability", Proc. of
the 25th DAC, pp. 16-21, June 1988

CHARM
- AT & T Bell Labs., USA
- data-path synthesis
- Woo, N-S.: "A Global, Dynamic Register Allocation and Binding for a
Data Path Synthesis System", Proc. of the 27th DAC, pp. 505-510, June 1990.

CMU-DA (2)
- Carnagie-Mellon University, USA
- behavioral synthesis from ISPS
- Thomas, D.: "Linking the Behavioral and Structural Domains of Representation
for Digital System Design", IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, pp.
103-110, Vol. 6, No. 1, January 1987

CONES
- AT & T Bell Labs, USA
- FSM synthesis, produces 2-level logic realizations (truth-table)
- Stroud, C.E.: "CONES: A System for Automated Synthesis of VLSI and
programmable logic from behavioral models", Proc. of IEEE ICCAD, Santa Clara,
Nov. 1986.

DAGAR
- University of Texas, Austin, USA.
- scheduling and data-path allocation
- Raj. V.K.: "DAGAR: An Automatic Pipelined Microarchitecture
Synthesis System", Proc. of ICCD '89, pp. 428-431, October 1989.

DELHI
- IIT
- design iteration, scheduling and data path allocation
- Balakrishnan, M. et al.: "Integrated Scheduling and Binding: A
Synthesis Approach for Design Space Exploration", Proc. of the 26th
DAC, pp. 68-74, June 1989

DESIGN AUTOMATION ASSISTANT (DAA)
- AT & T Bell Labs, USA
- expert system for data path synthesis
- Kowalski, T.J. "The VLSI Desig Automation Assistant: An Architecture
Compiler", Silicon Compilation, pp. 122-152, Addison-Wesley, 1988

ELF
- Carleton University, Canada
- scheduling and data path allocation
- Girczyc, E.F. et al.: "Applicability of a Subset of Ada as an
Algorithmic Hardware Description Language for Graph-Based Hardware
Compilation", IEEE Trans. on CAD, pp. 134-142, April 1985.

EUCLID
- Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
- logic synthesis
- Berkelaar, Michel R.C.M. and Theeuwen, J.F.M., "Real Area-Powe-Delay
Trade-off in the EUCLID Logic Synthesis System" , proceedings of the Custom
Integrated Circuits Conference 1990, Boston MA USA, pp 14.3.1 ff

EXLOG
- NEC Corporation, Japan
- expert system, synthesizes gate level circuits from FDL descriptions
- M. Watanabe, et al.,: "EXLOG: An Expert System for Logic Synthesis in
Full-Custom VLSI Design", Proc. of 2nd Int. Conf. Application of Artificial
Intelligence, August 1987.

FACE/PISYN
- General Electric, USA
- FACE: high-level synthesis tools and a tool framework, PISYN:
synthesis of pipelined architecture DSP systems (mostly)
- Smith, W.D. et al.: "FACE Core Environment: The Model and it's
Application in CAE/CAD Tool Development", Proc. of the 26th DAC, pp.
466-471, June 1989.

FLAMEL
- Stanford University, USA
- data path and control-logic synthesis from Pascal description
- Trickey, H. "Flamel: A High-Level Hardware Compiler", IEEE Transactions
on Computer-Aided Design, Vol 6, No 2, March 1987.

HAL
- Carleton University, Canada
- data path synthesis
- Paulin, P.: "Force-Directed Scheduling for the Behavioral Synthesis of
ASIC's", IEEE Transaction on Computer-Aided Design, pp. 661,
Vol. 8, No. 6, June 1989.

HARP
- NTT, Japan
- scheduling and data path-allocation from FORTRAN
- Tanaka, T. et al.: "HARP: Fortran to Silicon", IEEE Trans. on CAD,
pp. 649-660, June 1989.

HYPER
- UCB, USA
- synthesis for realtime applications (scheduling, allocation, module
binding, controller design)
- Chu, C-M. et al.: "HYPER: An Interactive Synthesis Environment for
Real Time Applications", Proc. of ICCD '89, pp. 432-435, October 1989

IMBSL/RLEXT
- Univ. of Illinois, USA
- data-path allocation, RTL-level design
- Knapp D.W.: "Manual Rescheduling and Incremental Repair of Register
Level Data Paths", Proc. of ICCAD '89, pp.58-61, November 1989.

LSS (Logic Synthesis System)
- IBM, USA
- logic synthesis and optimization from many RTL-languages
- Darringer, J. et al. "LSS: A System for Production Logic Synthesis",
IBM Journal of Research and Developement, vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 272-280,
Sept 1984.

MAHA
- University of Southern California, USA
- data path synthesis
- Parker, A.C. "MAHA: A Program for Data Path Synthesis", Proc. 23rd ACM/IEEE
Design Automation Conference, pp. 252-258, IEEE 1986.

MIMOLA
- University of Dortmund, Germany
- scheduling, data-path allocation and controller design
- Marwedel, P. "Matching System And Component Behavior in MIMOLA
Synthesis Tools", Proc. of EDAC '90, pp. 146-156, March 1990.

OLYMPUS/HERCULES
- Stanford University, USA
- behavioral synthesis from C-language (HERCULES), logic and physical
synthesis
- De Micheli, G.: "HERCULES - A System for High-Level Synthesis", Proceedings
of the 25th ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, pp. 483-488, IEEE 1988

SEHWA
- University of Southern California, USA
- pipeline-realizations from behavioral descriptions
- Park, N. "SEWHA: A Program for Synthesis of Pipelines", Proc. 23rd ACM/IEEE
Design Automation Conference, pp. 454-460, IEEE 1986.

SIEMENS' SYNTHESIS SYSTEM
- Siemens, Germany
- partitioning, data path allocation and scheduling
- Scheichenzuber, J. et al.: "Global Hardware Synthesis from
Behavioral Dataflow Descriptions", Proc. of the 27th DAC, pp. 456-461,
June 1990.

SIS (formerly MIS (II/MV))
- University of California, Berkeley, USA
- synthesis and verification system for sequential logic
- E. M. Sentovich, K. J. Singh, L. Lavagno, C. Moon, R. Murgai,
A. Saldanha, H. Savoj, P. R. Stephan, R. K. Brayton,
A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli: "SIS: A System for Sequential Circuit
Synthesis", Tech report UCB/ERL M92/41, University of California,
Berkeley, CA, May 1992

SOCRATES
- General Electric, University of Colorado, USA
- expert system
- logic optimization and mapping for different technologies
- de Geus, A.J., "The Socrates Logic Synthesis and Optimization System",
Design Systems for VLSI Circuits, pp. 473-498, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers,
1987.

SPAID
- Universty of Waterloo, Canada
- DSP-synthesis for silicon compiler realizations
- Haroun, B.: "Architectural Synthesis for DSP Silicon Compilers", IEEE
Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, pp. 431-447, Vol. 8, No 4, April 1989.

SYNFUL
- Bell-Northern Research, Canada
- RTL and FSM synthesis for a production environment
- G. Ward, "Logic Synthesis at BNR: A SYNFUL Story", Proceedings
Canadian Conference on Very Large Scale Integration, October 1990.

SYSTEM ARCHITECT'S WORKBENCH
- Carnagie-Mellon University, USA
- behavioral synthesis
- Thomas, D. "The System Architect's Workbench", Proceedings of the 25th
ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, pp. 337-343, IEEE 1988

UCB'S SYNTHESIS SYSTEM
- UCB, USA
- transformations, scheduling and data path allocation
- Devadas, S.: "Algorithms for Hardware Allocation in Data Path
Synthesis", IEEE Trans. on CAD, pp. 768-781, July 89

V COMPILER
- IBM, USA
- scheduling and data path allocation from V-language
- Berstis, V: "The V Compiler: Automatic Hardware Design", IEEE Design
and Test, pp. 8-17, April 1989.

VSS
- Univ. of California at Irvine, USA
- transformations, scheduling and data path allocation from VHDL to
MILO
- Lis, J. et al.: "Synthesis from VHDL", Proc. ICCD'88, pp. 378-381,
October 1988.

YORKTOWN SILICON COMPILER
- IBM T.J.Watson Research Centre, USA
- data path synthesis, logic synthesis etc.
- Brayton, R.K., et al. "The Yorktown Silicon Compiler", Silicon Compilation,
pp. 204-311, Addison-Wesley, 1988

17: What free tools are there available, and what can they do?

(This section can be viewed as a cross reference to the detailed descrip-
tion of software that follows.)

Analog VLSI and Neural Systems: Caltech VLSI CAD Tools

Automated place and route: octtools, Lager

Digital design environment: Galaxy CAD

Lsi (polygon) schematic capture: magic, octtools(vem)

Layout Verification: caltech tools (netcmp), gemini (Washington
Univerity), wellchk (MUG)

PCB auto/manual place and route: PADS pcb, PCB (Just for testing lsi
designs, of course :)

Simulation: irsim(comes with magic), esim, pspice, isplice3, watand,
switcap2.Synthesis: octtools, blis, Lager, item, (see section on synthesis)

Standard schematic capture: PADS logic, PSPICE for windows

18: What Berkeley Tools are available for anonymous ftp?

available from ftp://ic.eecs.berkeley.edu/pub

adore: switched capacitor layout generator. (Requires Octtools 5.1 to
compile.)

bdd:

road: analog layout router

sis: simplifies both sum-of-products and generic multi-level boolean
expressions; it includes many tools including espresso, bdd

ext2spice: enhanced ext2spice for use with magic

available from ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/misc

espresso: simplifies sum-of-products boolean expressions

19: What Berkeley Tools are available through ILP?

(From MUG 20 Contributed by Carol Block of U. C. Berkeley)

A new version of the popular circuit simulator, Spice3F2, is now avail-
able from the Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) Office at the University
of California, Berkeley. A new release of Octtools will be forthcoming
in 1993. Enclosed is a list of software distributed by this office.

Adore, BBL.2, Berkeley Building-Block Layout System, Berkeley Computer
Integrated Manufacturing System, Parameter Extraction Program for BSIM,
Parameter Extraction for BSIM2, Bear-FP, Bert, BLIS, Spice 2G with BSIM
Implementation, Cider, Ditroff/Gremlin, Ecstasy, EDIF 2 0 0, Elogic,
ES1:Electrostatis 1-Dimensional Periodic Plasma, Franz Lisp, Glitter,
IBC: Traveling-Wave-Tube Simulation, IEEE-754 Test Vector, Jsim, Jspice,
Lanso, Magic-X11R3-Patch, Magic 1990 Decwrl/Livermore Release, Mahjong,
Mighty, Octtools, Parmex Pix-Parmex, Plasma Device Simulation Codes, PLA
Tools, Proteus, Ptolemy, Relax, Ritual, Sample, Sample-3D, Additional
SAMPLE Documentation, Simpl-IPX and Simpl System 5, SIS, SPAM, Sparse,
Spectre, Spice 2G6, Spice 3F2, Additional SPICE Documentation, Splat,
Splice 3.0, Supercrystal, SWEC, Tempest, TimberWolf 3.2, Tsize, 1986 VLSI
Tools, Wombat.

Within a few weeks, a new catalog will be available via anonymous FTP.
Users will also be able to obtain forms, ordering instruc- tions and some
software via this means. Generally, recipients will have to com-
plete an Agreement Form and pay a documentation and handling fee of about
$250 per program.

ILP can now distribute most of its programs in a variety of media,
including: QIC-120, QIC-150, QIC-320, 8mm (2.2 gig), TK 50 (DEC tape for-
mat), 9-track 1600 bpi and 9-track 6250 bpi. Visa and Mastercard ord-
ers will be accepted on-line by 1993. Most of the software may be freely
redistributed either within an organi- zation or to other organiza-
tions, both within the United States and abroad, subject to the certain
restrictions, including all U.S. Government restrictions, particu-
larly those concerning ex- port.

(from blurb+ftp, in the ILP distribution)

If you have access to ftp, then the tape is free (you just get to suck it
over by yourself) and you have to remember to print out the docs yourself
too. The usual anonymous ftp rules:

Name: ftp://ic.eecs.berkeley.edu/edif
Address: 128.32.132.1

|-EDIFWorld89.ps
|-Release_7.6-notes-reversed.ps
|-Release_7.6-notes.ps
|-Release_7.6.tar.Z
edif-|-agreement-reversed.ps
|-agreement.ps
|-agreement.tex
|-assurance-reversed.ps
|-assurance.ps
|-assurance.tex
|-blurb
|-blurb+ftp

Other Ports
-------------------------------------------------------------------- I

I have a port of the system for SysV, Apollo and HP machines as well
which is available on request. Most of these operating systems are
mature enough now to work directly with Release 7.6. The system has been
ported to other non-Unix machines such as VMS, the mac, and various main-
frame architectures; these latter being a nontrivial effort on the part
of the individuals involved, but it was accomplished. I do not have
these ports; I just know that they are possible because they have been
performed by others.

For additional information, contact:

Industrial Liaison Program
205 Cory Hall
Software Distribution Office
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720

TEL: (510) 643-6687
FAX: (510) 643-6694
[email protected]

20: Berkeley Spice (Current version 3f4)

(From spice_info on ic.eecs.berkeley.edu)

Upgrading from Spice 3f2 to 3f4

The current version is 3f4. This is derived from version 3f2 by applying
a patch. The patch is available via ftp from ic.eecs.berkeley.edu.

Acquiring Spice 3f2

For more information on how to acquire Spice3f2, please send your physi-
cal mailing address to "[email protected]" and request a
software catalog. This will give you all of the necessary information
for ordering Spice3f2 and other Berkeley CAD software, including an order
form and use agreements. At last check, the cost for spice3f2 was
$250.00 (this price may change without notice).

Systems supported and Formats Supplied

Spice3f2 has been compiled on the following systems:
Ultrix 4, RISC or VAX
SunOS 4, Sun3 or Sun4
AIX V3, RS/6000
HP-UX 8.0, 9000/700
MS-DOS on the IBM PC, using MicroSoft C 5.1 or later

The following systems have been successfully tested either in the past or
by someone outside of UC Berkeley.

Dynix 3.0, Sequent Symmetry or Balance (does _not_ take advantage of
parallelism)
HP-UX 7.0, 9000/300
Irix 3.2, SGI Personal Iris
NeXT 2.0
Apple MacIntosh, Using Think C

Spice3f2 is distributed in source form only. The C compiler "gcc" has
been used successfully to compile spice3f2, as well as the standard com-
pilers for the systems listed above.

Spice3 displays graphs under X11, PostScript, or a graphics-terminal
independent library, or as a crude, spice2-like line-printer plot. On
the IBM PC, CGA, EGA, and VGA displays are supported through the Micro-
Soft graphics library. Note in particular that there is no Suntools
interface.

Note the the X11 interface to Spice3 expects release 4 or later, and
requires the "Athena Widgets Toolkit" ("Xaw") which may be available only
in the "unsupported" portion of your vendor software. A version of
"OpenWindows" has problems due to undefined routines during linking --
linking with a null copy of these routines has reportedly worked, but
"OpenWindows" has not been tested in any way for this release.

Note that for practical performance a math co-processor is required for
an IBM PC based on the 286 processor. A math co-processor is also recom-
mended for the more advanced IBM PC systems.

(from posting to comp.lsi.cad) The Windows NT port of spice3e2, Spice32,
is available via ftp from site
ftp://ftp.cica.indiana.edu/pub/pc/win3/nt/spice100.zip . A similar port
of nutmeg is included.

(from Robert Zeff <[email protected]>)

I have revised my on line help for Spice32 / Nutmeg32 for Windows NT and
Win3.1 to Berkeley's version 3F4. It is available by ftp from
ftp://csustan.csustan.edu/pub/spice/nutmeg.hlp . I have removed the exe-
cutables for DOD complience. For access, see the readme file in that
directory.

I've updated my Spice circuit simulator to 3F5 and have included the
BSIM3v3 level 8 mosfet model. You can get it at

http://sonnet.com/rzeff

Sometime it will also be available (ftp) at
csustan.csustan.edu/pub/spice/i386 or www.zapco.com Yes, it does work on
Win95.

The Unix distribution comes on 1/2" 9-track tape in "tar" format, TK50
tape (DEC tape), or QIC-150 1/4" cartridge tape (Sun cartridge tape).
The MS-DOS distribution comes on several 3.5" floppy diskettes (both high
and low density) in the standard MS-DOS format. The contents of both
distributions are identical, including file names.

New features in 3f2

The following is a list of new features and fixes from the previous major
release of Spice3 (3e.2) (see the user's manual for details):

AC and DC Sensitivity.
MOS3 discontinuity fix ("kappa").
Added a new JFET fitting parameter.
Minor initial conditions fix.
Rewritten or fixed "show" and "trace" commands.
New interactive commands "showmod" and "alter".
Minor bug-fixes to the Pole-Zero analysis.
Miscellaneous bug fixes in the front end.

Additional features since release 3d.2 are:
Lossy transmission line model (not available under MS-DOS).
Proper calculation of sheet resistance in MOS models.
A new command ("where") to aid in debugging troublesome
circuits.
Smith-chart plots improved.
Arbitrary sources in subcircuits handled correctly.
Arbitrary source reciprocal calculations and DC biasing
now done correctly.
Minor bug-fixes to the Pole-Zero analysis.
Miscellaneous bug fixes in the front end.

A Note on Version Numbering

Spice versions are numbered "NXM", where "N" is a number representing the
major release (as in re-write), "X" is a letter representing a feature
change reflected by a change in the documentation, and "M" is a number
indicating a minor revision or bug-patch number.

FTP Access and Upgrades

There is no anonymous ftp access for the Spice3 source(see below). The
manual for spice3f2 (in it's postscript format) is available via
anonymous ftp from ftp://ic.eecs.berkeley.edu/pub/spice3/um.3f.ps . If
you are interested in the troff/me source, contact the email address
below (the "make" files and whatnot are somewhat cumbersome for the
manual).

Patches or upgrades for Spice3 are _not_ normally supplied, however we
have made exceptions to this rule, particularly in the case of minor ver-
sion changes (such as 3f2 to 3f3).

Email Address for Problems

Please direct technical inquiries to "[email protected]" or "spice-
[email protected]" (for now these addresses are the same), and ordering
or redistribution queries to "[email protected]". If you
find that your email to "spice" or "spice-bugs" doesn't get a response in
a few days, resend your message.

(from Jim Nance <[email protected]>)

Hello all circuits people. I have uploaded source and binaries for Spice
2g6 to ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/Incoming/spice2g6.tar.z . As you
are probably aware, spice is a circuit simulator, written at Berkeley.
Version 2g6 was released in 1983. The current Berkeley version is
approximatly Spice 3f2, however, Berkeley does not want this distributed.
Source code for Spice 3e2 did escape from Berkeley and was ported to
Linux (and a lot of other platforms). This code has been removed from
anonymous FTP servers, and is therefore no longer available. Berkeley
does publish the source code for Spice 2g6.

I obtained the source code for Spice from a 386BSD ftp site. The code
compiled cleanly, with only minor changes to the Makefile being required.
I also included an ASCII spice manual which I have found helpful.

(from Martin Maschmann <[email protected]>)

I can also be reached at <[email protected]>

I have created a SCHEMATIC CAPTURE program running under X11Rsomething
(something >=5) for both linux, sunos and SOLARIS. SPICECAD now has a
home page which has the URL:

<URL:http://home.t-online.de/home/martin.maschmann>

There you will find some links to an ftp site from where you can download
the compiled binaries. Before loading, you can look at some pictures
which show how the graphics interface looks like. If you don't like it,
don't load it.

An english manual is included. Please read the manual! Example schemat-
ics are included, too.

Soure code is not included, because the making of SPICECAD means making
of SPICE3F4 , which is hard-linked to SPICECAD, making a stripped version
of GNUPLOT and making the schematic entry part.

All in all, it is really a mess, especially if you look at the schematics
part which is VERY hard to understand.

Customizing SPICECAD for your own needs means: send me a mail which
explains the problem, and then I can tell you whether I will do it by
myself (because there could be a wide need for this new feature), or
whether you can do it by yourself.

For example, if you want to create an interface for a new simulator (a
PSPICE interface is still missing, an HSPICE interface will be available
in the future), I can send you several example files (the interface for
HSPICE), and you write the interface. Finally , everything can be linked.

Those who want to add some features I cannot write (because my program-
ming skills and time is limited) can obtain the source code on a small
QIC cartridge. What I am thinking of is an EDIF interface. This would be
a very nice feature.

21: Octtools (Current version 5.1)

(From the ANNOUNCE-5.1 that comes with it)

Octtools is a collection of programs and libraries that form an
integrated system for IC design. The system includes tools for PLA and
multiple-level logic synthesis, state assignment, standard-cell, gate-
matrix and macro-cell placement and routing, custom-cell design, circuit,
switch and logic-level simulation, and a variety of utility programs for
manipulating schematic, symbolic, and geometric design data. Most tools
are integrated with the Oct data manager and the VEM user interface.

The software requires UNIX, the window system X11R4 including the Athena
Widget Set. The design manager VOV and a few other tools require the C++
compiler g++.

Octtools-5.1 have been built and tested on the following combinations of
machines and operating systems: DECstation 3100, 5000 running Ultrix 4.1
and 4.2; DEC VAX running Ultrix 4.1 and 4.2; Sun 3 and 4 running OS 4.0
and Sun SparcStation running OS 4.0. The program has been tried on the
following machines, but is not supported: Sequent Symmetry, IBM RS/6000
running AIX 3.1.

To obtain a copy of Octtools 5.1 (8mm, tk50, or 1/4inch cartridge QIC150)
and a printed copy of the documentation) for a $250 distribution charge,
see section on Berkeley ILP.

Questions may be directed to [email protected].

22: Ptolemy (Current version 0.5):

(From comp.lsi.cad)

What is Ptolemy:
---------------

Ptolemy provides a highly flexible foundation for the specification,
simulation, and rapid prototyping of systems. It is an object oriented
framework within which diverse models of computation can co-exist and
interact. For example, using Ptolemy a data-flow system can be easily
connected to a hardware simulator which in turn may be connected to a
discrete-event system, etc. Because of this, Ptolemy can be used to
model entire systems.

Ptolemy also has code generation capabilities. From a flow graph

description, Ptolemy can generate C code and DSP assembly code for rapid
prototyping. Ptolemy can also generate Silage and VHDL descriptions for
hardware synthesis.

Ptolemy has been used for a broad range of applications including signal
processing, telecomunications, parallel processing, wireless communica-
tions, network design, radio astronomy, real time systems, and
hardware/software co-design. Ptolemy has also been used as a lab for
signal processing and communications courses. Currently Ptolemy has hun-
dreds of users in over 100 sites, both in industry and academia.

Ptolemy is available for the Sun 4 (sparc), DecStation (MIPS), and HP
(HP-PA) architectures. Installing the system requires 90 Mbytes for
Ptolemy (more if you optionally remake). Ptolemy also requires at least
8 Mbytes of physical memory.

Getting the New Release:
-----------------------

Ptolemy is available via anonymous ftp at:
ftp://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/pub/README This site contains the entire
Ptolemy distribution, a postscript version of the Ptolemy manual, and
several Ptolemy papers.

For those unfamiliar with anonymous ftp, here's what you need to do:
1. FTP to Internet host "ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu" (128.32.240.78)
2. Login as "anonymous"; use your full email address as the password
3. cd pub
4. get the README file and follow its instructions.

Organizations without Internet FTP capability can obtain Ptolemy
without support from ILP:

EECS/ERL Industrial Liaison Program Office
Software Distribution
205 Cory Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 643-6687
email: [email protected]

This includes printed documentation, including installation instructions,
a user's guide, and manual pages. A handling fee (on the order of $250)
will be charged.

23: Lager (Current version 4.0):

(From MUG 18)

The LAGER system is a set of CAD tools for performing parameterized VLSI
design with a slant towards DSP applications (but not limited to DSP
applications). A standard cell library, datapath library, several module
generators and several pad libraries comprise the cell library. These
tools and libraries have originated from UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Missis-
sippi State, and ITD. The tool development has been funded by DARPA
under the Rapid Prototyping Contract headed by Bob Brodersen (UC Berke-
ley). LAGER 3.0 was described in MUG 15.

Send email to [email protected] if you are interested in obtaining
the toolset via FTP. If you cannot get the distribution via ftp then send
one 1/4" 600 ft. tape OR an 8 mm tape (Exabyte compatible) to Bob Reese
by phone at (601)-325-3670 or at one of the following addresses:

(US Mail Address)
P.O. Box 6176
Mississippi State, MS 39762

(FEDEX)
2 Research Boulevard
Starkville, MS 39759

Be sure to include a return FEDEX waybill we can use to ship your tape
back to you. Instead of sending a tape and FEDX waybill, you can also
just send us a check for $75 and we will send you back a tape. Make the
check payable to Mississippi State Univ. The tape will be written on a
high density tape drive (150 Mb). Older low density SUN tape drives (60
Mb) cannot read this format so you need to have access to one of SUN's
newer tape drives.

24: BLIS (Current version 2.0):

(From their announcement posted here)

BLIS (Behavior-to-Logic Interactive Synthesis) is an environment for the
synthesis of digital circuits from high-level descriptions. Version 2.0
supports functional-level synthesis starting from the ELLA hardware
description language. Other languages can easily be supported by inter-
facing a parser to the internal data-flow representation of BLIS.

BLIS is distributed through the Industrial Liason's Program (ILP) Office
of the UCB EECS department. The cost of $250 covers media and distribu-
tion charges. Binaries are provided for SUN4 and DEC MIPS architectures
but BLIS should compile on most other machines supported by the GNU C and
C++ compilers (e.g. HP, vax, etc). ELLA language documentation and simu-
lator are not supplied with the BLIS distribution, but can be obtained
from Computer General.

25: COSMOS and BDD

(From their announcement posted here)

Obtaining and installing COSMOS and BDD.

The COSMOS package generates switch-level simulators for MOS circuits.
The BDD package is a subset of COSMOS providing a set of library routines
for symbolic Boolean manipulation.

To obtain a copy of either COSMOS or BDD via FTP:

1. Create an appropriate subdirectory. For COSMOS, you may want to
create a symbolic link /usr/cosmos to this directory, although this is
not essential.

2. Connect to the subdirectory

3. FTP to ftp://n3.sp.cs.cmu.edu/usr/cosmos/ftp (login anonymous, pass-
word [email protected])

4. Type:

cd /usr/cosmos/ftp
ls

5. Select which version of the code you want. The files are named
bdd.XXX.YYY.tar.Z and cosmos.XXX.YYY.tar.Z, where XXX.YYY is the ver-
sion number. Generally you should select the highest numbered ver-
sion.

6. 6. Type:
get <FILE> (where <FILE> is the file name of the selected ver-
sion).
get README
quit

7. Follow the instructions in README

8. Send the following information to [email protected]

Your name
Your postal address
Your net address
The file retrieved
The date of your retrieval

COSMOS and BDD are made available with the understanding that no part of
it will be redistributed further without permission.

Last updated 18 July 1991 by Derek Beatty.

26: ITEM

(Taken from the item.news file contained in the package:)

The first public release of ITEM, UCSC's logic minimizer using if-then-
else DAGs, was made 2 January 1991. The system is available by anonymous
ftp from ftp://ftp.cse.ucsc.edu/pub/item/item.tar.Z . Also available are
tech reports about the algorithms and data structures (88-28, 88-29, and
90-43).

ITEM can also be found at ftp://ftp.cse.ucsc.edu/pub/item directory.

27: PADS logic/PADS PCB:

While this is a commercial product, they have just recently made avail-
able a shareware version. This version is fully functional and indenti-
cal to their schematic capture and PCB autoplace and route software
except that it is limited to about 50 components. It is available for
IBM PC/PC compatibles directly from PADS, or from anynonmous ftp at
several sites including
<URL:ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/ibmpc/simtel/cad/pads*.zip>.
There is a $50 registration fee if you would like to get future updates
from them.

28: Another PCB Layout Package:

(from Randy Nevin <[email protected]>:)

I am distributing a freely-copyable printed circuit board (pcb) autorout-
ing software package called PCBCAD. It runs on PC-compatible computers,
and requires EGA resolution. All source code is included. It contains: a
"ratnest" viewer, autorouters for 1- and 2-layer boards, a board viewer,
hard copy output programs for hp laserjet and postscript printers, and a
DXF converter (autocad). For more background on autorouting, see the
related article published in the September 1989 Dr. Dobb's Journal. In a
nutshell, what you do is create an ascii file which describes your cir-
cuit, feed it to the autorouter, and the circuit will be routed for you.
To receive the programs, send a stamped, self-addressed floppy mailer and
a floppy to:

Randy Nevin,
24135 SE 16th PL
Issaquah, WA 98029, USA
internet: [email protected].

The programs are also available via ftp from

<URL:ftp://oak.oak.and.edu/SimTel/msdos/cad/pcbca110.zip>
<URL:ftp://oak.oak.and.edu/SimTel/msdos/cad/pcbcattl.zip>

29: Magic (Current version 6.5):

This is a polygon based lsi layout editor. It is capable of reading and
writing magic, calma (version 3.0, corresponding to GDS II Release 5.1),
and cif. It is available for anonymous ftp from
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/DEC/magic .

Linux versions of magic are available from the standard linux mirror
archives, such as ftp://dorm.rutgers.edu/pub/linux/sources/usr.bin.X11/
[128.6.18.15]:

ftp://dorm.rutgers.edu/pub/linux/sources/usr.bin.X11/magicp3-src.tar.gz
ftp://dorm.rutgers.edu/pub/linux/sources/usr.bin.X11/magic63p3-run.tar.gz

A short summary of the problems people have experienced in using Magic
6.3 under Linux is available:

ftp://magnet.fsu.edu/users/murali/magic6.3-summary

(from Bob Mayo <[email protected]>)

Magic 6.4 is a minor update of magic. It includes the patches from the
6.3 notes series, as well as ports to Digital's Alpha AXP OSF/1 worksta-
tions (courtesy of Stefanos Sidiropoulos) and to Linux on a PC (courtesy
of Harold Levy).

This release includes an updated copy (version 9.2) of Stanford's Irsim
program, as well as scmos tech files (version 8.0.0) from MOSIS.

The easiest way to get magic is via the World Wide Web:

<URL:http://www.research.digital.com/wrl/magic/magic.html>

If you don't have web access, use anonymous FTP from gatekeeper.dec.com
in the directory pub/DEC/magic/6.4. This directory also include the file
irsim-9.2.tar.Z.

(from Tom Burd <[email protected]>)

If you have layout you can extract, try using irsim-cap, a modified ver-
sion of irsim. switched level simulation gives results close to spice
(within 20% for certain (rail-to-rail) circuits... CMOS, nora, domino,
etc. stuff like CPL, some differential logic styles, etc. gives irsim
problems in its estimation). And it is _much_ faster than SPICE. We
simulate upwards of 100k xsistor chips, but it takes a good CPU and lots
of memory. You can download
such:<URL:ftp://infopad.eecs.berkeley.edu/pub/irsim-cap.tar.Z>

(from comp.lsi.cad)

Newer versions of magic (6.5) and irsim (9.4) are now available through
the magic web page:

<URL:http://www.research.digital.com/wrl/projects/magic/magic.html>

Magic 6.5 is yet another upgrade of magic. It includes all patches posted
since the introduction of 6.4.4 and integrates ports to Solaris and
Free-BSD. Additionally it includes:

New versions of ext2sim and ext2spice.
Cif/Calma enhancements
DRC enhancements
Some new commands.
The latest version of the mosis technology file.

Magic-6.5 is distributed with irsim-9.4. This new version deals with the
sim file format produced by magic-6.5 and it also includes support for
power estimation and writing user modules in C.

The system has been compiled and tested in a number of systems (solaris,
irix, ultrix, linux, sunos, hpux to name a few). However the usuall dis-
claimers about the no-maintenance mode apply: I can't promise that I will
fix any bugs (which I am sure that exist) but I will do my best.

Comments and bug reports/patches should be posted to the magic hypermail
archive: [email protected]

30: PSpice:

This is a commercial product, however, they do have a student version
that is available (limited to around 16 transistors).

PC dos version 5.0a:
ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/electric/pspice5a.zip
ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/electric/pspice5b.zip

PC windows3 version 5.1:
ftp://ftp.cica.indiana.edu/pub/pc/win3/util/pspice1.zip
ftp://ftp.cica.indiana.edu/pub/pc/win3/util/pspice2.zip

Mac version 5.1:
ftp://sumex-aim.stanford.edu/info-mac/app/pspice-51.hqx

The PC version is also available at a number of U.S. and non-U.S. sites.

PSPICE 6.0

(from Jonathan Layes <[email protected]>)

An evaluation version of PSpice 6.0 for DOS and Windows 3.1 is now avail-
able.

PC dos version 6.0:
<URL:ftp://bode.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/electrical/win3/spice6d1.zip>
<URL:ftp://bode.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/electrical/win3/spice6d2.zip>

PC windows3.1 version 6.0:
<URL:ftp://bode.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/electrical/win3/spice6w1.zip>
<URL:ftp://bode.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/electrical/win3/spice6w2.zip>
<URL:ftp://bode.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/electrical/win3/spice6w3.zip>

PC explode disk:
<URL:ftp://bode.ee.ualberta.ca/pub/electrical/win3/spice6ed.zip>

The incoming directory is not directly readable, but files can still be
read via FTP. These will be moved ot a more appropriate directory, prob-
ably pub/cookbook/softw/msdos.

PSPICE 6.2

(from Richard Nekus<[email protected]>)

Evaluation versions of the circuit simulator and schematic editor are
available with the following limitations:

These device limitations apply:

- 64 analog nodes
- or, 10 transistors (any combinationn of B, M, Q, or J devices)
- or, 2 opamps
- or, 10 transmission lines (up to 4 coupled)
- or, 65 digital primitive devices
- or, logic output transitions limited to 10000
- or, logic expression primitives limited to 36 I/O pins
- or, any combination of the above (which will result in a
lower allowable number of each)

Additional limitations include:

- device characterization for diodes only
- stimulus generation for sine waves only
- libraries with approximately 22 analog and 140 digital parts
- synthesis of up to 3rd order filters

Schematic Editor limitations include: