IC DESIGN HARDWARE/SOFTWARE COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOLS

ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PROBLEMS FACING SENIOR DESIGNERS AND DESIGN MANAGERS TODAY IS THAT OF INTERFACING BETWEEN THE VARIOUS TOOLS AND SYSTEMS THAT HAVE PROLIFERATED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS TO AID IN THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING LSI AND VLSI CHIPS, INCLUDING VHSIC AND ASIC. THE NUMBER OF WORK STATIONS, COMPUTERS, SOFTWARE PACKAGES, DATA FORMATS, FILE TRANSFER STANDARDS, PLOTTER INTERFACES, PRINTER INTERFACES, AND TESTER INTERFACES THAT HAVE COME INTO BEING IS FRIGHTENING AND GROWING. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE DOD HAS SPONSORED THE EIS PROGRAM AND INDUSTRY HAS INITIATED THE CAD FRAMEWORK INITIATIVE, BOTH HAVING THE GOAL OF ESTABLISHING SOME ORDER AND DEVELOPING STANDARDS FOR ADDRESSING THE COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL PROBLEMS, IN ADDITION TO OTHER ISSUES. THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL PROBLEM DIRECTLY AND TO RELATE THE ACTIVITY TO THE EIA AND CFI EFFORTS SO AS TO CAPITALIZE ON WORK THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE AND TO INSURE THAT THIS EFFORT DOES NOT GO OFF IN DIRECTIONS THAT WILL LIMIT ITS UTILITY AND APPLICABILITY.