Evaluating Synthesis Tools

[sy...@prep.org]

EVALUATING DESIGN TOOLS

How good are your design tools?
Are they well suited for your work?
Are they worth what you pay for them?

PREP Corp. (the programmable logic benchmarking outfit) has been working
to provide standard means for you and your vendors to evaluate design
tools -- like how efficient are they in producing good performance or
small size in your designs.

But we now need your evaluations of what we have been doing.

The PREP Working Group 4 has determined (largely at the suggestion of the
EDA tool vendors) that the best means of evaluating tools is by using
"Test Benches." of "Real Designs"

Test Benches are much different than Benchmarks, which PREP is already
famous (infamous?) for. So don't let your mind jump down that branch.
We're talking about something a lot different here.

The objective is to provide Standard PREP Test Benches to the industry.
We think that designers can use them to compare design methodologies and
design tools as well as devices (even devices that aren't programmable).

PREP Test Benches are circuit functions described in an HDL but specified
to meet certain rigorous test requirements. The Test Bench describes the
stimulus/response of an accompanying HDL design. We are looking for "Real
Designs" from users.

The purpose is to save time for both designers and vendors. Having
Standard Test Benches will allow designers to compare the results of
designs by different tools and know the comparison is orange-to-orange.
Vendors can have designs done and ready for designers to look at.

However, to achieve these noble objectives the standard functions must be
similar to the functions designers are working with. They must be common
and important. And all of the. little details of specifying and
employing a standard must be done in the most user friendly way, or it
won't be used. These needs mean we need your inputs, donations of
functions and evaluations of candidate circuit functions -- from you, the
designer.

To get your inputs PREP has worked for months to get our homepage up and
working on the Web. We now have the means to communicate easily,
inexpensively and quickly with the EDA user community.

You will find information about this work at "www.prep.org." Look in the
"Synthesis Corner." There you will find a history of the Test Benches
developments, a specification on reporting results, Test Benches for the
nine (9) PREP Benchmarks and a RISC processor, and more.
PREP is also establishing a discussion group (list server system) for
those that want to comment, analyze the proposals or simply read all
the comments. You are invited to jump into www.prep.org and check out
this important project. Join it or just criticize it, but please give us
your opinions.

John Birkner

Chairman, PREP Working Group 4

sy...@prep.org