( ESNUG 293 Item 8 ) ---------------------------------------------- [6/10/98]
Subject: ( ESNUG 292 #2 ) There Are PCs That Can Handle BIG Designs
> Just read your EDA tools to Linux piece in EE Times, & I have one
> question: Where am I going to find a PC that will support 1-2Gb of RAM?
>
> In my corner of the ASIC universe, I still have tons of work to do at the
> GATE level. (Eeek, I said the G-word!) I have simulations & layouts that
> take the biggest, baddest Sun workstation that I can get my hands on. My
> current simulations won't run w/ under 512 Mb of RAM for batch simulations
> and interactive debug takes over that. My current Ultra 2 has 896 Mb & I
> expect to break that level by next year. I haven't seen a PC that can
> handle more than 256-512 Mb, and I don't know how efficiently NT or Linux
> can manage that amount of RAM either.
>
> I've run gate level sims (60K gates) on small designs on the NT box, but
> once you start back annotating, you're toast from the performance side.
> The delay calculation is a bummer, too.
>
> - [ The Artful Dodger ]
From: Steve Sherman <steve_sherman@3com.com>
Hi, John!
I hope I don't ruffle feathers here at work. But, I do want to reply to
this one ...
We solved this problem at one time by getting PC servers. Mine had 2
processors that could share 1 GB of memory. I ran simulations on it with
Model Tech on NT and it seemd to have comparable times versus the same
design on Model Tech on our Unix boxes. (Our tests showed the PC to
actually be a little faster at the time.) We bought my server from a major
vendor, even though I offered to build it myself. (I've built my own
systems at home and it's about an evening to set one up.) To stay in line
with what the company is doing, my group eventually went completely to Unix
boxes for simulation. But, initially we were using both Unix and PCs to
simulate our designs. I found that if you stay with industry standards
(tools common to Unix and Windows/DOS, C, Verilog and VHDL) portability
between platforms & operating systems can be more or less readily supported.
My impression is that in the future, successful design environments will
readily move between platforms, operating systems, languages and methods.
Engineers need to be able to master and move with the environments. It
will all be part of establishing and maintaining the balance necessary to
successfully compete in rapidly changing markets. I think engineers need
to learn to work with all of the de facto standards to compete and not tree
hug any one standard.
- Steve Sherman
3Com Boxboro, MA
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
From: "Cliff Whitmore" <cawhitmo@ingr.com>
John,
In response to "The Artful Dodger", here's a personal marketing plug for a
workstation-class "PC" that is well-suited to run LINUX and NT...
We are currently running Veribest simulations (under NT!) on Intergraph
workstations outfitted with 1 GB of RAM. The simulation data structure for
our RTL code is larger than 512 MB, which makes having 1 GB of memory quite
helpful.
- Cliff Whitmore
Intergraph Computer Systems
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
From: Gavin Brebner <gavin_brebner@grenoble.hp.com>
John,
Answer to this question can be found at :
http://www.hp.com/kayak/xu/
1 GB PC workstations are here.
- Gavin Brebner
Hewlett-Packard Grenoble, France
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