IBIS Macromodel Task Group

Meeting date: 21 Aug 2007

Members (asterisk for those attending):
* Ambrish Varma, Cadence Design Systems
* Arpad Muranyi, Mentor Graphics Corp.
  Barry Katz, SiSoft
* Bob Ross, Teraspeed Consulting Group
  David Banas, Xilinx
  Donald Telian, consultant
  Doug White, Cisco Systems
  Essaid Bensoudane, ST Microelectronics
  Ganesh Narayanaswamy, ST Micro
* Hemant Shah, Cadence Design Systems
  Ian Dodd
  Joe Abler, IBM
* John Angulo, Mentor Graphics
  John Shields, Mentor Graphics
  Ken Willis, Cadence Design Systems
  Kumar, Cadence Design Systems
  Lance Wang, Cadence Design Systems
  Luis Boluna, Cisco
* Michael Mirmak, Intel Corp.
* Mike LaBonte, Cisco Systems
* Mike Steinberger, SiSoft
  Patrick O'Halloran, Tiburon Design Automation
  Paul Fernando, NCSU
* Radek Biernacki, Agilent (EESof)
* Randy Wolff, Micron Technology
  Ray Comeau, Cadence Design Systems
* Richard Ward, Texas Instruments
  Sanjeev Gupta, Agilent
  Shangli Wu, Cadence
  Stephen Scearce, Cisco Systems
  Syed Huq, Cisco Systems
  Syed Sadeghi, ST Micro
* Todd Westerhoff, SiSoft
  Vikas Gupta, Xilinx
  Vuk Borich, Agilent
  Walter Katz, SiSoft

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Call for patent disclosure:

No one declared a patent.

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Opens:

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Review of ARs:

- Todd clarify "electrically isolated" in BIRD
  - TBD

- Write parameter passing syntax proposal for a possible BIRD
  - Left on AR list because the proposed BIRD may not cover all uses

- Arpad: Review the new macro library files.
  - TBD

- Ian send relevant papers on related IEEE work
  - TBD

- Michael M tentatively put the BIRD on the open forum agenda
  - Done
  - Thanks to Ambrish for catching it's absence the first time

- Mike L. send email list of active participants to Todd and Arpad
  - Done

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New Discussion:

We are done with cross testing of AMI simulators and models.

AMI Toolkit availablity:
- Cadence has to finish documentation before releasing.
- Toolkit should be released to the ibis-atm group for review first.
- How to release for review:
  - a) Post on web with limited notice, or
  - b) Send by email to specific people only
- Will be posted on ibis-atm website
- Notification will go to ibis-macro list

Parameter passing BIRD:
- Arpad trying to produce a newer format
- Ambrish presented his changes:
  - All info is on 1 "Executable" line within [Algorithmic Model] brackets.
  - If there are 3 OSes, then there will be 3 lines, for example.
- Arpad: Is an external parameter file required all the time?
  - Yes
  - No path is allowed in file name
- Mike S:
  - Usage and Type declarations may not be appropriate for reserved_parameters
  - These are hardcoded into the tools
- But some reserved parameters like Tx_Jitter can be any one of 3 types
- Could have checking to make sure reserved parameters are not the wrong type.
- Reserved parameters should have their own definitions that imply type
  - Will have to create new parameter names for input/output versions, etc.
  - This will increase the number of parameters.
- Ignore_bits can be both In and Out
  - A buffer might declare that some number of output bits are garbage
  - The simulator may tell the buffer that some input bits are garbage
- Walter has worked on figuring out which In/Out combinations are appropriate.
- We could put it in the document as a real table
  - Would require DOC/PDF format
  - Still can be saved as TXT

AR: SiSoft will propose a new reserved_parameter keyword table
AR: Ambrish send updated AMI BIRD proposal

How to present the AMI BIRD to the IBIS open forum:
- The BIRD is 18 pages
- A presentation to the IBIS open forum may help
- It would be best to avoid going through the BIRD page by page in the forum
- Hemant: The existing presentation probably needs more detail
- Bob: Once the BIRD is stable we can make an editorial pass
- Arpad: Submitting the BIRD this Friday may not buy us any time if it
  ends up needing revisions because it is not completely ready.
  - Once submitted the BIRD gets a number and is announced
  - BIRD has to be introduced at least 2 weeks before discussion can begin
- We agreed that Hemant would present at IBIS Friday

Can the Parameter Passing BIRD be used for general IBIS?
- Ambrish: probably needs changes

Next meeting: 28 Aug 2007 12:00pm PT