Minutes, IBIS Quality Task Group

28 September 2021

12:00-13:00 EST (09:00-10:00 PST)

ROLL CALL

ANSYS                               Curtis Clark
Intel Technology                    Michael Mirmak
Micron Technology                 * Randy Wolff
Signal Integrity Software:        * Mike LaBonte
Teraspeed Labs:                   * Bob Ross
Zuken USA:                        * Lance Wang

Everyone in attendance marked by *

NOTE: "AR" = Action Required.

-----------------------MINUTES ---------------------------
Mike LaBonte conducted the meeting.

Call for IBIS related patent disclosures:

- None


Call for opens:

- None


Review of previous meeting minutes:
Minutes from the September 21, 2021 meeting were reviewed.  Mike LaBonte said "Note done
yet" in the AR review should be "Not done yet".  Bob Ross moved to accept the minutes with
correction as noted.  Randy Wolff moved to seconded. Without objection, the minutes were
approved.


ARs:
- AR: Bob Ross to review QA suite results for IBISCHK710
  Not done yet.
- AR: Bob Ross to reply to IBISCHK developer questions
  Done.


NEW ITEMS:

New parser bug reports:
Bob Ross reported there were no new bug reports.


IBISCHK710 development:
Bob Ross said the developer would remove use of the VER4_1 preprocessor definition in the
source code.  Also there was a question about whether to ship 32 bit executables.  Mike
LaBonte showed an email on the topic.  In the email Mike had written that he felt it would
be OK to ship only 64 bit.  It was not known if 32 bit executables were being used.  Lance
Wang said only the 32 bit version could check 32 bit DLLs.  We agreed that 32 bit was
therefore needed.  Bob said he had already asked the developer to supply 32 bit
executables.

Mike said "VER4_1" conditionals had been used in the code to differentiate IBIS 4.1
checking from IBIS 4.0.  However, although we had separate makefiles for each release
starting with IBISCHK3, we had no ability to compile any other prior versions of IBISCHK,
because the required conditional code had not been written.  Bob said he had source code
distributions at least back to IBISCHK4, but they were not on the web server.

Bob said Boolean parameters would not be passed to IBIS-ISS sub-circuits.  He said an
error would be issued when a multi-lingual parameter line named a Boolean parameter, or if
an IBIS-ISS sub circuit named the parameter.  Mike asked if the IBIS specification said
Boolean was not allowed.  Bob said no, but the Editorial Task Group could clarify that
Boolean was disallowed.  Mike said it was not necessary to disallow it, and that a BIRD
could be written to specify that Boolean parameters would be passed to sub-circuits as 0
or 1 numeric values.  Bob said that would be improper. He felt it would be necessary for
simulators to directly support Boolean values.

Mike showed an email asking a question about [Circuit Call].  Bob said [Circuit Call]
would bring in only [External Circuit], not [External Model].  Mike asked if the latter
needed to be checked.  Bob said all three needed to be checked.  He added that we only
needed to determine whether values were string or numeric, and we would not support
equations in .subckt lines.  Randy Wolf agreed, saying equations could exist in the
sub-circuit but not on the .subckt line.

Bob said there would be a source code delivery delay of 1 to 2 weeks. The development
contract specified a September 10 deadline, but Bob felt we had underestimated the size of
the job.  Bob said the developer had gone beyond the contract requirements, taking the
time to report new bugs and to fix them.  Randy asked if an adjustment to the payment was
warranted.  We discussed policies to insure fair compensation, but would wait for a
request before seeking to authorize an additional payment.

AR: Bob Ross to upload prior IBISCHK source code distributions

Tabled topics (no discussion without motion):
  - BIRD181.2
  - IBISCHK security fixes


Bob Ross moved to adjourn. Lance Wang seconded. Without objection the meeting ended.

Meeting ended: 12:49 ET

Next meeting October 5, 2021
