lawitzke@eecae.UUCP (John Lawitzke) (09/15/87)
Does anyone know of a version of VHDL that will run under 4.2BSD? As I
understand it, the official source for it is the US Army LABCOM.
However, they only have a VMS version that requires VAX ADA to be
installed. Ideally, I'd like a version that doesn't require ADA or
at least not VAX ADA. However, we will eventually be getting ADA for
4.2BSD so I'll accept a VHDL that needs ADA.
--
j UUCP: ...ihnp4!msudoc!eecae!lawitzke
ARPA: lawitzke@eecae.ee.msu.edu (35.8.8.151)savage@ssc-vax.UUCP (09/18/87)
Background (for those other who read this): VHDL stands for "VHSIC Hardware Description Language". (VHSIC stands for "Very High Speed Integrated Circuit" and is the name of a Department of Defense (DoD) program to improve the technology of electronic systems.) A hardware description language (HDL) is something akin to a programming language which has a model of the world that makes is easy to describe the behavior and structure of electronic hardware. Usually, HDLs are loosely based on programming languages--VHDL is based on Ada. First question: which VHDL? There is VHDL, version 7.2 developed by Intermetrics under contract from the DoD, and there is the IEEE draft standard of VHDL (which will probably become official in 12/87). The two are incompatible (just in case you hadn't figured that out :-). Currently, the only VHDL software available is the Intermetrics software developed under the above-mentioned contract (we have two installations here in Boeing), and a few other software programs which add other capabilities to the Intermetrics software. The software consists of a VHDL Analyzer (roughly equivalent to the first pass of a compiler), a Model Generator (roughly equivalent to the code-generation pass of a compiler), a VHDL simulation generator (r.e. to a link-editor), a Simplifier (which flattens a design for "more efficient simulation"), and a Design Library Manager (to keep track of all the intermediate files that all of the above programs generate and use). The Model Generator actually generates Ada source code and compiles it using the DEC Ada compiler and the simulation generator just links it with a simulation kernel that has already been compiled. This is probably the software referred to by John Lawitzke as available from the US Army LABCOM. (You can also get it directly from Intermetrics--if you really want to pay the big bucks. Of course, if you don't, you still have to figure out how to use it--see the discussion on corporate contributions to educational institutions in comp.edu for some interesting perspectives.) Intermetrics now has another contract to help develop a UNIX version of this software for the Canadian Armed Forces and to develop a set of tools to support the IEEE standard. The first installment--for a subset of the IEEE language--is supposed to come out at the end of this month (I think). The nice news (especially for John) is that the code generated is in C (not Ada! and yes, this is a DoD contract), so it should work pretty well with your standard C compiler. It will probably still require VMS (:-( ), but that should also pass. Next year, there will be several companies out with VHDL simulators. I would tell you who and when, but the people I have talked to have asked me to keep the info in my company. Would it be appropriate for someone from the companies involved to put out a message on the net saying: "We will have a VHDL simulator. Call X. Xson at (###)###-#### for more info."? That shouldn't cross the line between public service and commercialization, but then I'm not a lawyer.... Whew! I didn't think it would get that long--hope it helps. I'm still trying to get my company to have the right opinion, so obviously, I only speak for myself. Lowell Savage uw-beaver!ssc-vax!savage (206) 773-1996
carpent@SRC.Honeywell.COM (Todd Carpenter) (10/27/90)
Does anyone know of an ftp site for a VHDL-mode environment for GNU Emacs?
(Something like c-mode would be wonderful - helpful yet unobtrusive)
email, please. I am certainly willing to forward anything I find, or if
sufficient interest a followup, I will do so.
Thanks!
And yes, a comp.lang.vhdl group *would* be an appropriate place to post
questions of this nature. If only there were such a group...
Todd P. Carpenter Honeywell Systems and Research Center
voice: (612)782-7229 3660 Technology Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55418-1006
domain: carpent@src.honeywell.com or Arkon%kryl@src.honeywell.com
bang-style: <any-smart-host>!srcsip!carpent Citadel: US 612 699 3106 (Kryl)
User Manual, p34, line 5: I am not authorized to have any opinions.