[ibis-macro] Re: IBIS model for SerDes IO - It is not achoice between AMS and AMI, it is a choice between AMS and IV-VT curves
- From: "Ian Dodd" <ian_dodd@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <Arpad_Muranyi@xxxxxxxxxx>, <ibis-macro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:57:27 -0600
Colin, Arpad,
It has been my experience that compilation of 'C' does not necessarily
provide good IP protection.
The 'C' language was designed when computing power was limited.
It was intended that its language constructs efficiently translate to early
(B10) microprocessor machine instructions.
In fact, many 'C' language constructs translate one to one to the machine
language instructions of modern microprocessors.
Many people are familiar with the use of machine language debug tools that
allow the user to single step through dissassembled machine code.
I personally used this technique to find the algorithms used in early
opertaing systems and reverse engineer them.
(at the time a consultant in the Seattle area did the same to find the
algorithms behind the CP/M operating ststem, he then created a copycat
operating system that he sold to Bill Gates who marketed it to IBM as MSDOS
...).
In my opinion, hard encryption and non disclossure agreements are far more
effective in protecting IP than 'C' compilation.
Ian
-----Original Message-----
From: ibis-macro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ibis-macro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Muranyi, Arpad
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:11 AM
To: ibis-macro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ibis-macro] Re: IBIS model for SerDes IO - It is not achoice
between AMS and AMI, it is a choice between AMS and IV-VT curves
Colin,
That is a good point. However, the latest VHDL
specification (P1076-2008-D4), which is currently
in the balloting stage at IEEE if I am not
mistaken, does have a section on IP protection
(Annex H). True, this is VHDL, and not VHDL-AMS,
but according to the VHDL-AMS workgroup, it is
expected that this specification will be applicable
to VHDL-AMS as well, and EDA vendors are expected
to implement it for their VHDL-AMS offerings as well.
Also, there is another, more general IP protection
effort for Electronic Design Intellectual Property
(P1735) which seems to be addressing these issues.
http://www.eda.org/twiki/bin/view.cgi/P1735/WebHome
So my hope is that these problems will be solved soon.
Arpad
======================================================
_____
From: colin_warwick@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:colin_warwick@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:52 AM
To: Muranyi, Arpad; ibis-macro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [ibis-macro] Re: IBIS model for SerDes IO - It is not achoice
between AMS and AMI, it is a choice between AMS and IV-VT curves
Hi Arpad,
You write:
"These languages are standard languages and there are multiple EDA tools
supporting them so there is no need to write the same model in multiple
languages. The only problem is that the *-AMS languages are not as widely
supported..."
There is another issue with AMS languages (and HSPICE netlists) in that the
encrypted version are (of necessity) proprietary. Encryption (or at least IP
hiding) is vital for model distribution. AMI uses the nature of the C
compilation process, which hides IP in cryptic (albeit not strictly
encrypted) machine code. AMS would require multiple versions of each, each
re-encrypted for each tool.
-- Colin
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