# Alliance VLSI CAD System
#
# Home page          : http://www-asim.lip6.fr/alliance/
# E-mail support     : mailto:alliance-support@asim.lip6.fr
# ftp sites          : ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/lip6/softs/alliance/
#                   or ftp://ftp-asim.lip6.fr/pub/alliance/
#
# $Id: FAQ,v 1.1 1999/05/31 17:11:53 czo Exp $

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
This file contains the basic pointers to
the different documents or manuals found in this release.

Question  1: What is ALLIANCE ?
Question  2: What is ALLIANCE general copyright policy ?
Question  3: How to install ALLIANCE ?
Question  4: How to get started ?
Question  5: What are the differences with the previous releases ?
Question  6: What is the supported VHDL subset ?
Question  7: What is the available online documentation ?
Question  8: Where are defined the symbolic layout rules ?
Question  9: How is performed the mapping to a target process ?
Question 10: How can I get a complete paper documentation ?
Question 11: What are the supported file formats ?
Question 12: How can I get in touch with the ALLIANCE team ?


Question 1: What is ALLIANCE ?
------------------------------

You can read a general description of the ALLIANCE tools and libraries
by printing the PostScript files overview.ps located in the root 
directory:

> lpr overview.ps


Question 2: What is ALLIANCE general copyright policy ?
-------------------------------------------------------

"Alliance VLSI CAD System" is free Software.

Unlike versions of Alliance up to 3.1 that where released
including sources, version 3.2 and up will not be available
with the source code.

Source is however still available, but only upon request to
alliance-support@lip6.fr. The release of the source is now
subject to a non disclosure agreement.

You are welcome to use the software package even for commercial 
designs whithout any fee. You are just required to mention : 
"Designed with Alliance CAD system"

> more LICENCE

Question 3: How to install ALLIANCE ?
-------------------------------------

Binary packcages are available for :
	- i386 Linux_elf
	- sparc SunOS 4.1.1
	- sparc Solaris 5.5.1
To install Alliance follow the steps written in README

> more README

Question 4: How to get started ?
--------------------------------

You can find 3 separate tutorials in the tutorials directory:
(Read overview.ps)

1/ ADDACCU
   The design of a very simple chip (adder/accumulator) to get started
   with the ALLIANCE tools.

   >cd tutorials/addaccu

2/ AMD2901
   The design of the 4 bits AMD2901 processor, from the VHDL specification to
   the CIF layout, using the ALLIANCE portable standard cells library.

   >cd tutorials/amd2901

3/ Data Path
   Building simple data paths using on a procedural data path generator
   (fpgen) and a data path place and route tool (dpr).

   >cd tutorials/fitpath

Question 5: What are the differences with the previous releases ?
----------------------------------------------------------------

The new features of this release are described in the CHANGES file:

> more CHANGES

Question 6: What is the supported VHDL subset ?
-----------------------------------------------

You can find a general presentation of the VHDL subset by issuing the
following commands:

> man vhdl

This gives you an hint about the supported VHDL subset.
There is actually three separate architectures types: "Structural",
"Data-flow", and "Finite-State-Machine"

> man vst

This gives you the VHDL subset supported for structural descriptions.

> man vbe

This gives you the data-flow behavioral subset supported by the simulator
ASIMUT, the logic synthesis tools BOP and SCMAP and the formal prover PROOF.

> man fsm

This gives you the VHDL subset used for Finite-State-Machine description
and supported by the FSM synthesis tool SYF.

Question 7: What is the available online documentation ?
--------------------------------------------------------

Each tools has its own manual.
All the tools rely on the use of environment variables: all the relevant
variables are listed in the `ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES' section of the manual
page.

1) tools
--------


> man asimut      # VHDL simulator
> man bbr         # channel router
> man dpr         # data-path place & route
> man dreal       # real layout viewer
> man druc        # design rule checker
> man fpgen       # procedural data-path generation language
> man fpmap       # logic synthesis tool for FPGA
> man genlib      # procedural net-list generation language
> man genpat      # procedural pattern generation language
> man genview     # interactive block genreator debugger
> man graal       # graphic layout editor
> man l2p         # layout to postcript translation tool
> man bop         # boolean optimizer
> man lvx         # net-list comparator
> man lynx        # layout extractor
> man glop        # net-list optimiser
> man proof       # VHDL description's formal proover
> man ring        # router between core & pads
> man s2r         # symbolic layout to real mask expander
> man scmap       # standard cell mapping
> man scr         # standard cells place & route
> man syf         # finite state machine synthesis tool
> man tas         # static timing analyser
> man yagle       # functional abstractor

2) cell libraries
-----------------

> man sclib       # standard cells library
> man dplib       # data path cells library
> man fplib       # data path cells library
> man padlib      # pad library
> man rsa         # fast adder generator
> man bsg         # barrel shifter generator
> man amg         # multiplier generator
> man rfg         # register file generator
> man grog        # high speed ROM generator
> man rage        # static RAM generator

3) ALLIANCE file formats
------------------------

> man vhdl        # VHDL overview
> man vst         # VHDL subset for net-list
> man vbe         # VHDL subset for data-flow
> man fsm         # VHDL subset for finite-state-machine
> man al          # internal ALLIANCE netlist
> man ap          # internal ALLIANCE symbolic layout
> man pat         # internal ALLIANCE pattern description

4) miscellaneous
----------------

> man catal       # use of the catalog file
> man prol        # technology file
> man mbkenv      # main environement variables


Question 8:  Where are defined the symbolic layout rules ?
----------------------------------------------------------

The symbolic layout rules are specified in the Design Rule Checker
documentation:

> man druc

Question 9:  How is performed the mapping to a target process ?
---------------------------------------------------------------

The actual conversion is performed by the s2r tool:

> man s2r

If you want to parameterize the S2R tool to a new target technology,
you must write a technology file. The method is described in the
postscript file doc/misc/process_mapping.ps

> lpr doc/misc/process_mapping.ps

Question 10: How can I get a complete paper documentation ?
-----------------------------------------------------------

We are making a printed documentation of all manuals of the
ALLIANCE tools. It will be available soon.


Question 11: What are the supported file formats ?
--------------------------------------------------

ALLIANCE tools are interfaced to generic data-structures that
support various standard file formats, thanks to a set of
specialized parsers/drivers.
UNIX environment variables are used to select one particular file format.
For a given entity, the file format is defined by the file extension.

1/ symbolic layout view

ALLIANCE          .ap       INPUT   OUTPUT
COMPASS           .cp       INPUT   OUTPUT

2/ physical layout view

CIF               .cif              OUTPUT
GDSII             .gds              OUTPUT

3/ netlist view

ALLIANCE          .al       INPUT   OUTPUT
SPICE             .spi      INPUT   OUTPUT
EDIF 2.0          .edi      INPUT   OUTPUT
VHDL              .vst      INPUT   OUTPUT
COMPASS           .hns      INPUT   OUTPUT
HILO              .cct              OUTPUT
VERILOG           .vlg              OUTPUT

4/ behavioural view

VHDL (data-flow)  .vbe      INPUT   OUTPUT
VHDL (FSM)        .fsm      INPUT


Question 12: How can I get in touch with the ALLIANCE team ?
------------------------------------------------------------

Look at the Alliance support Web pages
at http://www-asim.lip6.fr/alliance/support

You may get ALLIANCE by two distinct means:

       1) by anonymous FTP at ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/lip6/softs/alliance/

       2) by sending a blank tape (we can write DC 600A 60 MBytes,
          DC 6150 150 MBytes and ExaByte 8mm 2,3 GBytes) or a ZIP 100
          or blank CD-ROM with your complete affiliation to the 
          following address:

          Laboratoire ASIM/LIP6
          Tour 55-65, 2eme etage
          Université Pierre et Marie Curie
          4, Place Jussieu 75252 Paris Cedex 05,
          France

          Fax                : 33 1 44 27 62 86
          Home page          : http://www-asim.lip6.fr/alliance/support
          E-mail support     : mailto:alliance-support@asim.lip6.fr
          ftp sites          : ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/lip6/softs/alliance/  (faster mirror site)
                             : ftp://asim.lip6.fr/pub/alliance/        (primary site)


# EOF
