RE: PD tools for FPGA's/PLD's (Was: ASIC price/volume/performance )

Trei, Peter (ptrei@securitydynamics.com)
Fri, 19 Jun 1998 16:01:54 -0400

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          Ernest wrote:

> Are there public domain tools to compile/program FPGA's/PLD's?
>
> Do companies like Altera/Xilinx/Atmel publish enough programming specs
> to develop tools/compilers?
>
> Ern
>
        Kinda, sorta, yes and no. Something useful? Probably not.

        I looked into FPGAs for DES cracking in some considerable
        detail a few months ago. I lost a lot of enthusiasm when
        I realized that I'd need several hundred chips to equal
        d.n

        There are several affordable boards (~$500) for the smaller
        chips, but these can't support a Wiener style des cracker. The
        cheapest larger boards are around $1k and up.

        There are inexpensive 'student' versions of the development
        tools out there, but they can usually handle only the smaller
        and older parts.

        There is very little in the way of freeware. The manufacturers
        charge an arm and a leg for the full versions of the development
        tools, and obfuscate and/or encrypt the format of the data actually
        downloaded to the parts to protect their investment.

        Even the largest chips could only support a couple engines per
        chip, and 100MHz is considered fast for an FGPA. The largest
        chips are the most expensive, and require the full versions of
        the tools.

        The limiting factor seems to be the availability of routing
        resources, not the availability of gates. In a Wiener engine,
        you need to carry forward from round to round at least 120 bits
        of data.

        When you look at the data sheets, ignore the reported gate count.
        The critical number for our purposes is the number of 'sites' or
        'configurable logic blocks' (CLBs). A CLB generally has *one*
        selectable gate, a one bit register, and a limited supply of
        routing.

        Resources:

        http://www.optimagic.com/ general info, many links
        http://www.xilinx.com/apps/6200.htm check app note 106
        http://www.vcc.com/hotann.html an example development board
        http://www.sciam.com/0697issue/0697villasenor.html
                Sci. Am article on FPGAs. Interesting ideas on active
           reconfiguration. I've talked to the authors.

        For more general info, try:

        "Bebop to the Boolean Boogie :
                An Unconventional Guide to Electronic Fundamentals,
Components,
           and Processes"

        and

        "Designus Maximus"

        both by Clive Maxfield.

        These are excellent, readable books, and as a software guy I found
        them extremely valuable.

        Peter Trei

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