Electronic Design UPDATE: March 24, 2004

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine 
PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com
March 24, 2004
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http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZX0Ag
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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Editor's View
  * Your Tax Dollars At Work: NSA Makes Linux More Secure
2. Focus On Power
  * Hot-Swap Power Controllers Aim At Telecom, Networking Apps
3. News From The Editors
  * Quad-Data-Rate SRAMs Deliver Highest Capacity, Bandwidth
  * Name Change Helps Define Change In Product Direction
  * Robots Lose, But Technology Wins
4. Upcoming Industry Events
  * 3D Architectures for Semiconductor Integration and Packaging
  * International Symposium on Physical Design
  * Semicon Europa, including MEMS Manufacturing and Packaging Forum
  * IEEE Workshop on Electronic Design Processes
5. Magazine Highlights: March 15, 2004
  * Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- Design Autopsy: Dissecting The 
    Costs
  * Conference Preview -- Boards, Software, Serial Buses -- A Busy ESC 
    Covers It All
  * Technology Report -- New Breed Of ASICs Melds The Best Of Two Worlds
  * Leapfrog: First Look -- Adaptive Logic Molds Faster, More Efficient 
    FPGAs
  * Leapfrog: First Look -- Go Concurrent, Not Sequential, In ESL SoC 
    Design
  * Design View / Design Solution -- When Is It Best To Use VXI, PXI, Or 
    GPIB For Your System?
  
Electronic Design UPDATE edited by John Novellino

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*****

TOMORROW!

Attend the PowerDesign365 "Why Factorized Power Architecture?" webcast 
on March 25 at 12:00 p.m. EST. New distributed power technology has 
raised interest and questions in the industry. What are the real 
benefits of this new system? Will OEMs take a risk on the new 
technology? This will be the first open forum for a discussion on this 
topic. Only PowerDesign365 registrants will be able to attend this 
webcast. To join now, go to http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BFSC0AD 

*****

Can't get to the Embedded Systems Conference? Bring the ESC show to your 
desktop via Electronic Design's Inside Embedded webcast. 
Embedded/Systems/Software Editor William Wong gives you the ESC lowdown, 
direct from the show. Sign up now to join the FREE webcast. Hear the hot 
market trends and see the showstopping new products direct from the 
Embedded Systems Conference on April 1 (no fooling!) at 12:00 noon EST.

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Also, visit our Job Board at http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BEmq0AO 
which ties to the Defense Talent Network for thousands of defense, 
aerospace, and homeland security postings.

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1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
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Your Tax Dollars At Work: NSA Makes Linux More Secure

By William Wong, Embedded/Systems/Software Editor

The National Security Agency (NSA) has its own brand of Linux called 
SELinux (Security Enhanced Linux). It is actually an ongoing research 
project to enhance the security of the Linux kernel to meet the NSA's 
demanding requirements. The latest release brings this support to the 
current 2.6 Linux production kernel. Prior to this, SELinux was based on 
the 2.4 kernel. Although SELinux is a research prototype, Linux 
distribution companies have indicated they will deploy these 
enhancements in future products. For example, Red Hat will implement 
this functionality in its next Red Hat Enterprise Linux release. SELinux 
is distributed using the open-source GPL (General Public License).
   SELinux is significant from a couple of standpoints. It is a major 
improvement over Linux's standard security mechanism. It adds 
mandatory access controls and access control policies. It also 
delivers multilevel security support, providing system managers more 
control when partitioning a system. It is designed to prevent 
malicious and accidental security breaches.
   SELinux features are critical in enterprise systems, but they also 
can be used in embedded systems. To some degree, it is comparable to 
the software partitioning provided by Arinc 653. This standard 
includes an application partitioning scheme that is more static than 
SELinux, but the importance of Arinc 653 in safety-critical and 
high-reliability environments highlights the need for SELinux type 
features in networked, embedded applications.
   Given Linux's importance in the embedded arena, designers would do 
well to investigate the NSA version's features. Security provisions 
in most embedded devices are still in their infancy, but with 
increased connectivity via the Internet and the use of downloaded 
applications it is imperative that developers provide the kind of 
partitioned security that SELinux offers. SELinux foregoes the 
standard Linux root superuser account.
   Those unfamiliar with SELinux should keep in mind that it is not 
designed to be distributed for general use like SuSE, Red Hat, or 
Mandrake. Rather, SELinux focuses on a narrow aspect of security. In 
fact, the SELinux additions are delivered as source code that will 
take a Linux expert to install on a standard Linux system. Embedded 
developers needing this type of support will have to turn to embedded 
Linux distributions like those from Monta Vista and Timesys. Of 
course, there is always the option to roll your own.
   How will this impact other embedded operating systems? In some 
instances, features similar to this are already available. But for 
most, this level of partitioning and policy-based security will have 
to be added. Developer demand will drive enhancements in this area.
   There remains much to do in the SELinux project. As with most 
open-source projects, a wide range of developers is working on 
various aspects of the project. Using the latest version of Linux as 
a base is key to keeping SELinux relevant, so this latest 
announcement is very good news.
   Following the SELinux project has been interesting. There are some 
who feel that the project competes with commercial interests, but the 
government supports a wide range of research projects. Many bear 
fruit that is often far removed from its original intent. The 
Internet is a key example of this. For more information, go to 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZO0AX . 

To comment on this Editor's View, go to Reader Comments at the foot of 
the Web page:

Electronic Design UPDATE ==> 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZP0AY

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2. Focus On Power
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***Hot-Swap Power Controllers Aim At Telecom, Networking Apps
A family of eight highly integrated, hot-swap power controllers 
specifically targets telecom, networking, and datacom line card 
applications. The MIC2589 and MIC2595, which come in 14-pin SOIC 
packages, operate from -19 to -80 V with 100-V surge protection. The 
devices control an external N-channel MOSFET to provide inrush-current 
limiting and overcurrent protection with a minimum of other components. 
They also provide separate "power-is-good" control outputs for multiple 
dc-dc power converters. These outputs are time-staggered and 
programmable by an external capacitor. The MIC2589R and MIC2595R 
versions have an auto-retry feature that will continue to attempt to 
restart the load in the event of a fault condition. Two versions with 
reduced feature sets, the MIC2588 and MIC2594, come in space-saving 
eight-pin SOIC packages. The 14-pin controllers cost $2.38 each in 
10,000-unit lots.
     Micrel Semiconductor ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0qFZ0Ay 
 
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3. News -- From The Editors
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***Quad-Data-Rate SRAMs Deliver Highest Capacity, Bandwidth
The highest-bandwidth, highest-density static RAMs are now sampling. The 
family of 72-Mbit quad-data-rate II (QDR II) and double-data-rate II 
(DDR II) SRAMs deliver up to 50% more system-level bandwidth and 
accelerate read/write capabilities in a variety of data-intensive 
applications. Storage capacity is more than twice that of previous QDR 
II/DDR II SRAMs. The memories come in speed grades from 167 to 200 MHz 
(eventually 250 MHz). Versions will be available in 4-Mword by 18-bit, 
8-Mword by 9-bit, and 2-Mword by 36-bit organizations. The 4-M by 18 and 
8-M by 9 versions are available with a burst of 2 words interface, the 
2-M by 36-bit version with a burst of 4 capability. The DDR II version 
is available with a burst of 2 and separate I/O options. The CY7C15XXV18 
family supports the LA-1 bus interface, which is used by a wide array of 
network processors, and the DDR-II SRAM interface, which is used by most 
of the remaining network processors. Housed in 165-contact FBGAs that 
measure 15 by 17 mm, the memories consume between 1.5 and 2 W when 
powered by a 1.8-V supply, depending on speed grade and I/O option. In 
lots of 10,000, prices start at $145 apiece for the CY7C1512V18 4-Mword 
by 18-bit device.
     Cypress Semiconductor Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0pcG0A8 

***Name Change Helps Define Change In Product Direction
In an effort to redefine its ASIC product capabilities and 
implementation services, Chip Express has renamed itself ChipX to 
indicate its ability to provide ASIC design on a family of structured 
ASIC platforms. The company has moved away from its initial 
fast-turnaround ASIC service using laser configuration and now is 
focused on supporting companies implementing designs with families of 
structured ASICs. The latest such devices are its CX5000 family of 
180-nm based chips, which offer from 44k to 1.8M useable gates and up to 
2.6 Mbits of memory. To date, the company has implemented 34 structured 
ASIC designs for customers, and many more designs are in the pipeline.
     ChipX ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZQ0AZ

***Robots Lose, But Technology Wins
It was a bold idea. Offer a million dollars to the first team to build 
an autonomous vehicle that could race from California to Las Vegas in 
less than 10 hours. Unfortunately, no one claimed the prize. Twenty-five 
teams entered DARPA's Grand Challenge, which took place on March 13. 
However, only 15 actually qualified to tackle the 142-mile course from 
Barstow, Calif., to Primm, Nevada. None came close to finishing the 
course. Two withdrew prior to the start of the race. Three didn't even 
make it out of the starting area. The others had varying degrees of 
success. The "Sandstorm" from the Red Team, a group of students from 
Carnegie Melon, got the farthest. It crossed 7.4 miles before veering 
off course and getting stuck on a berm. While nobody took the prize, the 
event was "a most important first step in a long journey," said Anthony 
Tether, director of DARPA. "We learned a tremendous amount today about 
autonomous ground vehicle technology." This truly is significant, as the 
Department of Defense aims to convert a third of all ground combat 
vehicles to unmanned vehicles by 2015. DARPA expects to hold the Grand 
Challenge again.

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4. Upcoming Industry Events
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Apr. 13-15, 3D Architectures for Semiconductor Integration and Packaging
San Francisco, Calif.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGCY0AK 

Apr. 18-21, International Symposium on Physical Design (ISPD)
Phoenix, Ariz.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BFpM0Aq 

Apr. 20-22, Semicon Europa, including MEMS Manufacturing and Packaging 
Forum
Munich, Germany
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZY0Ah 

Apr. 25-27, IEEE Workshop on Electronic Design Processes
Monterey, Calif.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZS0Ab

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5. Magazine Highlights
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In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our most 
recent issue.

March 15, 2004:

* Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- Design Autopsy: Dissecting The 
  Costs
Using a cell phone as an example, this teardown analysis reveals 
opportunities to cut expenses from the bill of materials, despite the 
seemingly endless parade of new features.

* Conference Preview -- Embedded Systems Conference
Boards, Software, Serial Buses -- A Busy ESC Covers It All

* Technology Report -- New Breed Of ASICs Melds The Best Of Two Worlds
Thanks to faster turnaround times and lower development costs than full 
custom ASICs, platform/structured ASICs bring stiff competition to FPGAs 
and ASICs.

* Leapfrog: First Look -- Adaptive Logic Molds Faster, More Efficient 
  FPGAs
With a 50% speed hike and 25% boost in logic efficiency over previous 
Stratix devices, the Stratix II family of FPGAs lets designers cram more 
high-performance logic into less logic area.

* Leapfrog: First Look -- Go Concurrent, Not Sequential, In ESL SoC 
  Design
Virtual platforms are proving to be an adept means of driving true 
hardware/software co-design.

* Design View / Design Solution -- When Is It Best To Use VXI, PXI, Or 
  GPIB For Your System?

For the complete Table of Contents, go to 
Electronic Design ==> 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/efAw0Gl4E70EmQ0BGZT0Ac

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
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Editorial: Lucinda Mattera, Associate Chief Editor:
mailto:[email protected]

Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities: Bill Baumann, Associate 
Publisher: 
mailto:[email protected]
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