Proposed Revision of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 172, VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL)

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 940386-4086]

RIN 0693-AB22

Proposed Revision of Federal Information Processing Standard

(FIPS) 172, VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL)

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This proposed revision of Federal Information Processing

Standard (FIPS) 172, VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), will

adopt the standard hardware description language of the ANSI/IEEE 1076-

1993, IEEE Standard VHDL Language Reference Manual. This proposed

revision is for use by computing professionals involved in high level

digital hardware specification, development and implementation.

Prior to submission of this proposed FIPS to the Secretary of

Commerce for review and approval, it is essential to assure that

consideration is given to the needs and views of manufacturers, the

public, and state and local governments. The purpose of this notice is

to solicit such views.

This proposed FIPS contains two sections: (1) An announcement

section, which provides information concerning the applicability,

implementation, and maintenance of the standard; and (2) a

specifications section which deals with the technical requirements of

the standard. Only the announcement section of the standard is provided

in this notice. Interested parties may obtain copies of the technical

specifications (ANSI/IEEE 1076-1993) from the IEEE Service Center, 445

Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, telephone 1-800-

678-4333.

DATES: Comments on this proposed FIPS must be received on or before

July 11, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the proposed FIPS should be sent

to: Director, Computer Systems Laboratory, ATTN: Proposed FIPS 172-1,

VHDL, Technology Building, room B-154, National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

Written comments received in response to this notice will be made

part of the public record and will be made available for inspection and

copying in the Central Reference and Records Inspection Facility, room

6020, Herbert C. Hoover Building, 14th Street between Pennsylvania and

Constitution Avenues, NW., Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. William H. Dashiell, National Institute of Standards and

Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, (301) 975-2490.

Dated: April 6, 1994.

Samuel Kramer,

Associate Director.

Proposed Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 172-1

(date) Announcing the Standards for VHSIC Hardware Description Language

(VHDL)

Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS)

are issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

after approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 111(d)

of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 as

amended by the Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law 100-235.

1. Name of Standard. VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL)

(FIPS PUB 172-1).

2. Category of Standard. Software Standard, Hardware Description

Language.

3. Explanation. This publication is a revision of FIPS PUB 172 and

supersedes that document in its entirety.

This publication announces the adoption of the Federal Information

Processing Standard (FIPS) for VHDL. This FIPS adopts American National

Standard Hardware Description Language VHDL (ANSI/IEEE 1076-1993) as

stipulated in the Specifications Section. The American National

Standard specifies the form and establishes the interpretation of

programs expressed in VHDL. The purpose of the standard is to promote

portability of VHDL programs for use on a variety of data processing

systems. The standard is used by implementors as the reference

authority in developing compilers, interpreters, analyzers, simulators

or other forms of high level language processors, and is used by

digital hardware designers, and by other computer professionals who

need to know the precise syntactic and semantic rules of the standard

and who need to provide specifications for digital hardware

descriptions.

4. Approving Authority. Secretary of Commerce.

5. Maintenance Agency. U.S. Department of Commerce, National

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Computer Systems

Laboratory (CSL).

6. Cross Index. ANSI/IEEE 1076-1993, IEEE Standard VHDL Language

Reference Manual.

7. Related Documents.

a. Federal Information Resources Management Regulations (FIRMR)

subpart 201.20.303, Standards, and subpart 201.39.1002, Federal

Standards.

b. Federal ADP and Telecommunications Standards Index, U.S. General

Services Administration, Information Resources Management Service,

April 1993 (updated periodically).

c. NIST, Validated Products List, NISTIR 5354 (republished

quarterly). Available by subscription from the National Technical

Information Service (NTIS).

d. FIPS PUB 29-2, Interpretation Procedures for FIPS Software, 14

September 1987.

8. Objectives. Federal standards for high level digital design

information and documentation languages permit Federal departments and

agencies to exercise more effective control over the design,

production, management, and maintenance of digital electronic systems.

The primary objectives of this Federal hardware description language

standard are:

--To encourage more effective utilization of design personnel by

ensuring that design skills acquired under one job are transportable to

other jobs, thereby reducing the cost of programmer retraining;

--To reduce the cost of design by achieving increased designer

productivity and design accuracy through the use of formal languages;

--To reduce the overall life cycle cost for digital systems by

establishing a common documentation language for the transfer of

digital design information across organizational boundaries;

--To protect the immense investment of digital hardware from

obsolescence by insuring to the maximal feasible extent that Federal

hardware description language standards are technically sound and that

subsequent revisions are compatible with the installed base.

--To reduce Federal inventory of electronic digital replacement parts.

--To increase the sources of supplies which can satisfy government

requirements for mission specific electronic digital components.

Government-wide attainment of the above objectives depends upon the

widespread availability and use of comprehensive and precise standard

language specifications.

9. Applicability.

a. Federal standards for hardware description languages are

applicable for the design and documentation of digital systems

developed for government use. This standard is suitable for use in the

following digital system applications:

--Primary design and documentation of digital systems, subsystems,

assemblies, hybrid components, and components;

--Formal specifications of digital systems throughout the procurement,

contracting and development process;

--Test generation for digital systems, subsystems, assemblies, hybrid

components, and components;

--Re-procurement and redesign of digital systems, subsystems,

assemblies, hybrid components, and components.

b. The use of FIPS hardware description languages applies when one

or more of the following situations exist:

--When using a formal language for specifying a formal design

specification for a complex digital system.

--The digital system is under constant revision during the development

process.

--It is desired to have the design understood by multiple groups, or

organizations.

--The system under development is to be designed by multiple groups, or

organizations.

--Accurate unambiguous specifications are required in the bid and

contracting process.

10. Specifications. The specifications for this standard are the

language specifications contained in ANSI/IEEE 1076-1993, IEEE Standard

VHDL Language Reference Manual.

This FIPS does not allow conforming implementations to extend the

language. A conforming implementation is one that does not allow

inclusion of substitute or additional language elements in order to

accomplish a feature of the language as specified in the language

standard. A conforming implementation is one which adheres to and

implements all of the language specifications contained in ANSI/IEEE

1076-1993 except where the language standard permits deviations and

which specifies conspicuously in a separate section in the conforming

implementation documentation all such permitted variations. Also, such

conformance shall be with default language processor system option

settings.

The ANSI/IEEE 1076-1993 document does not specify limits on the

size or complexity of programs, the results when the rules of the

standard fail to establish an interpretation, the means of supervisory

control programs, or the means of transforming programs for processing.

11. Implementation. The implementation of this standard involves

three areas of consideration: acquisition of VHDL processors,

interpretation of FIPS VHDL, and validation of VHDL processors.

11.1. Effective Date. This revised standard becomes effective three

(3) months after the publication in the Federal Register announcing

approval by the Secretary of Commerce. Prior to that date the

requirements of FIPS PUB 172 apply to Federal VHDL procurements. This

delayed effective date is intended to provide sufficient time for

implementors of FIPS PUB 172 to make enhancements necessary for

conformance of products to FIPS PUB 172-1. No further transitional

period is necessary.

11.2. Acquisition of Ada Processors. Conformance to FIPS VHDL

should be considered whether VHDL processors are developed internally,

acquired as part of an ADP system procurement, acquired by separate

procurement, used under an ADP leasing arrangement, or specified for

use in contracts for hardware description services. Recommended

terminology for procurement of FIPS Ada is contained in the U.S.

General Services Administration publication Federal ADP &

Telecommunications Standards Index, chapter 4 part 1.

11.3. Interpretation of FIPS VHDL. The National Institute of

Standards and Technology provides for the resolution of questions

regarding the specifications and requirements, and issues official

interpretations as needed. All questions about the interpretation of

this standard should be addressed to: Director, Computer Systems

Laboratory, ATTN: FIPS VHDL Interpretation, National Institute of

Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, Voice: 301-975-2490,

FAX: 301-948-6213.

11.4. Validation of VHDL Processors: The validation of VHDL

processors for conformance to this standard applies when NIST VHDL

validation procedures are available. At the present time NIST does not

have procedures for validating VHDL processors. NIST is currently

investigating methods which may be considered for validating processors

for conformance to this standard.

For further information contact: Director, Computer Systems

Laboratory, Attn: FIPS VHDL Validation, National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, (301) 975-2490.

12. Waivers.

Under certain exceptional circumstances, the heads of Federal

departments and agencies may approve waivers to Federal Information

Processing Standards (FIPS). The head of such agency may redelegate

such authority only to a senior official designated pursuant to section

3506(b) of Title 44, U.S. Code. Waivers shall be granted only when:

a. Compliance with a standard would adversely affect the

accomplishment of the mission of an operator of a Federal computer

system, or

b. Cause a major adverse financial impact on the operator which is

not offset by Government wide savings.

Agency heads may act upon a written waiver request containing the

information detailed above. Agency heads may also act without a written

waiver request when they determine that conditions for meeting the

standard cannot be met. Agency heads may approve waivers only by a

written decision which explains the basis on which the agency head made

the required finding(s). A copy of each such decision, with procurement

sensitive classified portions clearly identified, shall be sent to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology, ATTN: FIPS Waiver

Decisions, Technology Building, room B-154, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

In addition, notice of each waiver granted and each delegation of

authority to approve waivers shall be sent promptly to the Committee on

Government Operations of the House of Representatives and the Committee

on Governmental Affairs of the Senate and shall be published promptly

in the Federal Register.

When the determination on a waiver applies to the procurement of

equipment and/or services, a notice of the waiver determination must be

published in the Commerce Business Daily as a part of the notice of

solicitation for offers of an acquisition or, if the waiver

determination is made after that notice is published, by amendment to

such notice.

A copy of the waiver, any supporting documents, the document

approving the waiver and any supporting and accompanying documents,

with such deletions as the agency is authorized and decides to make

under 5 U.S.C. 552(b), shall be part of the procurement documentation

and retained by the agency.

13. Where to Obtain Copies. Copies of this publication are for

sale by the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of

Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161, telephone (703) 487-4650. (Sale of the

included specifications document is by arrangement with the American

National Standards Institute.) When ordering, refer to Federal

Information Processing Standards Publication 172-1 (FIPSPUB172-1), and

title. Payment may be made by check, money order, or deposit account.

[FR Doc. 94-8688 Filed 4-11-94; 8:45 am]

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