specification of a product

To bring a product in the market, we first start with specification.

What does this specification mean for a digital circuits or systems like a SOC or IP ? What does a specification file of a digital SOC or IP contain?

Does a specification mean to describe all the pins of the SOC or IP? Does it man something else?

How to decide the specification of a product?

Specification is not only the pin structure but it also describes the limiting points of that ckt, how they can be operated, what are the features, design flow etc..Actually there are sooooo many things to be described...

Hi Crazy

Please state as many as you can state tghough they are so many. Do u have any good document on this? PLease provide in that case.

What do you mean by "they can be operated" and how design flow is a part of specification?

Regards

ASIC_intl,
You first start talking product specification, which is the first level. It should say the box will do XXX and have YYY features. This could be a long list.
This top level specification enables the lower level specifications to be created. They are derived from the top spec. A deivce spec, if it is stand alone is the top level spec. If the device is part of a system, then it is a derived spec. Some one has to create these specs, in a good company, they are created before you start. Others do it after the fact. For a device spec, you might have physical, functional and software requirements.
Like: pin votage levels, clock frequency, I/O timing. Interfaces: PCI, RS-232, JTAG, DDR RAM .... Software: Collect stats every 1 second, needs XXX processor, 2M on chip RAM.

Hope that helps some.
Sckoarn

Sckoarn

You have written "This top level specification enables the lower level specifications to be created. They are derived from the top spec."

What does a lower level specifications contain?

When you wrote that ........."For a device spec, you might have physical, functional and software requirements.
Like: pin votage levels, clock frequency, I/O timing. Interfaces: PCI, RS-232, JTAG, DDR RAM .... Software: Collect stats every 1 second, needs XXX processor, 2M on chip RAM". Do you want to mean that lower level specifications contain all this?

Is not the description of all pins of a device is also part of a specification?

Thanks & regards

ASIC_intl,
The top level is the Box your company is selling, like some IP switch or something. The lower level specs would be derived from what ever features your IP switch is to have. Lets say it has a high speed 10G optical interface and 64 standard 100M eithernet interfaces. This switch is to be made as small and low power as possible. (top level spec) Now you are not interested in the box, but the ASIC that will enable it all to fit in a small space. All the hardware outside your asic, has it's own specs. But because of our top spec, you can start deriving from it, the ASIC spec. We decide we can fit all the functionality in one ASIC except CPU main RAM and packet storage RAM. Those decisions just caused more functionality to be defined. You need RAM interfaces, as well as Data interfaces, the CPU will be on chip and the main design will be some kind of packet handler/router asisted by software.

Hope that short story helps.
Sckoarn

In your reply what is stated is not coming out clearly.

What is that top level spec you are talking of in "(top level spec) Now you are not interested in the box, but the ASIC that will enable it all to fit in a small space." What do u mean by the ASIC that will enable it all to fit in a small space in the above sentence? What is this ASIC here? Are you calling the top level BOx (IP Switch) as ASIC?

ASIC_intl,
As you stated at the start.
"To bring a product in the market, we first start with specification."
This is what I was refering to, the product, and as an example I picked a simple IP Switch. In my description, I gave enough details to define the outside and inside, small & lowpower. Because you are posting in the ASIC section of this forum, I thought we were talking ASIC.

Your next Q was.
"What does this specification mean for a digital circuits or systems like a SOC or IP ? What does a specification file of a digital SOC or IP contain?"
I attempted to show how the top level spec caused the ASIC spec to be started. We want to do an ASIC because of size and power requirements. The example shows how we decided to put all big RAMs outside the ASIC. Hence more specification can be created.

Your other qestion.
"Does a specification mean to describe all the pins of the SOC or IP? Does it man something else? "
There were several responces to this, as well as my additional comments.

Lastly you ask.
"How to decide the specification of a product? "
In my example, the product spec came from my head. In real life, some product manager and or sales person will see a need and will specify at the top level what the new product will do. So, it is usually people that know the line of work/tech area, from a customers point of view, that generates the initial product requirements.

In my example product, I would assume there is some electronics between the edge of the box and the ASIC. The ASIC is the product function, everything around it is supporting tech. Conversion of the optical signal, power .... and so on.

Hope that clears it up some.
Sckoarn

You are right that I am talking of ASIC here. Everything is mixed up to me now and hence not clear. It will be clear if you kindly answer the following questions seperately:

1. Does a specification mean to describe all the pins of the SOC or IP? Does it mean something else?

2. What do you mean by product when you say "In my example product, I would assume there is some electronics between the edge of the box and the ASIC"? Is the product (IP SWITCH) and ASIC same? Is the box here and the product same?

3. When I posted my query at the beginning I talked of Engineering specification. Are you answering of engineering specification here?

4. What do you mean by top level specification?

5. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOP LEVEL SPEC AND ASIC SPEC WHEN YOU TALK OF "I attempted to show how the top level spec caused the ASIC spec to be started. We want to do an ASIC because of size and power requirements. The example shows how we decided to put all big RAMs outside the ASIC. Hence more specification can be created"
Is this putting big RAMS outside the ASIC also part of the ENGINEERING SPEC? If it is apart of ENGINEERING SPEC, then is it apart of ENGINEERING SPEC of ASIC or the top level product?

6. What ia this box and what is this ASIC? and what is this product (please distinguish these three properly) when you wrote "In my example product, I would assume there is some electronics between the edge of the box and the ASIC. The ASIC is the product function, everything around it is supporting tech". Is this electronics between the edge of the box and the ASIC is a part of engineering spec?

ASIC_intl,
I am an ASIC/FPGA verification person. I view everything from a spec. As in, I test to ensure the specification(s) are met functionally.

"1. Does a specification mean to describe all the pins of the SOC or IP? Does it mean something else?"
The requirements document for an ASIC, or specification, needs to detail all functionality. For a SOC design, you would describe as much detail as you can. This could extend down into the register set, IP reuse details, power requirements, frequency requirements, physical pin requirements, detailed bus interface protocol descriptions, references to other specs for standard interfaces, functional requirements imposed by software, algrithmic requirements ..... Everything and anything that enables the functionality to be created and verified is what goes into a spec.

"2. What do you mean by product when you say "In my example product, I would assume there is some electronics between the edge of the box and the ASIC"? Is the product (IP SWITCH) and ASIC same? Is the box here and the product same?"
I have not worked on a device that will be used generically in unknown applicaitons. The designs I have verified have always been part of a larger design. In my example, I am not sure how popular it is to have an Optical interface directly connected to an ASIC. So, there has to be some kind of interface before the ASIC. It is rare that an ASIC device is just hanging in mid air, so I assume that there is a top level "product" specification that describes the "box" the ASIC is going into. So the Box I refer to is the product, the ASIC is the technology that enables it to be implemented as specified, small and low power. So, I guess it depends on your definition of a "product". If you are building a stand alone device for generic implementation, you need to detail its functionality so users can use it, i.e. the device specification, your product. If you are building a switch like my example, the top level requirements "shape" the ASCI requirements. Hence, you derive the basic requirements from the top level and finer grained requirements are derived from design decisions. I was trying to show the "trail" of requirements specifications that a product may have.

"3. When I posted my query at the beginning I talked of Engineering specification. Are you answering of engineering specification here?"
Functional specification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"4. What do you mean by top level specification?"
The Box I refer to is the product. The top level spec describes it. How it is implemented is not detailed, just the functions it is required to provide.
For my Box example, there may be 2 other specs besides the ASIC spec. How about a Board level spec, and a enclosure spec (the metal box). The top level spec does not say that an ASIC will be used, because what if it can be implemented with off the shelf parts, and meet the spec? Then there is no ASIC spec.

Box = 1U 19" Rack mount enclosure.
Product = a switch
ASIC = technology that enables Product to be realized in the Box.

Sckoarn

I need to say you the following. The ASIC (Application specific integrated circuits) is an IC that itself can be a product or box. The ASIC is not a technology, it is an integrated circuit.

ASIC_intl,
Sorry I was unable to help you. I would be happy to see someone else try to explain things better, I may learn something.

Sckoarn ;(

A user specification must communicate the user needs in terms of a set of user stories
A user specification does not contain the solution specifications.

Example paragraphs for a development specification may look like this : (Treat the system as "black box")

1. SCOPE
2.0 INTERFACES
2.1 Physical Interfaces (dimensions, weight, COG)
2.2 Services
2.2.1 Power
2.2.1 Cool air
2.2.3 Compressed air
2.3 Electrical interfaces
2.3.1 Data signals
2.3.2 Control signals
2.4 Environmental interfaces
2.4.1 IP rating
2.4.2 Temperature
2.4.3 EMI
2.5 Human Interfaces
2.5.1 Inputs
2.5.2 Outputs
3.0 Functional Characteristics
3.1 Function 1
3.2 Function 2
3.3 Function 3

ASIC_intl

Klystron has given an excellent view...you can go with him...

Yes that is the basic outline of a specification document. Or at least what one could look like.
something like the link that I posted about functional specificaitons.

klystron

Thanks for providing this. Specification is quite clear now. Is it a engineering specification or functional specification that you provided?

Thanks

---------- Post added at 07:36 ---------- Previous post was at 07:34 ----------

Hi Sckoarn

You also provide many information that helped to understand specification better. THank you for that. It is better if u can supply more.
However, to me ASIC cannot be a technology, ASIC is just application specific integrated circuit. Please provide your comments about ASIC. Why do u say ASIC is a technology?

Thanks

ASIC_intl,
I consider an ASIC, "technology" from the point of view of product development. If I was able to implement a product with off the shelf parts, it would save the effort of producing much of the complication of the implementation. But the size and power may not be as we wanted, or there may be some little feature that the off the self parts will not provide. Cost is always an issue when producing a product. If you have a high volume product the implementation tends to go towards ASCI/full custom devices. If your product volume is lower, it may be better to use an FPGA.

So, I refer to technology in levels, off the shelf parts, FGPA and ASIC. Yes all of these are integrated circuits, and you can lump them all into one technology. But you can also seperate them in to the groups I have stated. The technology needed to produce an ASIC is more than an FPGA, though similar, you get to avoid the phsycal lay out in an FPGA. To produce a product with off the shelf parts, the technology level of the development is much lower than if you are doing an FPGA or ASCI. The staffing to produce each different tech level is also different.

One of your comments, "How to decide the specification of a product?" stated at the start. I was trying to show how a product specification gets decided in much of what I said. The fact that most "products" start from a sales or product group within a company. Unless the Company is only doing semi-conductors products, I assume that the product goes into a box of some sort. We as designers and verification people have to implement the product spec. If it is decided at some point that an ASIC is required to implement the product, you have just made a decision to write an ASIC spec. At the same time you have decided to go down a technology trail, to use a specific technology level to implement the product requirements. That decision will cause the team to be defined as well. ASIC development is not cheep, and it is good to review the costing and product volume before assuming you are going to use an ASIC.

Hope that clears things up some.
Sckoarn