Abstract: A system and method for distributed knowledge management. In one embodiment, the system includes a hosted application through which an entity administers a knowledge base (KB). An entity can be, for example, a manufacturer or a reseller of any kind. Administering a KB includes receiving a request for a knowledge item from a user of the system. A user can be an entity or a customer of an entity. Administering further includes responding to the request, which involves accessing knowledge items in at least one of multiple KBs that may be administered by multiple entities. Administering further includes publishing the request, which includes making the request and a response to the request selectively available to different users of the system based upon different levels of privilege assigned to each of the users of the system.

Abstract: An improved electronic design automation (EDA) system employs field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) for emulating prototype circuit designs. A circuit netlist file is down-loaded to the FPGAs to configure the FPGAs to emulate a functional representation of the prototype circuit. To check whether the circuit netlist is implemented properly, the FPGAs are tested functionally by applying input vectors thereto and comparing the resulting output of the FPGAs to output vectors provided from prior simulation. If the FPGAs fail such vector comparison, the FPGAs are debugged by inserting "read-back" trigger instructions in the input vectors, preferably corresponding to fail points in the applied vector stream. Modifying the input vectors with such read-back signals causes the internal states of latches and flip-flops in each FPGA to be captured when functional testing is repeated.

Abstract: A method of testing integrated circuits at high operating speeds is provided which is applicable to sequential logic circuits such as ASICs. A general purpose ASIC tester applies test vectors to the integrated circuit under test. The logic input signals are held unchanged and a series of high speed clock signals (a clock burst) are applied to the clock terminals of the integrated circuit. These clock signals are provided at the speed at which it is desired to test the integrated circuit. Then the output terminals are observed to determined if the device is in the expected state (as determined by simulation) after the clock burst. The process is repeated until no further output terminals change state, and then the device may be reinitialized and another series of state changes initiated. Thus every path in the circuit may be tested at high speed by a conventional low speed tester.

Abstract: A method of testing integrated circuits at high operating speeds is provided which is applicable to sequential logic circuits such as ASICs. A general purpose ASIC tester applies test vectors to the integrated circuit under test. The logic input signals are held unchanged and a series of high speed clock signals (a clock burst) are applied to the clock terminals of the integrated circuit. These clock signals are provided at the speed at which it is desired to test the integrated circuit. Then the output terminals are observed to determined if the device is in the expected state (as determined by simulation) after the clock burst. The process is repeated until no further output terminals change state, and then the device may be reinitialized and another series of state changes initiated. Thus every path in the circuit may be tested at high speed by a conventional low speed tester.