Abstract A novel, table‐driven approach based on relational database technology is proposed for the design and early validation of cache coherence protocols. A protocol is specified as multiple communicating, multi‐input, multi‐output, finite‐state machines each represented by a relational database table. The tables are automatically generated by solving relational calculus constraints specifying the protocol transactions. Early protocol validation prior to an implementation is performed by testing these tables for several protocol properties expressed using relational queries and database integrity constraints. The debugged tables are automatically mapped to a high‐level hardware implementation while preserving their correctness. The proposed approach has been deployed at Fujitsu Systems Technology Division for the design of their next‐generation multiprocessor and has been highly successful in reducing the overall protocol development time and has discovered several errors early in the design cycle. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The method of extracting MOSFET model parameters using optimization offers significant advantages over classical methods of extracting model parameters sequentially. Previous work in this field has concentrated on speed of convergence rather than general applicability. Gradient following methods have been applied to this problem but difficulties arise because of parameter redundancy, singularities in the objective function, and the necessity of providing very good initial estimates of the model parameters. These factors can seriously hinder the application of the technique. This paper describes the application of the simplex direct search optimization method to this problem. This algorithm, in wide use for general optimization problems, needs no derivative calculation and has proved highly stable for MOS model parameter extraction. Its basis is described and an example of its use given.