[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8688]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 12, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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]
BILLING CODE 3510-CN-M