Methodics Announces Support for Latest Release of Subversion Version Control System to Enable More Efficient IC Design

Version 1.7 of popular CM tool brings more performance and enhances distributed use model for large IC design projects

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – February 8, 2012 – Methodics, Inc., the leading provider of integrated solutions used in managing design data and semiconductor intellectual property (IP) for complex IC design, today announced that its suite of SoC development tools supports the latest release of the popular Subversion® version control system. The integration provides development teams with an efficient way to manage the hardware and software aspects of large, complex ICs.  The Subversion 1.7 release, developed by the Subversion open-source community, is the most complete ever and includes a number of performance improvements, enhancements to both the client and server features, and changes that improve a distributed use model.

The Methodics suite of design data and IP management tools work synergistically with the Subversion platform to manage how a wide range of design data is used, tracked, debugged and archived. The integration of release 1.7 further allows IC designers to fully exploit the features and capabilities of Subversion to see faster and more efficient results for collaborative design methodologies.

“There is a large base of users of the Methodics SoC DM solution that also uses Subversion. The improvements in the latest release of Subversion will make the methodology that the tools enable together to operate even more efficiently, both from a performance standpoint as well as in how disparate design teams can collaborate on projects,” Simon Butler, CEO of Methodics, said. “SoC design is becoming increasingly more like a software development process, and the combination of Methodics’ expertise in IC design and Subversion’s track record of improving software development results in a solution ideally suited for today’s highly integrated SoCs.”

New features, better performance in Subversion 1.7

• HTTPv2 – a new HTTP protocol variant designed to enhance performance between Subversion clients and the server
• A new in-memory caching system for FSFS repository backends
• A range of features that improve its ability to show "diffs," including a new option that is similar to git
• Network compression – a protocol for avoiding CPU bottlenecks on the compression side
• Working copy meta-data cached in a client-side SQLlite database

The modular Methodics architecture allows the addition of tools for managing the design data in a variety of ways, creating a sophisticated collaborative work environment that meets the growing need for communication between multiple sites and design teams, and enables visual comparison and implementation of design changes.  Using such industry-standard tools as Subversion 1.7 as the configuration management (CM) database ensures that design data is never locked into a proprietary system, and also makes the entire CM companion tools ecosystem available to facilitate user-specific IP and release methodologies.

About Methodics, Inc.

Methodics, Inc. is a leading provider of design data management (DM) tools that improve the efficiency and collaboration of integrated circuit (IC) design. Its IP Developer™ and SoC Integrator™ systems are components in the first integrated platform for managing SoC realization, reducing the time, complexity and costs involved in IP-based design approaches. Its VersIC™ DM tools integrate industry-standard software configuration management tools, such as the Perforce® and Subversion® version control systems into the hardware design environment to provide a more efficient global collaboration experience. The privately held company has offices in the USA, Europe and Asia. For further information, visit www.methodics.com.